Toronto bike lanes still getting plenty of winter use
Two Torontonians have compiled a set of data that debunks the myth—at least for one prominent corridor of the city—that bike lanes don't get used in the winter.
Environmental lawyer Albert Koehl and chemist Chris Caputo carried out a study that has given them reason to conclude that the Bloor bike lane was used for an average of 1,700 trips per day over the majority of January. To arrive at that figure, their recent observations were supplemented by information from a similar study conducted back in early September.
From the vantage point of a Bloor and Spadina coffee shop, Koehl and Caputo tracked the number of cyclists who came by during rush hour traffic (8-9 a.m.) on the Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between January 16-27. On those days, they counted between 167 and 207 bikers to have gone through that stretch of the arterial street. They also did an evening rush hour count on one of the days (5-6 p.m.) which revealed a number that was almost identical to that morning's number (205 compared to 207).
The daily estimate of 1,700 is an extrapolation. It took a full-day study conducted on September 12 and applied the ridership proportions to the rush hour data from January to come up with reasonable hourly estimates for the winter numbers.
Moreover, on January 18 and 25, Koehl and Caputo kept track of the amount of motor vehicles that came through the Bloor and Spadina intersection going east or west. Their findings showed that bikes actually accounted for 16 and 19 per cent of the total traffic during morning rush hour, on those two days, respectively.
At the conclusion of their write-up, the authors advocated for an expansion of the Bloor bike lanes. It has long been a well-traveled bike route—despite being one that is inordinately equipped for such transit—and a common point of contention in Toronto road safety arguments.
Regardless of whether or not any expansion takes place, Koehl and Caputo have certainly given Toronto policymakers and urban planners a solid refutation of the idea that no one cycles in the winter.