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andrewpmk said:
I think that bike lanes are a really bad idea because the safety of bike lanes is questionable. Even "separated" bike lanes have the problem that right turning cars can hit bicycles, so they are not as safe as they appear, and on Sherbourne cars often parking in them. ... My opinion is that bicycling is basically a fad because it is too dangerous, with or without bike lanes, and will disappear within the next 10 years; the failure of Bixi is an early indicator of this.
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So much to argue with...

I use the Sherbourne bike lanes several times a week and from my observation the lanes are now very seldom blocked by parked cars. When they first opened they were definitely blocked far more often but a combination of driver education and better enforcement has really made a big difference.

Being a pedestrian is also dangerous, is that too going to fade away so cars can have more space and/or go faster?

I am not sure Bixi has failed (here or elsewhere) but it could certainly be strengthened as one of its weaknesses is that it only covers a small part of the densely-populated parts of the City. Also, Bixi is not a substitute for owning a bike for exercise or longer commutes since one is restricted to 30-minute trips. Bikes will be around long after most (all?) UTers are not.
 
andrewpmk said:
My opinion is that bicycling is basically a fad because it is too dangerous, with or without bike lanes, and will disappear within the next 10 years
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what an incredible point of view

buggy whip manufacturers said the same thing about motor vehicles

not sure what this has to do with john tory's toronto, either, unless you're suggesting he's as anti-bike as you seem to be
 
This guy keeps repeating his theory that bikes are too dangerous. Sixty-three people died in 2013 in Toronto as a result of vehicle collisions. Thirty-nine of the fatalities were pedestrians. Clearly, our reliance on automobiles to do anything is what is dangerous. Only it is more dangerous to people outside the vehicle than inside (12 drivers or passengers were killed in 2013). Such backwards thinking - as long as you're safely protected inside then driving isn't considered a dangerous activity, but allowing yourself to be exposed to the vehicle is. But we shouldn't be surprised by that attitude in such a selfish society that we elect the likes of Rob Ford and pandering candidates like Tory are afraid to suggest anything that might threaten people's comforts.
 
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andrewpmk said:
I think that bike lanes are a really bad idea because the safety of bike lanes is questionable. Even "separated" bike lanes have the problem that right turning cars can hit bicycles, so they are not as safe as they appear, and on Sherbourne cars often parking in them. The percentage of people near Yonge/Eglinton who bike to work is around 2%, just like the rest of the city. Also the Eglinton bike lanes proposal comes with an outrageous price tag. My opinion is that bicycling is basically a fad because it is too dangerous, with or without bike lanes, and will disappear within the next 10 years; the failure of Bixi is an early indicator of this.
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Basically all of this is wrong and terribly uninformed (especially your mode share estimates and your assessment of 'dangerous', as well as your understanding of Bixi).

I could go into detail but I'm afraid I'd have to charge you for that. I'll just point out that cycling mode share downtown stands at around 10% right now (whereas driving mode share is around 14%) and the trend is such that within the next decade cycling may in fact overtake driving, as it has already in many neighbourhoods.

Sadly, Tory doesn't get this either.
 
ShonTron said:
The narrative that drives me up the friggin' wall. I won't do it.
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I am absolutely in the same camp. Recall that Tory was courting the Ford clan during his previous mayoral run - these guys are cut from the same ideological cloth. "Let's keep taxes low and build these lines on a map!" sure sounds familiar. It didn't work under Ford and it won't - as far as anyone can tell - work under Tory.

RC8 said:
Just like with Mel Lastman and Rob Ford, we are going to get a mayor who is thoroughly disconnected from those who make the Old City of Toronto one of the best places to live in North America. This may cost us dearly in the long term, as we will fall further behind Montreal and Vancouver in terms of liveability.
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If life under Ford has taught us anything, it's that central Toronto is an amazingly resilient place that can survive and thrive even under an openly hostile mayor. It's the stagnating parts of the city and the neediest people I'd be worried about in John Tory's Toronto. His idea of social justice seems to solely be solving the youth unemployment problem* (which he wants to tackle by becoming a "youth employment ambassador," whatever that means), which may to speak more to upper- and middle-class parents whose mid-20s university graduate children still live at home than it does to people in actual need of city services.


*If I'm wrong about this and Mr. Tory has proposed more solutions to the social issues we're facing, please point them out to me. I have been unable to find anything substantive out there.
 
andrewpmk said:
I think that bike lanes are a really bad idea because the safety of bike lanes is questionable. Even "separated" bike lanes have the problem that right turning cars can hit bicycles, so they are not as safe as they appear, and on Sherbourne cars often parking in them. The percentage of people near Yonge/Eglinton who bike to work is around 2%, just like the rest of the city. Also the Eglinton bike lanes proposal comes with an outrageous price tag. My opinion is that bicycling is basically a fad because it is too dangerous, with or without bike lanes, and will disappear within the next 10 years; the failure of Bixi is an early indicator of this.
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This is the most ridiculous post I have ever read on this site.
 
Shame that Andrew's anti-bike rhetoric ruined an otherwise insightful post on the Sheppard East LRT. I wouldn't be shocked if what he said on Sheppard were actually the case.

As for biking, I invite Andrew to visit Europe and see that biking is definitely not a fad, but a viable means of transportation for the masses. The only thing stopping us from achieving something similar here in Toronto is the rhetoric he and Ford champion, and our auto-crazed culture.
 
My opinion is that bicycling is basically a fad because it is too dangerous, with or without bike lanes, and will disappear within the next 10 years; the failure of Bixi is an early indicator of this.
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Cyclists won't disappear in 10 years, it will only be 10 weeks when only the most attention seeking masochists will still be out there. The others will be back in May so please don't get in the habit of blocking those bike lanes this winter.
 
Ah yes, the old "it's too cold for cycling" chestnut. Conveniently ignoring that Ottawa and Montreal have more extensive cycling infrastructure and bicycle use.
 
spider said:
Cyclists won't disappear in 10 years, it will only be 10 weeks when only the most attention seeking masochists will still be out there. The others will be back in May so please don't get in the habit of blocking those bike lanes this winter.
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You've used this argument on this site so many times, yet fail to acknowledge that there are cities colder than Toronto with a high cycling modal share during the winter.
 
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