7-In-10 Favour Bike
Lanes Overall
Majority approve of new Bloor Street bike lanes
In a random sampling
of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll™ among 882 Toronto voters, 7-in-10
favour bike lanes overall (70%), and this is especially the case in downtown
Toronto and East York, where most are located (79%). Other groups who
especially favour bike lanes include the youngest (77%), the wealthiest ($100K
to $250K - 79%), mothers (75%), those who commute by transit (78%), bicycle
(91%) and on foot (79%) and even, surprisingly, among a majority of those who
commute in private vehicles (63%). Those who voted for Olivia Chow in the last
mayoral election are especially likely to favour bike lanes (88%).
Majority approve of Bloor Street bike lanes
More than half of
Toronto voters approve of the new Bloor Street bike lanes (56%), and this is
especially the case in downtown Toronto (63%), where they are located.
Half want Bloor St lanes extended to Don Valley
One half those
polled (52%) think the Bloor Street lanes should be extended past Avenue Road,
across Yonge Street and east to the Don Valley, once more, especially in the
downtown (61%) and especially among cyclists (88%).
Fewer than one fifth have ridden these lanes, one third in the
downtown
In total, just less
than one fifth of voters claim to have ridden on the Bloor Street bike lanes
(17%), and one-third of downtowners have as well (33%).
One half have driven Bloor Street since lanes were installed
One half of Toronto
voters have driven Bloor Street along the bike lanes since they were installed
(52%), and this is two thirds among downtowners (63%).
One half have driven Bloor Street since lanes were installed
Four-in-ten of those
who have driven there (44%) say traffic on Bloor Street adjacent to the new
bike lanes moves faster (10%) or has not changed speed (34%) since the lanes
were installed. Slightly more say traffic is now slower (48%). In total, one
quarter of Toronto voters say traffic is now slower along this stretch of Bloor
Street (26%).
“These lanes have
obviously been something of a success, and even the majority of drivers favour
them. This bodes well for more bicycle infrastructure if as ambitious a project
as this can meet with so little opposition” said Forum Research President, Dr.
Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at
lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.
