The story of the Jarvis bike lanes is not over, according to cycling advocates, but a chapter ended this week. The Standard has been following the story since Councillor John Parker’s surprise motion to scrap the lane at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee almost a month ago.
Chapter 1
The Bikeway Report went to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. It included a bag of goodies for cyclists including downtown separated lanes and a new lane on Dawes Road. There was a marathon of deputations, considering the merits of separated lanes and the removal of lanes in Scarborough. In the end, the committee voted to scrap three bike lanes: Pharmacy, Birchmount and—in a last minute motion—Jarvis.
Chapter 2
Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a suburban councillor who has only biked downtown streets in the last year, has been the mayor’s point person on cycling in the city. He and cycling advocate Dave Meslin formed an unlikely partnership in the run-up to the Bikeway Report. That partnership is now in tatters.
Chapter 3
The fight to save Jarvis overshadowed the removal of the Pharmacy and Birchmount bike lanes in Scarborough. With local councillor Michelle Berardinetti supporting their removal, it seemed like a fait accompli. The Standard’s Rob Mackenzie talked to people who live in Scarborough and went there himself to figure out how the lanes fit into the city’s network.
Chapter 4
Over two days, City Council debated the Bikeway Report—with hundreds of cyclists coming in and out of the council chamber. On the first day, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam stood up for the lanes, saying they were an integral part of her plan to revitalize the downtown east-side in her ward. Minnan-Wong moved an amendment in the final moments of the debate to coordinate the removal of Jarvis with the installation of the Sherbourne separated lane and turn Jarvis back into a five lane thoroughfare. His amendment succeeds, to the frustration of Wong-Tam, who called it “trickery.” The Bikeway Report passed 28-9, with several councillors protesting the vote.
