Because political opinions come in bundles these days, and a lot of politicians and media buy and in turn offer them wholesale, voting in the last mayoral election was a difficult decision to make.
Thanks for this. I do abandon my bike when the snow starts because I live north of St. Clair and there’s that hill down to Davenport. I miss the exercise and resent the need to use transit. Sometimes it’s crowded and I can’t even read. The worst!
Certainly I understand why people use cars to travel >10km distances, or need the space for kids and weekly grocery runs, but bicycles are such a neat solution for quick trips. Car owners complaining about cyclists strike me as motor boat owners complaining about canoeists. Cyclists don’t have traffic jams—except maybe on College Street during rush hour—and we can portage. It’s an ideal form of transportation no matter what the political stripe.
St Clair or thereabouts is my psychological barrier for trips north, but I do break it on occasion. I remember having a nice ride to the Yorkdale Mall once, Poplar Plains Rd and then the ravine shortcuts, Nordheimer and Cedarvale and then through Marlee, but it was clement weather, midday, pandemic traffic, various things need to happen for anyone to be in the mood to ride to Yorkdale.
Really appreciate this lucid take. I haven't seen anyone else make what might be called a conservative case for cycling -- which really is kind of strange in light of the excellent points you make. But as you note, we are all ideological basket cases now.
I'm a long-time commuter cyclist, and now a new driver at midlife. My view is that congestion's killing movement in Toronto, but not because of bike lanes -- it's chronic and worsening management at the TTC and Metrolinx (transit is currently completely unreliable: no wonder anyone with the option drives), and the near absence of City oversight re costs and completion times over roadwork and large-scale building projects -- roadwork slowing traffic while progress crawls, and condo projects closing curbside lanes along major arterials for months or years at a time. Basically: unaccountable and imperious administrations are choking us to death.
Spot-on. I neglected to notice that and it's exactly right. It's almost made the cyclist vs driver war moot, but cyclist vs driver is all we talk about because the actual reasons for congestion can't and won't be addressed.
So ‘on board’ with all of this. One of the vs bikes arguments that rankles me the most is the completely erroneous notion that cyclists don’t pay their fair share. This ignores that anyone living in the city whether renting or owning pays taxes. Most of us have to work and pay our income taxes. Ford has gifted vehicle owners with free licences - so it’s not as if drivers are paying that tax any more - but they’ll certainly still demand that cyclists pay some kind of license fee. The little, multiple trips you mention going shop to shop means I often come home having spent a shocking amount, just because it’s so easy. Groceries, a bottle of wine-hey I’m near that bookstore so why not- oh I need something at Canadian Tire and so on. I’d never make all those trips in a car. So if a healthy economy is in any way a conservative priority then cyclists are certainly doing their share. Most of all the sheer joy you mention - it takes a lot of crappy weather to force me onto public transit.
I don't think I've ever been this depressed by the TTC. Half or more of my trips are marked by long stops, kick outs (gotta love when four streetcars have to shed all the passengers because one ahead is out of service and no help in sight), lack of communication, surprisingly long waits for trains even during rush hour (4 minutes is the new normal in rush hour). The traveller etiquette has gone down south too. People regularly just stand in the door, don't remove backpacks in a full car, park permanently in the busy towards-the-door space lost in their phones, and women with bags of any size absolutely NEED that extra seat, no shame, no hesitation.
Thanks for this. I do abandon my bike when the snow starts because I live north of St. Clair and there’s that hill down to Davenport. I miss the exercise and resent the need to use transit. Sometimes it’s crowded and I can’t even read. The worst!
Certainly I understand why people use cars to travel >10km distances, or need the space for kids and weekly grocery runs, but bicycles are such a neat solution for quick trips. Car owners complaining about cyclists strike me as motor boat owners complaining about canoeists. Cyclists don’t have traffic jams—except maybe on College Street during rush hour—and we can portage. It’s an ideal form of transportation no matter what the political stripe.
Well put. We are one city.
St Clair or thereabouts is my psychological barrier for trips north, but I do break it on occasion. I remember having a nice ride to the Yorkdale Mall once, Poplar Plains Rd and then the ravine shortcuts, Nordheimer and Cedarvale and then through Marlee, but it was clement weather, midday, pandemic traffic, various things need to happen for anyone to be in the mood to ride to Yorkdale.
Really appreciate this lucid take. I haven't seen anyone else make what might be called a conservative case for cycling -- which really is kind of strange in light of the excellent points you make. But as you note, we are all ideological basket cases now.
I'm a long-time commuter cyclist, and now a new driver at midlife. My view is that congestion's killing movement in Toronto, but not because of bike lanes -- it's chronic and worsening management at the TTC and Metrolinx (transit is currently completely unreliable: no wonder anyone with the option drives), and the near absence of City oversight re costs and completion times over roadwork and large-scale building projects -- roadwork slowing traffic while progress crawls, and condo projects closing curbside lanes along major arterials for months or years at a time. Basically: unaccountable and imperious administrations are choking us to death.
Spot-on. I neglected to notice that and it's exactly right. It's almost made the cyclist vs driver war moot, but cyclist vs driver is all we talk about because the actual reasons for congestion can't and won't be addressed.
Bikes vs cars seems to be a reliable wedge issue, sadly. And not only on one side.
So ‘on board’ with all of this. One of the vs bikes arguments that rankles me the most is the completely erroneous notion that cyclists don’t pay their fair share. This ignores that anyone living in the city whether renting or owning pays taxes. Most of us have to work and pay our income taxes. Ford has gifted vehicle owners with free licences - so it’s not as if drivers are paying that tax any more - but they’ll certainly still demand that cyclists pay some kind of license fee. The little, multiple trips you mention going shop to shop means I often come home having spent a shocking amount, just because it’s so easy. Groceries, a bottle of wine-hey I’m near that bookstore so why not- oh I need something at Canadian Tire and so on. I’d never make all those trips in a car. So if a healthy economy is in any way a conservative priority then cyclists are certainly doing their share. Most of all the sheer joy you mention - it takes a lot of crappy weather to force me onto public transit.
I don't think I've ever been this depressed by the TTC. Half or more of my trips are marked by long stops, kick outs (gotta love when four streetcars have to shed all the passengers because one ahead is out of service and no help in sight), lack of communication, surprisingly long waits for trains even during rush hour (4 minutes is the new normal in rush hour). The traveller etiquette has gone down south too. People regularly just stand in the door, don't remove backpacks in a full car, park permanently in the busy towards-the-door space lost in their phones, and women with bags of any size absolutely NEED that extra seat, no shame, no hesitation.