George Smitherman coddles the car crowd, suggesting the city put bike lanes on hold
George Smitherman is a thoughtful lover when it comes to drivers—he likes to take things slow. According to the mayoral front-runner, the city’s 2001 bike plan, which aims to build 500 kilometres of on-road bike lanes across the city, is moving way too fast. “What’s necessary is for everyone to take a time out here,” says Smitherman in an exclusive interview with Toronto Community News, going on to say that the nine-year-old plan hasn’t been communicated properly to residents and that drivers, caught unawares, are digging in their heels.
Despite the slow seduction of motorists, he still managed to distance himself from fellow candidate Rocco Rossi, saying he’s still up for bike lanes on major roadways. Says Smitherman:
In terms of suggesting bicycles should be relegated to crescents and cul-de-sacs, this is akin to saying you’re not in favour of the city of Toronto being a modern city... I don’t think it’s leadership to take the language of the war on the car and flip it on its head and say, “The war on the car has had its go at city hall. I’m going to advance the war on the bike.”
Smitherman has yet to take a position in the war on the run-on sentence.
• Mayoral candidate calling for ‘time out’ on creation of new bike lanes [Inside Toronto]
