Bike rack by orijinal
According to The Toronto Sun, it has been suggested that a bike station be constructed at Nathan Phillip’s Square. The station would cost $1.2 million to build and include 380 bike spots as well as showers for cyclists. Unsurprisingly, Councillor Doug Ford is heavily opposing the idea. When offered the suggestion, Ford shot back – “you want me to go out to the public, my constituents, and tell them I’m dinging them for $1.2 million for showers and I guess bike lockers?”
Apparently, Ford was shocked to hear the station would include showers and responded that “next thing you know they’ll have weight rooms and everything else”. He seems to be missing the fact the idea here isn’t to provide cyclists with the best workout of their lives – it’s to give professionals the freedom to cycle to work without having to sit in their own sweat for the rest of the day. Many individuals don’t have access to a shower upon arriving at work and that can be a big deterrent for cycling if they live far away. Having a place where they can safely lock up their bikes and get ready for the day ahead may be just the addition new cyclists need.
Whether the development truly requires the whole $1.2 million may depend on further discussions – but not being able to understand the benefits at all seems a little closed minded. Although, not entirely unexpected considering the “war on cycling” that seems to have been waged by the Councillor and his brother Rob Ford. The debate rages on!
Toronto is Urban Bike-able
I happen to side with Mr. Ford on this one. When did it fall within the list of the city’s responsibilities to provide bike locks and showers to people who choose to cycle to work? That is their choice, their decision, and not mine to pay for. Even with a fee for service arrangement, there’s no guarantee enough people would use it to cover the initial installation and year-round maintenance costs, which only adds another layer of burden to the over stretched taxpayers in this city. If it’s such a good idea, open the doors for private enterprise, such as BIXI, to step up to the plate and incur the risk. If there are no takers, then it’s not a business model worth pursuing.
When will some residents of this city begin to understand that raising taxes for fruitless pursuits such as this is a thing of the past. Innovation and partnerships with private enterprise are the way forward. As for the war on bikes, it’s not a war at all, contrary to over-hyped belief. The poor planning and knee-jerk pandering of the previous mayor to pressure from cyclists has created a disconnected system that doesn’t work for traffic and cyclists alike. Changes need to be made to make the system better. Give Ford a chance rather than keeping up with the blind bashing.