Is anyone else getting the feeling that the spring, summer, and fall is going to see way more cyclists on the roads of Toronto (and other cities as well)?
I'm already noticing a ton of cyclists on the roads with me with this recent burst of nice weather, and after speaking with Darren at the CBN Event on Wednesday, I know I'm not the only one with this perception. The last couple days I've seen numbers of cyclists that I was seeing in mid-summer last year. If this is happening at the end of March... Toronto's cyclists may have a giant presence on the streets come May, June, July...
I'll give you two great examples of what I've been seeing:
1) Yesterday, on my normal commute home, I was in a mini-Critical Mass. I was stopped at the red light heading east at Gerrard and Parliament with 8 other cyclists, all going the same way (there were other cyclists going north and south, with the green light, at the same time...). When the light turned green, we all spaced out according to our own individual speeds. Some of us were closer to the curb, some of us were farther away, but it had the effect of making the usual "speedway" of Gerrard near Regent Park much safer. A couple cars wandered into the curb lane, but the vast majority of them stayed in the center lane... over the streetcar tracks.
2) On Wednesday, after visiting the Danforth branch of Grass Roots Store at Danforth & Chester in preparation for MAP (it starts tomorrow!), I cruised around the area for a bit. There's been a lot of talk about a Bloor-Danforth BikeLane named after Tooker Gomberg, but honestly, seeing the numbers of cyclists heading east with me on Wednesday, it may not be needed (although I am totally in favour of it) - cars were staying out of the curb lane. There were enough cyclists in it that it would've been impractical for a car to attempt driving in it.
Is that awesome or what?
Please leave a comment if you're seeing the same kind of things (or not), whether you're in Toronto or another city.
Discuss this topic and a lot more on the BikingToronto Forum
