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EDITORIAL: Fact-checking Ford (Oct./Nov. 2024)

November 8th, 2024 · No Comments

Premier Doug Ford, while apparently unable or unwilling to address urgent provincial crises in health care, education, and the ongoing existential threat of climate change, has instead told an Empire Club luncheon last week that he is planning to “rip out bike lanes on major roads such as Bloor Street.” The elites at the lunch were thrilled, a group whose praise Ford craves.

Ten years ago, Doug Ford ran to be mayor of Toronto; he lost, and he never let go of it. He has spent much of his time as premier trying to micromanage Toronto: Cutting the size of city council in half during the municipal election cycle; controlling city health budget spending; taking over the planning of new subways; closing the science centre; secretly creating a new waterfront redevelopment spa;  issuing zoning orders that override the city; and giving any mayor that agrees with him extra powers. 

Now he has turned his focus to attacking bike lanes. He has come to the view that they “cause” congestion and are “killing” business. He has no evidence of this, but in his gut, he knows its true. If bike lanes are removed, many cyclists will continue to use the roads, causing traffic mayhem, and some will be injured or killed. The other cyclists who opt to travel by car will of course only add to congestion.

How does Ford justify his intrusion into municipal governance and his attack on bike lanes? 

Ford claim #1: “Talk to our first responders that are pulling their hair out, the fire trucks that can’t get across the road because there’s barriers or there’s bike lanes and they’re backed up. Talk to our police that are trying to get to a call or our paramedics. It’s an absolute disaster. It’s a nightmare.” The truth: The chiefs of Toronto Paramedics and Toronto Fire told the city’s infrastructure and works committee that there was no evidence of increased emergency response times as a result of bike lanes.

Ford claim #2: “Go on Bloor. There’s a petition just in Etobicoke for 50,000 people to get rid of these bike lanes.” The truth: The only thing that is true about this claim is that there was indeed a petition. It’s not clear where those that signed it are from as there is no control for that variable. The number of signatures is 13,000 not 50,000, and the petition actually recognizes the importance of providing a “right of way for bikes.”

Ford claim #3: “Believe it or not, my brother Rob [when he was Toronto’s mayor] put more bike lanes in than David Miller, but didn’t do it down the middle of University or Bloor.” The truth: This is a particularly pernicious claim. It rings like “some of my best friends ride bikes.” It is true that Rob Ford did have something to do with bike lanes. In 2010, before Rob Ford was mayor, the city installed bike lanes on Jarvis at a cost of $86,000. When Rob was elected, he called advocates for bike lanes “pinkos” and had the lanes removed from Jarvis at a cost to taxpayers of $270,000. 

Ford claim #4: “Bike lanes are killing our businesses.” The truth: The Bloor Annex BIA and the Metcalf Foundation partnered with the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) who did an arms-length study of the economic impact of the then pilot bike lanes on Bloor. TCAT found that while most businesses felt that over half of their customers came by car, the reality, after interviews with 3000 customers, was that only 7 per cent did. Before deciding to make the bike lanes a permanent fixture on Bloor, the city commissioned Moneris, the payment terminal provider used by most establishments, to share data on sales. Moneris confirmed that sales had gone up by almost 3 per cent while the pilot bike lanes were installed. It seems that cyclists are more likely to stop and shop or dine than motorists. 

Bike lanes are not just about safety; they are about giving people transportation choices, and using a few Trumped up excuses, Ford seeks to take some away.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion