NDP MPP Jonah Schein credits strong community effort in victory for bike safety

NDP MPP Jonah Schein credits strong community and political pressure for successfully pushing the province to clarify that contraflow lanes are legal in Toronto.

“I’m happy to see that the Ministry is finally listening to what so many cycling advocates have been saying for years, and clarified that contraflow lanes are legal in the City of Toronto,” stated Schein.

“Over 1,000 cycling advocates signed my petition to ‘Go Contraflow’ asking the Ministry for clarification. Groups like Cycle Toronto, and progressive councillors like Mike Layton have also been instrumental in this win. The city can now finally proceed with its bike plan,” continued Schein.

Contraflow bicycle lanes are installed on one-way streets to allow cyclists to legally travel in both directions. They are cost-effective, safe, and provide choices for cyclists so that they are not forced onto busy arterial roads. Now that the City of Toronto has received clarification, consultations on the Shaw St. contraflow bike lane are under way.

“Cycle Toronto would like to thank MPP Schein for his work in successfully pushing the province to clarify that contraflow lanes are legal in the City of Toronto,” stated Jared Kolb of Cycle Toronto.

“But there is still more work to be done,” warned Schein. “While the government has clarified this issue for Toronto, other municipalities are still waiting on action from this government. I will continue to push the Liberal government to clarity for all municipalities so they can construct bike lanes and get their citizens moving,” stated Schein.

Posted on February 28, 2013. Read more about: , , , , , .