Our Campaign
We Belong on Bloor is a Community Bikeways campaign, launched in 2021, to support extension of the Bloor West Complete Street, including a protected bike lane, from Runnymede Road to Resurrection Road (4.7 kilometres). The project is part of the City of Toronto’s efforts to meet its Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and TransformTO Net Zero Strategy goals.
What We’ve Achieved
In June 2023, after years of advocacy work, Toronto City Council overwhelmingly approved the Bloor Street West Complete Street extension by a vote of 21-1 (see decision history here). Unfortunately, in October 2024, despite the success of the Bloor West bike lane --- and related road safety improvements as part of the Complete Street project --- the provincial government under Doug Ford announced that the Bloor, University, and Yonge Street bike lanes would be removed. A legal challenge by Cycle Toronto against the bike lane removal provisions of Bill 212 is, however, working its way through the courts. The fight continues. And ironically, the provincial announcement came soon after Councillor Amber Morley's Town Hall meeting in Etobicoke that showed strong support for the Bloor West Complete Street Extension for its many benefits to the community, while the claims of opponents that emergency response times were up were definitively refuted by the Deputy Fire Chief.
Initial installation of the Complete Street/bike lane extension from Runnymede Rd to Aberfoyle Cres was completed by the city at the end of 2023, while the further extension from Aberfoyle to Resurrection Road was installed by the summer of 2024. (A stranded bike lane was already in place from Resurrection Road to just west of Kipling Avenue.) The result was that Toronto finally had a bike lane that stretched across much of the city -- over 20 kilometres east-west from Scarborough deep into Etobicoke. Our bike count in Sept 2024 showed significant increases in ridership, consistent with findings of the city, and a significant drop in sidewalk cycling. (See our bike count report below).
Project progress can be monitored on the City of Toronto’s dedicated web page. An interim report on project implementation and impact, dated June 2024, can be seen here.
Our campaign also supports plans that would see the Complete Street concept extended along Bloor Street all the way west to the city boundary with Mississauga.
How You Can Help
Email or phone your local councillor to say that you support the Bloor West Complete Street Extensions. You might mention any of the following, in addition to support for a safer roadway, as the reason for your call:
A vibrant, enjoyable, and more pleasant street;
Lower speeds (by design) as a result of the narrowed motorway;
Safer intersections, with shorter crossing distances for pedestrians;
Bike lanes that protect people on bikes while buffering the sidewalk;
Space for summertime cafes; and
Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from lower motor traffic.
You can find your individual ward and the councillor’s contact information here. You could also contact any or all members of City Council’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee to thank them for supporting this project:
Jennifer McKelvie (Chair)
Mike Colle (Vice Chair)
(Interested in learning more about the longest and most important road safety advocacy battle in Toronto's history? Read more here. And if you have any questions, please email us.)
Resources
Bike Counts on Bloor 2016-2024 Sept (Report)
We Ask That the Bloor Bike Lanes be Extended (Bells on Bloor Website Post)
June 2021 Bloor Update (Two Wheeled Politics Blog Post)
Extend the Bloor (and Dundas) bike lanes from Runnymede to The East Mall (Petition)
Re: Item 10.1 (Bloor Street Integrated Project) (Letter to Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and members of Mississauga’s General Committee)
Re: IE4.3 – A BIA perspective re Bloor West Complete Street Extension, included in Cycling Network Plan (Letter to acting Mayor McKelvie and city councillors )