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Stintz pushes to repeal bylaw and let cyclists ride side by side

SUNNY DHILLON
The Globe and Mail
Published 

Councillor Karen Stintz plans to put forward a motion that would ensure cyclists don’t have to ride single-file at all times.

The agenda for next week’s city council meeting was posted online Thursday.

Ms Stintz’s motion, seconded by Josh Colle, recommends council direct the city solicitor to repeal bylaw 950-201(A).

The bylaw was passed in pre-amalgamation Etobicoke and says cyclists must ride single-file. The bylaw would eventually apply to all districts as part of the amalgamation process, but is not yet enforceable.

Once the bill is repealed, Ms. Stintz’s motion recommends council direct the general manager of transportation services to provide recommendations for the “safe and equitable use” of Toronto roadways by cyclists and other users.

Jared Kolb, a Cycle Toronto spokeman, said in an interview his group has been pushing for the repeal since the summer. He said that was when Cycle Toronto was contacted by a cycling club that had been pulled over by police for riding outside the single-style formation.

He said the group was not ticketed, but told to ride single-file.

Mr. Kolb called the bylaw a “pretty regressive rule” and said he welcomed Ms. Stintz’s motion.

Yvonne Bambrick, an urban cycling consultant, said repealing the bylaw is a good idea, but it’s certainly not the biggest problem cyclists face.

She said last week’s wintry weather shows there’s much more work to be done when it comes to clearing snow from bike lanes and other streets.

The No. 1 issue, Ms. Bambrick said, is to build a better relationship among cyclists and drivers.

“Drivers, I think, have felt emboldened by the fact that the mayor is someone who doesn’t necessarily think that cyclists belong on the streets,” she said. “I would like to see some bridge building on the part of city hall that helps everyone acknowledge they have a right to the roadways and a responsibility to share them.”

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said he’s open to the motion, and any ideas that benefit cyclists while keeping traffic moving. However, he said he did not think the bylaw was a “burning issue or a tremendous problem.”

The motion says it’s not only possible for cyclists to ride next to each other without creating safety of congestion issues, but adds the Etobicoke bylaw is redundant.

It says the Ontario Highway Traffic Act already “requires cyclists to responsibly position themselves on the right side of the roadway when a faster vehicle approaches to pass.”

Other motions that will be moved next week include Mary-Margaret McMahon on term limits for councillors; Josh Matlow on taking action on youth violence; and Mr. Minnan-Wong on capping the municipal land transfer tax.