There's an interesting letter to the editor in the Star today about their article from Monday about a Bloor-Danforth Bikeway, pointing out that even with all the bikelanes in the world, cyclists should still bike safely, while also making a plea for physically seperated bikelanes.

Painted lines on the pavement cannot protect cyclists from a motorist who cannot see them, yet the cyclist feels safer and therefore rides much more confidently. This could be a false sense of security that should be avoided.

Even a cycling trip along a Bloor St. with bike lanes would not be an ideal experience. With the high concentration of stores and restaurants, a cyclist would be continually steering into traffic to avoid delivery trucks and cars letting out passengers. Could this justify taking away street parking?

To get the people of Toronto out on their bikes takes a lot more commitment and forward-thinking than this. It involves separated bicycle paths that follow commuter routes – not ones that were just designed for recreational use. Before you dismiss this as an overpriced European solution, look east and you will find that such a thing already exists.

They use the Martin Goodman trail along the waterfront as an example. While I'm sure some people use it to commute, I think it's used far more for recreational riding (or "roadies" training for races - which is a whole other issue) than anything else.

[photo credit]

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