journal features

slowly, Toronto is becoming cycle-ready

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Toronto, 2014.07.10

With the new contra-flow cycle lanes, the city is learning that cycling is a solution; no one tell the Mayors! I belong to a group that proposed and won such a lane on Dixon avenue in the Beaches Triangle. But there's a much-needed one on Simcoe Street downtown that's a real god-send if you're emerging from south of the tracks anywhere along that stretch of Front. If we keep this up, the city will be genuinely cycle-ready any decade now.

Meanwhile, we have a mayoral election coming up and the candidates are dividing themselves along their stance on cycling; one conservative each for (Socknaki), against (Tory), undecided (Stintz), and definitely-against (Ford). And one liberal who is pro cycling (Chow). It's funny to see how they attempt to score political points when transit issues of any kind take shape.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering