Content area
Full text
The subject of bike lanes can be a contentious one, particularly in a busy city like Toronto. Last week, the Ontario government proposed legislation that would require municipalities to get provincial approval to install any bike lanes that would remove a lane of vehicle traffic, which resulted in a firestorm of debate and protests.
The legislation was introduced on Monday.
While advocates look at dedicated bicycle lanes as encouraging more people to travel by bike — resulting in less traffic congestion, safer commutes for cyclists and reduced greenhouse gas emissions — some motorists blame them for causing more congestion.
But research shows that dedicated bicycle lanes are not behind perceived traffic congestion and can have many benefits.
Build it and they will come
One would think that building more roads with more lanes for cars would reduce congestion, but research shows that's not the case, thanks to something called induced demand. The more traffic lanes that are put in, the more it appeals to people who may not otherwise have chosen to drive, thereby putting more cars on the roads and increasing congestion.
"So for a short period of time, there might be a slightly improved [reduction], but within a year or two, or perhaps three, traffic is as bad or worse than it was before the lanes were added in the first place," said David Beitel, data services lead at Eco-Counter, a Montreal company that collects and analyzes pedestrian and bicycle traffic data.
Conversely, if you put in more dedicated bike lanes, people tend to feel safer and demand for use increases, said Shoshanna Saxe, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto's department...