Hundreds of cyclists converged on Queen's Park Wednesday evening to protest the province's legislation that aims to bar some future bicycle lanes and even dismantle existing ones.
The large rally road past sites where three cyclists were killed in the past year and concluded on Queen’s Park's south lawn with shouts of “Safe streets save lives.”
"Over the past five years Toronto has discovered how bicycles can transform a city," read on post on X (formerly Twitter) by Alison Stewart, who is the bicycle mayor of Toronto — a moniker issued by Amsterdam-based non-profit BYCS.
"The cycling network has expanded by more than 100km and usage has increased by 285%. It is thus baffling the Ontario government wants to micromanage cities and threaten progress."
An online poster promoting the Rally and Ride for Road Safety said: "We're riding to tell the Ontario government bike lanes are part of the solution to make it quicker, safer and easier for all road users to travel around."
Several politicians attended the event, including local NDP MPPs Jessica Bell and Bhutila Karpoche, and Norm Di Pasquale, the federal NDP candidate for Spadina—Fort York.
The rally comes amid Premier Doug Ford's open speculation about using his power to remove established bike lanes in Toronto.
Ontario is out in full force today to tell @fordnation he’s not going to endanger thousands and incentivize more congestion all based on how some people *feel* when they see any modicum of space dedicated to active transportation. pic.twitter.com/4Ju06vJtH9
— Observing The City (@observinthecity) October 23, 2024
