Cycling advocates flooded the Internet with
angry posts and dozens biked to City Hall to protest after Toronto councillors voted Wednesday to remove the controversial bike lanes on Jarvis Street.
The 28-19 decision came down around noon, after a heated debate that started a day earlier and included personal attacks and yelling.
Once the city builds new curbed bike lanes on Sherbourne Street next year, it will return Jarvis to its original state with a reversible centre lane for cars.
“It goes contrary to the plans for the Jarvis Streetscape Improvement, which has everything to do with beautifying Jarvis Street and not turning it back into a thoroughfare,” Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said.
But Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong defended his motion, showing off a new membership card for the Toronto Cyclists Union.
“Certainly it’s controversial,” Minnan-Wong said. “But by and large this is a very positive staff report. It’s about having cyclists and cars get along.”
The cyclists union met after the vote to plan its next move. And about 20 people gathered at City Hall for a group ride, heading along Bay Street to Dundas and then north on Jarvis.
"This isn't over," Andrea Garcia of the cyclists union told CityNews.
"[This decision] gives us another year organize and get better data and show that the street really is working."
The Wednesday council debate began with Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker apologizing for his conduct the day before when he suggested Mayor Rob Ford and council send flowers to the funeral of any cyclist killed once the Jarvis bike lanes are removed.
Coun. Shelley Carroll followed with an old video clip of Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti passionately supporting the Jarvis bike lanes he now wants out.
Councillors ultimately decided to green-light a network of downtown bike lanes and remove others following a vote last month by the city’s public works committee.
The Mayor’s Bike Plan – a 100-kilometre network of bike trails connected by lanes on the street – and a system of curbed lanes downtown will now go ahead.
Besides the lanes on Jarvis Street – which cost $59,000 to install and an estimated $200,000 to remove – council voted to take out ones on Pharmacy Avenue and Birchmount Road in Scarborough.
A staff report released in April found the number of cyclists on Jarvis had tripled from 300 to 900 within an eight-hour period. Removing the single lane delayed southbound drivers by about a minute. The northbound trip during the afternoon rush took as many as four minutes longer – though an advanced green light previously scheduled to be installed this summer at Gerrard Street was expected to help.
The separated lanes will be installed on the Bloor Viaduct, Sherbourne and Wellesley streets this year and next. And more will be considered for Richmond, Adelaide, Harbord, and a north-south route connecting Beverley Street to the downtown waterfront.