Protected bike lane on Richmond Street. Photo: Dave Meslin

Bike riding should be easy in Toronto, and in many areas of the city it already is. However, many of the streets that connect downtown Toronto to the rest of the city can be stressful streets to ride on, especially for novice cyclists. Riding on these streets could be made easier if the City built protected bike lanes.

At its November 2011 meeting, the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee voted to proceed with an Environmental Assessment (EA) for protected bike lanes in the Richmond/Adelaide corridor. The EA will determine the best route and design options for the protected bike lanes. City staff will also explore ways to have the protected bike lanes connect to existing bikeways west of Bathurst Street and east of Sherbourne Street. The EA gets under way in January 2013 and we anticipate its conclusion by December 2013.

Why Richmond/Adelaide?

Protected bike lanes on Richmond Street and Adelaide Street are most highly recommended for the safety of cyclists. This means Richmond Street and Adelaide Street are high volume roads with average speeds above 40km/h. Protected lanes here would greatly increase the safety and comfort of cyclists.

Richmond and Adelaide are classified as a major arterials in Toronto; they have traffic volumes of 20,000 or more vehicles per day and speeds of 50-60 km/hr.

In 2001, the City's official bike plan, Shifting Gears, identified Richmond and Adelaide Streets as candidates for protected bike lanes. The Plan highlighted the 15,000 cyclists travelling to and from the downtown on a weekday and the fact that there was no other east-west bikeway between the College/Gerrard bike lanes and the Martin Goodman Trail along the waterfront. Today, the number of cyclists travelling to and from the downtown has more than doubled, and cyclists still don't have an east-west bikeaway between College/Gerrard and the Martin Goodman Trail!  

After ten years of neglect, we think it's time the City of Toronto took action to make Richmond and Adelaide Streets safer for cyclists, which is why we're campaigning for protected bike lanes here.

Get Involved

1. We need you to Join Cycle Toronto. Our campaigns are only as strong as our membership base. The more people we represent, the more power we have at City Hall to ensure protected bike lanes are added to Richmond / Adelaide. Join today!

2. Tell your Councillor you want protected bike lanes on Richmond & Adelaide. Find their contact information here. Remember to include your address whether you're e-mailing or calling for optimal affect!

3. Read the various letters of support of other organizations supporting protected bike lanes on Richmond & Adelaide.

4. Promote this campaign! Tell your friends! The more people we have onside to Protect Richmond & Adelaide, the stronger our voice. Share the campaign link!

5. If you have more time to get involved, join our campaign team! We're looking for people who can help with flyering, social media, phone calls, promo development, etc. To get involved, e-mail us at info@cycleto.ca.