After putting it off for nearly three months, I finally worked up the courage to rent a bike and ride around downtown Friday afternoon.
Before moving to Toronto this past fall, I was warned by some family and friends to avoid cycling in the city altogether. Because the commuting is much busier and far more aggressive than in my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, I suppose they had a point.
However, I felt I wouldn’t be able to claim true “Torontonian” status if I never rode a bike here. So, once I finished up some Christmas shopping in the west end, I walked over to the nearest Bike Share station on Queen Street West and Niagara Street to get set up.
I downloaded the Bike Share app, entered my information and purchased a $15 day pass that’s good for 24 hours. I thought that was a bit expensive — considering it’s an environmentally-conscious mode of transportation. A typical Uber ride is around the same price, and TTC day passes are $13.50 in comparison.
The app was generally easy to use, although I was having trouble setting up a destination. So, I ended up using a different app to track my progress.
I wanted to pick a route that didn’t have as many bike lanes so I could grasp an understanding of riding in the city where sharing the road with vehicles, transport trucks and streetcars — without a dedicated lane — is the only option.
That could become a reality for more cyclists riding along major streets in Toronto, as the Doug Ford government passed legislation to tear out bike lanes on Yonge, University and Bloor streets in an attempt to reduce vehicle congestion.
Under Bill 212, called the “Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act,” cities must obtain Queen’s Park’s approval before installing new bike lanes if adding one would mean removing a vehicle lane.
The bill has been incredibly controversial — so I had to know how it felt to ride without bike lanes as someone who is still new to the city.
It’s a bit of an embarrassing thing to admit, but I hadn’t been on a bike in at least four years. It was an activity I always enjoyed in the summers growing up in the Sault, but I completely fell out of the habit once the pandemic hit.
When I hopped on the bike Friday, several pedestrians were watching me wobble along the sidewalk for a few moments as I attempted to revive that muscle memory. I think one of them thought I was going to run into them — not a great start, but it was pretty funny.
Once I felt comfortable enough to ride on the road, I began my journey on Niagara Street. My heart was racing because I genuinely felt out of place — almost like I was doing something wrong. But I pedalled along and eventually turned onto King Street West.
Some parts of King had bike lanes while other parts didn’t. I felt much safer when I was in my own dedicated space. But when the bike lane would end, I was forced to share the road with motorists — and there were a few moments where the space between me and passing cars got pretty tight.
I quickly learned there’s no room for error in those situations. If I had a wobble like I did when I first got on the bike, I easily could have collided with a vehicle — and I probably would have been at fault.
But if a driver was distracted for even a moment, I could see how it wouldn’t be difficult for the motorist to bump into me. Both parties really have to be on their A game — especially when some portions of the roadways get narrow.
The bike lanes that were available on King provided me with a tremendous amount of insurance that made it much easier to get to my destination. But without them, I always had that fear in the back of my mind that I could be involved in an accident.
During my ride, I was surprised by the number of cyclists who were breaking all sorts of rules. Riding through red lights, speeding along sidewalks and not indicating their turns were just some of the infractions I caught. One cyclist even cut off a driver because they weren’t paying attention, which nearly resulted in a collision.
Because the temperature was below freezing — and I wanted to ensure I came out of the experience intact — I kept the ride short, and concluded my trip at the Bike Share station on King Street West and Simcoe Street.
The 20-minute excursion was enough for me to gauge that there are significant risks while travelling — regardless of how experienced a cyclist or motorist might be. I witnessed both types of commuters make silly decisions on the roads, so villainizing one side over the other doesn’t seem to be a good use of time.
The number of rides taken in the city jumped to nearly 6.5 million as of late November this year — and Bike Share Toronto wants to add 750 new bicycles to its growing fleet. To me, those numbers alone would suggest cyclists should have dedicated spaces to ride where possible. It’s hard to imagine accidents not increasing if key bike lanes in the city are removed.
So, unless they keep the bike lanes — or make Bike Share cheaper — you probably won’t catch me riding downtown again.
I do have trust issues, after all.
