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Toronto cyclists are clapping back after Doug Ford’s comments about bike lanes

Rally to be held Sunday in support of cycling infrastructure

Doug Ford riding a bike
November 2, 2023
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The Toronto cycling community was not impressed after Premier Doug Ford expressed his candid views on the recently completed bike lanes in West Toronto on Tuesday. The fresh infrastructure project is designed to link bike lanes throughout the city, particularly on Bloor Street, with the goal of enhancing safety for cyclists navigating Toronto.

Ford’s word war on bikes

During a press conference that had nothing to do with bikes, Ford mentioned how he hoped the mayor of Toronto would do something about the new bike lanes. It should be noted that Ford has nothing to do with municipal affairs, being the premier of Ontario, but his words may galvanize the anti-bike community.

Already there is a petition that is asking the city to re-evaluate the lanes. In it, which was posted Monday, there were several complaints, including what one man called “noticeable congestion due to lane reductions, and the observed scarcity of cyclists.” It also suggested that first responders might be impeded, something that has been debunked several times.

Rally for support

David Shellnutt, a.k.a. The Biking Lawyer announced there would be a rally in High Park on Sunday to support the lanes. High Park has been the epicentre of all kinds of cycling drama, including police officers ticketing cyclists for going a few kilometres over the outdated speed limit, and ignoring motorists who did the same.


“Sometimes you just have to grab your bike; put rubber to pavement to demonstrate the overwhelming support for safe infrastructure,” Shellnutt posted. “This Sunday, cyclists from the Greater Toronto Area will take to the new Bloor Bike Lanes en masse!”

Important to fight back

He also added that mobilizing as a community is important when there is anti-bike rhetoric being thrown around.


“It’s important to push back against the negativity of inaccurate petitions and provincial leaders who use the same old tropes to attack vulnerable road users for political gain. Join us for a ride. Let’s show them that many more than one cyclist a year will be using these new bike lanes,” he added.

False facts about city cycling

“The tropes he refers to have been widely debunked. There are many who suggest cyclists cannot ride all-year round in the city (wrong), or there are very few that use the bike lanes. Data from the city suggests this is far from accurate.”

If you’re interested in attending the rally, it takes place at 1 p.m. EDT in High Park, Toronto.