Kingston Road Should Have Protected Bike Lanes: Hear from the community
We’ve already introduced you to our Connect Yonge, Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park, and Scarborough campaigns, now we’re pleased to introduce you to Connect Kingston; the bridge between Danforth Avenue and Eglinton Avenue in Scarborough. Hear from community champions on what effect protected bike lanes on Kingston Road will have.
Kingston Road is a natural connection between East York, Scarborough, and the communities nearby. It runs past many homes, businesses, and schools. Yet, making local trips by bike is difficult — the trips made by kids trying to get to school and their parents trying to get to the grocery store around the corner — high speed limits and wide driving lanes make the road unsafe to ride bikes on. However, the size of Kingston makes it big enough for protected bike lanes.
Meet Cesar
Cesar is a Scarborough resident, and frequently takes trips on Danforth’s new protected bike lanes with his family. Now, he wants to see Kingston Road transformed.
“...We need more bike lanes and a first, good, solid step would be extending and connecting all of Scarborough with the main corridors already in place in Toronto. Extending Danforth Avenue to Kingston Road would be a game-changer for me and my family. As a first step, connecting Scarborough to a main corridor like Danforth would democratize public space, where currently cars have a monopoly, and it needs to change...yesterday!”
Meet Mahira Morshed
Mahira is a former community program worker for Scarborough Cycles. She wants to see protected bike lanes in her neighbourhood and beyond to encourage women, such as herself, to bike with confidence.
“...being a hijabi cyclist comes with a lot of extra consideration. With the unfortunate rise in Islamophobic hate crimes all over Ontario, it has been very hard for my community to feel free outside their homes. I want to feel comfortable and confident when I cycle with friends, family, or even alone. Having a more connected cycling network feels like I am being acknowledged.”
Meet Marvin Macaraig
Marvin Macaraig is a health promoter at Access Alliance and a coordinator at Scarborough Cycles. He was also our Big Toronto Bike Ride Scarborough Route Ambassador; he’s rode for the safety of his community, which includes advocating for protected bike lanes on Kingston Road.
Marvin (centre) rides with his child in the Big Toronto Bike Ride presented by Bike Law
"The main barrier that prevents Scarborough residents from riding a bike for everyday local trips is a concern for their personal safety. Building a network of protected bicycle lanes will encourage more people to ride, improve population health, and will make Scarborough’s streets safer for all.”
Marvin, Mahira, and Cesar want to empower their community and loved ones with a sense of safety while being active and healthy in their neighbourhood. Connecting Kingston with protected bike lanes is a big step in the right direction.