Poll: 7 in 10 Torontonians support the Bloor Street bike lane

Jun 26 2017, 10:44 pm

Torontonians want bike lanes on Bloor Street.

In fact, in a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Forum, seven in ten residents want to keep the bike lane on Bloor Street, according to Cycle TO.

The survey also concluded that 81% of Toronto supports lower speed limits on roads, and 80% were in favour of building a safe network of bike lanes.

“These data suggest the vast majority of Toronto residents want to prioritize safety for all road-users — car-drivers and cyclists alike,” said Gideon Forman, a transportation analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation, which commissioned the research, in a press release. “When you reduce speed limits and build separated bike lanes you save lives.”

In February, the City of Toronto released an update on the Bloor Street Bike Lane Pilot, which was installed last August. The first of the updates, the City’s report was intended to inform of the usage and need for operational changes. And in the report, the City said there had been a significant increase of 36% in cycling using Bloor Street, 25% of which are new cycling trips. But with that said, drivers have been facing longer commutes along Bloor Street.

Another update report by the City is scheduled for release this month.

And this fall, city council will look into weather or not the Bloor bike lane should be permanent.

“Polling released by Forum Research in 2016 found 56% of Toronto voters approve of the Bloor bike lane,” says Cycle Toronto executive director Jared Kolb. “The new poll shows support for keeping the Bloor lane at 69% — 13 points higher than Forum. I’d say there’s increasing momentum to make the lane permanent.”

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