City council has voted in favour of moving ahead with a plan to install bike lanes along a 2.4 kilometre stretch of Bloor Street as part of a pilot project.
Following a lengthy debate that unfolded over the better part of Wednesday, council voted 38-3 to install the bike lanes on both sides of Bloor Street between Shaw Street and Avenue Road later this summer.
The cost of installing the bike lanes is estimated at $500,000, though the city will also lose about $840,000 in annual revenue due to the loss of approximately 135 on-street parking spaces.
“It has been talked about for 40 years and for good reason,” Trinity-Spadina councillor Joe Cressy, whose ward includes most of the proposed route, told CP24 earlier in the day. “Bike lanes on Bloor are going to make it safer for drivers and cyclists, it is going to make it better for local businesses by bringing more customers in and ultimately it is going to alleviate congestion by bringing people out of cars and into more active modes of transportation. It is a win-win.”
Last week the city’s public works committee was split 2-2 on the prospect of installing bike lanes along Bloor Street, resulting in the proposal being sent to council without recommendation.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong had also raised some concerns about the idea, telling CP24 on Wednesday that he is worried about the impact the bike lanes will have on congestion.
There was, however, considerable support for the idea.
The head of the local business improvement area, Brian Burchell, told CP24.com last month that he wants the city to sign off on the pilot project so the impact of bike lanes can be further studied.
Mayor John Tory also said that he is in support of the pilot project, so long as staff study the impact of the bike lanes on both motorists, businesses and cyclists.
“The notion that a bike lane pilot on Bloor Street for a year is some sort of revolutionary act, I mean come now," Tory told reporters on Wednesday. “Let’s try it and see if it works.”
Byelection will he held to fill Ward 2 seat
There were are a total of 66 items left on today’s agenda after council spent all of yesterday’s meeting debating new ground transportation regulations.
In addition to the Bloor Street bike lanes proposal, city council also voted unaminoucly in favour of holding a byelection on July 25 to fill the Ward 2 seat that once belonged to the late Rob Ford. Council had the option to hold a byelection or appoint someone to fill the seat for the remainder of the term.
