TORONTO - The Jarvis St. bike lanes, a major victory for former mayor David Miller, could be pulled off the road.
Mayor Rob Ford’s regime is now prepared to undo the road renovations completed just last year at a cost of around $65,000.
As a councillor and mayoral candidate, Ford raged against removing the reversible centre lane on the busy north-south corridor to install the bicycle lanes on both sides of busy road, adding time to drivers’ commutes.
Public works chairman Denzil Minnan-Wong said he thinks there is an appetite on council to revisit the controversial bike lanes.
“I’ve heard from many councillors that they would like to revisit this issue,” Minnan-Wong said.
He is proposing a separated bike lane plan in the downtown core but the network doesn’t call for such lanes on Jarvis St. because it is a primary north-south route.
“The separated bike lanes that I’m proposing recommends using Sherbourne St., which is a couple blocks away, which in some ways would make Jarvis St. (bike lanes)...less necessary,” Minnan-Wong said.
Public works will vote on an omnibus bike lane proposal in June.
But removing the lanes is “not a priority for this administration,” Ford’s spokesman, Adrienne Batra, stressed.
“Is it something we are considering looking into? Absolutely,” Batra said. “Right now, we’re more worried about getting the city’s finances under control and that’s where our focus is...this is not something that is happening tomorrow.”
But the mayor’s office has heard from a number of people concerned about the issue, she said.
Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said she learned the street’s bike lanes could be in jeopardy through social media Wednesday.
“It’s a big surprise,” Wong-Tam said. “I’ve spoken to the mayor’s office and said if anything happens on Jarvis, it should happen with full community consultation.”
The Ward 27 councillor said she is trying to revitalize the east side of downtown.
“It is all hinging on the economic viability of Jarvis and the improvements along Jarvis,” Wong-Tam said.
Councillor Adam Vaughan called it a “war on the bike.”
“I’ve driven up and down Jarvis on bike and in a car, it’s no different than it was before,” Vaughan said. “It’s just a lot of time and fury and wasted energy.”
But Minnan-Wong countered Ford is the far more bike-friendly mayor when compared to Miller.
don.peat@sunmedia.ca
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/18/jarvis-st-bike-lanes-will-be-reexamined
I like bike lanes when I'm riding my bike but removing the revisable 5th. lane on Jarvis street was a stupid idea, plain and simple. Thank you David Miller.
You want to go north or south, take Sherbourne (which has bike lanes) or Church. What's the big deal.
This thread ought to generate some good "I hate fucking cyclists - I hate fucking drivers" replies!
Mayor Rob Ford’s regime is now prepared to undo the road renovations completed just last year at a cost of around $65,000.
As a councillor and mayoral candidate, Ford raged against removing the reversible centre lane on the busy north-south corridor to install the bicycle lanes on both sides of busy road, adding time to drivers’ commutes.
Public works chairman Denzil Minnan-Wong said he thinks there is an appetite on council to revisit the controversial bike lanes.
“I’ve heard from many councillors that they would like to revisit this issue,” Minnan-Wong said.
He is proposing a separated bike lane plan in the downtown core but the network doesn’t call for such lanes on Jarvis St. because it is a primary north-south route.
“The separated bike lanes that I’m proposing recommends using Sherbourne St., which is a couple blocks away, which in some ways would make Jarvis St. (bike lanes)...less necessary,” Minnan-Wong said.
Public works will vote on an omnibus bike lane proposal in June.
But removing the lanes is “not a priority for this administration,” Ford’s spokesman, Adrienne Batra, stressed.
“Is it something we are considering looking into? Absolutely,” Batra said. “Right now, we’re more worried about getting the city’s finances under control and that’s where our focus is...this is not something that is happening tomorrow.”
But the mayor’s office has heard from a number of people concerned about the issue, she said.
Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said she learned the street’s bike lanes could be in jeopardy through social media Wednesday.
“It’s a big surprise,” Wong-Tam said. “I’ve spoken to the mayor’s office and said if anything happens on Jarvis, it should happen with full community consultation.”
The Ward 27 councillor said she is trying to revitalize the east side of downtown.
“It is all hinging on the economic viability of Jarvis and the improvements along Jarvis,” Wong-Tam said.
Councillor Adam Vaughan called it a “war on the bike.”
“I’ve driven up and down Jarvis on bike and in a car, it’s no different than it was before,” Vaughan said. “It’s just a lot of time and fury and wasted energy.”
But Minnan-Wong countered Ford is the far more bike-friendly mayor when compared to Miller.
don.peat@sunmedia.ca
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/18/jarvis-st-bike-lanes-will-be-reexamined
I like bike lanes when I'm riding my bike but removing the revisable 5th. lane on Jarvis street was a stupid idea, plain and simple. Thank you David Miller.
You want to go north or south, take Sherbourne (which has bike lanes) or Church. What's the big deal.
This thread ought to generate some good "I hate fucking cyclists - I hate fucking drivers" replies!
