Cyclists take over Jarvis

Comments

[rontad]

I was an unwitting part of the cyclist rally when commuting home from a long workday (deadlines-don't ask) and while it was hot on the street, things seemed to be very friendly.

[alec stockwell]

I hope that other citizens will now rise up and claim their city from Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber-D.

[Nick]

When my father said "don't grow up to be a loser" I think he was talking about this. You don't see pedestrians or drivers protesting en masse. You know why?
Because they identify with something other than a hunk of metal on two wheels.

[JHK]

I really don't know what the politicians and city planners are thinking. I don't live downtown, and I don't ride my bike on Jarvis st, so I don't have a horse in this race.
As far as I can see, the politicians can remove the bike lane,
but the cyclists will continue to use the road, with or without the bike lane.
The cyclists use Javis st, or whatever street, not because they want to cause inconvenience to others. They cycle because they have to get from point A to point B. If there is no bike lane in Jarvis st, they are not going to leave the bike home and walk. They will continue to bike. And they will continue to bike on Jarvis st, not Sherbourne st, or Church st, or whatever street. They bike on Jarvis st because it is convenient to them.
With the bike lane, at least the cars can zip by them with ease. Without the bike lane, the bicycles will take up 1/4 of the road, effectively slowing down the overall traffic.
Does it make sense?

[respect the rules]

If bikers want to have the rights they need to respect the rules. They should be stopping at all the lights even in a protest, or they won't be getting any supporters. They can take a whole road lane, but respect the rules of the road, of stopping at lights. The police wanted to stop them but they wouldn't stop. Calling in to city of toronto tomorrow push bicyclers laws further!

[Trevor]

Dear Respect the Rules,

Toronto Police were there to temporarily block the intersections while the protest rolled through. It was, at most, a 7 minute delay for east/west traffic.

[Dandmb50]

@dandmb50 - I think the turnout was better than they expected, and the riders were respectful and no incidents that I saw. I think it is very unfair that the city made this decision and must reconsider their options. I do agree that Sherbourne St route would have been a better choice in the beginning, but it's there now, why fix something that is not broken. I cycle, less than I use to, but the direction the city should be going, is adding protected bike lanes, instead of removing any. Bikers are tax payers like everyone else, and deserve the use of the roads and in a safe and comfortable manner. What is going to happen if they take off the bike lanes from Jarvis, and heaven forbid someone gets killed cycling after the bike lanes are removed? Will that cost the city money? .. Daniel .. Toronto .. http://bit.ly/DMBwp

[Riki]

The removal of bike lanes is a reversal of years of fighting for them. However, from my understanding, Sherbourne was going to get new lanes installed as an alternative. Have I been misinformed?

[Di0nysys]

This is good :)

[Spire Skyscraper]

Respect the rules, you need to stop trying to think through this with your own personal mindset. Back up, take off the blinders, and look at what is happening in North American cities. Is it not relevant that Chicago is building 160 km of protected lanes? Is it some sort of accident that New York has converted Broadway to bike lanes and pedestrian squares? The world has changed, and you need to understand that and take part or Toronto will be left far, far behind.

[respect the rules]

Dear Trevor...it was a 15 minute delay at jarvis, and another 10 minute+ delay when i reached queen st getting down to the financial district
Toronto police told me they were trying to get them to stop at the lights but they wouldn't and there was nothing they could do. i saw her trying to signal people to stop when the light turned red, but they ignored her. They can protect them but they can't run the lights

[Miss Lynx]

The police were actually very friendly and seemed quite supportive of the ride. They stopped traffic for us at the intersections - I expect so that the ride would stay together and get through faster, which would make things safer and less chaotic for everyone.

A surprising number of car drivers I saw also seemed very supportive and encouraging. I definitely wasn't expecting that... The small number of hostile reactions we got from drivers were far outnumbered by the positive ones. It gave me hope that we really can all peacefully coexist, and share the road.

[La]

I was one of the organizers of the ride, and the police were there to marshal the ride, stop traffic, ensure safety. They told us that they would stop traffic at lights until the entire ride went by, so the ride would stick together traffic would be stopped. There is nothing illegal about a critical mass bike ride.

The officer you were talking to was a) trying to pacify you or b) lying.

[Jimmy]

Protests for bike lanes...good lord, please find some better way to spend your time.

[John Godfrey Spragge]

@Nick -- Actually, pilots and sailors both "identify" with their ships and planes. I certainly don't agree that developing a bond with an instrument that moves you safely through the world signals some defect. I suspect most people who build cars would disagree with your claim that drivers regard their cars with stony indifference. In any case, I didn't protest on behalf of my bicycle; I protested against an incoherent policy of promoting traffic congestion and unhealthy lifestyle choices that together cost us literally billions of dollars per year.

@Jimmy: what if I spend no more than 16,000 hours (the estimated amount by which regular cyclists outlive non-cyclists) on cycling activism.

[yesimadr@hotmail.com]

@JDK

The cyclists can use Sherbourne. It's 100 yards to the east and has a bike lane twice as wide. Jarvis is for cars. Sorry.