Is Rob Ford waging a war on bikes?
It’s always fun when news agencies outside of Toronto pay attention to the city’s political scene, but this BBC clip about Toronto’s “war on bikes” just makes us sad. Setting the tone with some tense background music, the two-minute video features a series of Torontonians talking about how dangerous it is to get around on a bike in the city (which is certainly true) and placing all of the blame on Rob Ford for being “awful.” Since Ford refused repeated interview requests, the BBC did the next best thing: used old, grainy footage of him railing against cyclists and saying “it’s their own fault” if they get killed. And while the article accompanying the video gives a brief shout-out to council’s decision to upgrade and separate some existing bike lanes, it’s mostly a rebuke of the city’s cycling infrastructure, with Ford cast as the sole villain—even though the city’s pre-Ford track record on cycling was also spotty. We agree that the Ford administration, with its “war on the car” rhetoric, hasn’t been a cyclist’s best friend, but we’re not sure rallying beneath the “war on bikes” banner is the way to get Toronto’s inadequate infrastructure improved. It’s likely to create more hostility, not bike lanes. Watch the video [BBC News] »
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/bbc-video-cycling-rob-ford/&title=Is Rob Ford waging a war on bikes?&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bells-on-bloor1.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_135548" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="(Image: veggiefrog)"][/caption]
It’s always fun when news agencies outside of Toronto pay attention to the city’s political scene, but this BBC clip about Toronto’s “war on bikes” just makes us sad. Setting the tone with some tense background music, the two-minute video features a series of Torontonians talking about how dangerous it is to get around on a bike in the city (which is certainly true) and placing all of the blame on Rob Ford for being “awful.” Since Ford refused repeated interview requests, the BBC did the next best thing: used old, grainy footage of him railing against cyclists and saying “it’s their own fault” if they get killed. And while the article accompanying the video gives a brief shout-out to council’s decision to upgrade and separate some existing bike lanes, it’s mostly a rebuke of the city’s cycling infrastructure, with Ford cast as the sole villain—even though the city’s pre-Ford track record on cycling was also spotty. We agree that the Ford administration, with its “war on the car” rhetoric, hasn’t been a cyclist’s best friend, but we’re not sure rallying beneath the “war on bikes” banner is the way to get Toronto’s inadequate infrastructure improved. It’s likely to create more hostility, not bike lanes. Watch the video [BBC News] »){kind=link}
well, they arent subways and the man is a tad focussed
The issue MOST Torontonians (including my many friends that ride to work) have with bicyclists and the bike lanes is this… MOST PEOPLE RIDING DO NOT FOLLOW ANY OF THE RULES OF THE ROAD, CYCLING, OR EVEN THE BIKE LANES.
This is why people are beyond frustrated and sometimes truly feel like if they were to get hit it would be their own fault.
They don’t signal, they swerve in front of cars, they speed through intersections, stop signs, etc…. OH AND MY FAVOURITE … the people cycling wearing their IPODS SO THEY CANNOT HEAR the cars and are oblivious to their surroundings.
If I have to follow the rules of the road and have a license while driving a car…. or get a ticket… They should do the very same with cyclists.
GRRRRRRRRRRRR
I understand the frustration with cyclists who don’t follow rules – I often feel that way as well, as a sometimes-cyclist-sometimes-motorist-sometimes-pedestrian. However, I do think it’s very important to note that this disregard for the rules stems directly from the fact that motorists absolutely do NOT treat bikes like cars.
Obviously, cars and bikes are very different vehicles. If you want cyclists to follow the same laws as motorists, then you need to be okay with a bike taking up an entire lane of traffic on a street like Bloor, where there’s only one driving lane. Considering that that would mean that if you were following one in your car, you’d have to go 20 kph, I don’t think you’d be okay with this.
And again, although I think some cyclists take it to the extreme and swerve extremely dangerously in front of cars and other bikes, all you need to do is bike along Queen from Bathurst to Young and count how many motorists cut you off with a right turn (not even aggressively, but because it doesn’t occur to them that a bike may be there), to feel as though your life is being taken for granted. This happens to me an average of 4 or 5 times I make a journey of this length. I’m not surprised that the shaky feeling of coming that close to being physically injured EVERY TIME you travel from one point to another in the city results in a cockiness on the part of some cyclists.
Also – the ipod argument is a little weak. You can absolutely hear outside sounds while listening to an mp3 player, and could be just as distracted by listening to music while driving.
Some of us cyclists wear headphones so we can’t hear the verbal abuse shouted at us by passing drivers upset that the city painted a bike lane line.
Rob Ford is definitely waging a war on bikes, and removing bike lanes is ridiculous. Its 2012, get with the times Toronto.
As for the “Well not all bikers follow the rules of the road, ARRRGGHH!!” Yeah, some cyclists don’t. Some do. Lots of motorists do truly stupid, illegal things in their cars, some don’t, but they still have a dedicated space. I personally do not think individual behaviours whether observed, or perceived, should have a bearing on IF we build infrastructure. If we did that, we’d have no roads or no sidewalks.
Good cycling infrastructure makes roads safer for cyclists and drivers alike. Toronto is truly backwards, and its frankly going to come back and kick us in the rear.