Yonge4All

Community group advocating for sustainable mobility on Yonge Street & beyond.

[Yonge4All @Yonge4All]

$75 million of our tax money to make traffic worse? Imagine what that money could do for healthcare, education, transit, or housing! Tell Ford to stay in his lane: https://t.co/JRpRlPTJr0

[Matt Elliott @GraphicMatt]

In summary, Ford's bike lane removals will, according to a new City Hall report:

- Cost $75 million in direct costs and sunk costs.
- Make traffic much, much worse for at least nine months during construction to remove lanes
- Have minimal long-term impact on car travel times.

[ebikes-international @ebikesinternatl]

Cycle Toronto to Take Legal Action Against Bill 212 – Help Fund our Legal Challenge #bikelanes #safecycling #saferroads https://t.co/LYZwkrcT7w

[Bluehairisnice @Bluehairisnice]

@Mikey10Mick @TheBikingLawyer @CycleToronto @FFSafeStreets @RespectTO @BicycleMayorTO @Yonge4All @biketo What non arterial roads? If you guys are going to keep saying this, show us a map of the alternative routes. At least tell us the street names. Why is it that nobody can do this? Instead of endangering lives, why wouldn't these mystery lanes open before current BL demolition?

[Megan @MmBsn]

@Mikey10Mick @TheBikingLawyer @CycleToronto @FFSafeStreets @RespectTO @BicycleMayorTO @Yonge4All @biketo Who are the "majority" you speak of? people who I've spoken see this foolish decision as one or more of:
- a waste of money and resources
- a distraction tactic
- very obviously not going to meet the goal of improving traffic
- increasing injury/death on the streets

[Friends and Families for Safe Streets @FFSafeStreets]

BLOOD ON ALL OF YOUR HANDS. More crashes, more death, more shattered families, sudden funerals, empty seats at family tables, broken hearts, broken bodies, broken lives, life sentences of anguish and grief.
#Bill212 #SafeStreetsSaveLives #TODeadlyStreets #BikeTO #WalkTO #ONpoli

[Safe Streets Halton @HaltonStreets]

Here is our open letter about Bill 212 and its harmful effects on public safety. https://t.co/3iHe6dSrkn

[Michael M @princeof416]

@ebikesinternatl @Yonge4All @CanadaRobin @BicycleMayorTO @BikewaysTO @TheBikingLawyer @FFSafeStreets @CycleToronto @RespectTO @normsworld @jnyyz I'm overjoyed to see such incredible mobilization - I'M WITH YOU THERE IN SPIRIT 110%!
Let's shout it out loud - #BikeLanesSAVELIVES!
#TOpoli #ONpoli #BikeLanes #BikeTO #CycleTO #BikeLaneLover #VisionZero

[Yonge4All @Yonge4All]

@NoWokeMinds @normsworld okay

[Observing The City @observinthecity]

Thousands of Ontario residents came together to send a message to @fordnation and @PrabSarkaria that bike lanes save lives, solve congestion and transport goods.

[Yonge4All @Yonge4All]

Today! Join us at Fight for Bikes' second protest at Queen's Park at 2pm. Following short speeches, there will be protest rides fanning out along University, Bloor, and Yonge Street. Come show your support for the Midtown Yonge Complete Street and all of Toronto's bike lanes.

[William Buckingham 🇨🇦 @WBuckingham]

@wardFORpeople @fordnation I agree. Balance.
33% sidewalk.
33% bike lane.
33% for motor vehicles.

Sounds fair. We’ll even let the motor vehicles have 34% to make it an even 100.

#TOpoli #Toronto #biketo #onpoli #ontario

[Douglas Yardley @douglasyardley]

When cycling in Toronto, I will not be restricted to side streets. The main streets are generally the only ones that cross the ravines. I cannot be expected to meander through side streets when riding from Scarborough to downtown and delivering frozen food for the Bike Brigade.

[Gru @Gruesomebrat]

Not even going to start on the Bloor lanes.

[Gru @Gruesomebrat]

Again, the entirety of the University bike lanes.

@fordnation claims there are parallel streets (non-artery) mere feet from the current bike lanes.

Where? Surely those can be pointed out on this map.

[Gru @Gruesomebrat]

This talking point is ridiculous to the point of being laughable.

Let's take an easy one to start. Here's a map of the entirety of the Yonge bike lane. Find a street that runs parallel, that isn't a main artery.

[Toronto Star @TorontoStar]

Mayor Olivia Chow urges Doug Ford to protect cyclists — not his own government from lawsuits https://t.co/YWk4kJfzcd

[Cycle Toronto @CycleToronto]

Supposedly, only 1.2% of Toronto residents ride their bike to work. And because of that, the provincial government is pushing through legislation that would remove the existing lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge.

But does that statistic seem a little suspicious to you?

1/

[KC @kcwrote]

@JessicaBellTO I hate everything about this. I live far away from Toronto and it is appalling that my provincial government is wasting time and money on something that is clearly a municipal responsibility.

[Anthony Farnell @AnthonyFarnell]

The cement and paint has barely dried on the new University Avenue dedicated bike lane. Why on earth would you tear all this up?

[Neil Pasricha @NeilPasricha]

Dear Ontario Premier Doug Ford (@fordnation),

My 10-year-old son was identified with a need last year and had to change public schools.

I now bike him 2.2km to school in the mornings and he bikes home alone.

We use the 8-year-old Bloor Street bike lanes which make the roads safe for him to do this.

With the roads full of Amazon delivery vans, speeding Ubers, massive buses, and whizzing food delivery e-bikes my son was nervous to bike alone.

We got him a rear view mirror and bike lights and practiced together a few times.

He uses the Bloor Street bike lanes which are full of many other kids riding to and from school.

You are now proposing to spend $48M in provincial taxpayer money (1) to overrule the wishes of the City of Toronto (2, 3, 4) to rip out these bike lanes, which you know pose a direct safety threat. (5)

If this happens we’ll need to ask his grandfather to pick him up in his car.

I’ll likely start driving him in the morning more since his grandfather's car can’t fit his bike on the way home.

Instead of what we need and want—*more* bike lanes that are proven to ease congestion, traffic, and pollution (6)—you’re proposing I spend more money, use more gas, spew more fumes, get less exercise, and create more car traffic.

In 2017 you spoke about bike lanes on @TVO and said: "You're nervous when there's no bike lanes. At least I was. We have to make sure there's never a death in the city. One death is way too many when it comes to bicycle riders. I felt so much safer when it's separated." (7)

Please reverse course here.

Keep the bike lanes.

It’s not too late.

Thank you,

Neil Pasricha

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(1) https://t.co/WjzQIoEyBo
(2) https://t.co/iUtYBV0Oon
(3) https://t.co/GWPYwNR4BW
(4) https://t.co/2KFaHnQIoO
(5) https://t.co/JVP4TuOAUv
(6) https://t.co/bV3WO9gboI
(7) https://t.co/TO9TdnGZn4

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CC: Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria), Ontario MPP Marit Stiles (@MaritStiles), Ontario MPP Jessica Bell (@JessicaBellTO), Ontario MPP Chris Glover (@chrisglover), Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow (@oliviachow), Toronto Councillor Alejandro Bravo (@bravodavenport), Toronto Councillor Dianne Saxe (@DianneSaxxe), Doctors for Safe Cycling (@Docs4Cycling), Cycle Toronto (@CycleToronto) Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland), Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau), Jon Haidt (@JonHaidt), Lenore Skenazy (@FreeRangeKids), and Jeff Speck (@JeffSpeckFAICP)