Travelling can give needed and overdue perspective on home, and visiting other cities reveals that Toronto is behind in some ways, but also not exceptional or alone. Currently I’m in Berlin, a city that, like Toronto, put in “pandemic-resilient infrastructure” in the form of new bike lanes that connect more of the city’s existing cycling network together.
Germany is different though, right? They’re anti-car, surely? Ah yes, Germany, a country where automobile manufacturing and driving are legendary. These kinds of changes can happen everywhere there’s political will. There was some of that in Toronto as new lanes were added here and there during the pandemic. Not a Berlin transformation, but good by Toronto standards. Last summer the process continued, with long-desired lanes added to Yonge Street, north of Bloor to Davisville.
That’s another lesson to learn from European cities: for real safety, security and usefulness, good bike infrastructure has to connect and reach deep into all neighbourhoods. A series of trunk routes, like bike highways, are good but they need to get to where people are coming from and going to. Here in Berlin, cyclists can expect there will be some provision for their safety just about anywhere they go, a confidence we don’t have in Toronto.
The WRI guide was presented at the International Transportation Forum in Leipzig last week, a global summit on all things mobility I attended. It was supported by other civil society cycling organizations and a few more things stood out to me as I watched the discussion.
shawnmicallef Safe car speed until you hit the autobahn with no speed limit. That’s why it’s possible to for bikes to be safe in Berlin because cars have an alternative not in Toronto
shawnmicallef They need roads of a decent size.
shawnmicallef Oh ya fo' sure eh...you're totally going to see me pedal in Jan and Feb at -25°C on any Toronto street...implement this where weather can sustain it year round. What 2 seasons does Toronto get? If you didn't know it's winter and construction...go figure
shawnmicallef It also requires cyclists be licensed and regulated and forced to obey the rules of the road. Cyclists in Toronto think everything is in their favour. No respect is shown to pedestrians or vehicles. They need to be licensed and insured.