After spending three days in Toronto, I told myself that never, never before, I would travel there by bike. Cyclists, motorists and trams rub shoulders in very busy streets in the city center, several of which are devoid of cycle paths. Is it as dangerous as I think, riding a bike in the queen city? I spoke to a Toronto to know.
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“I do not always feel safe,” admits Matt, a 42 -year -old cyclist who estimates to travel around twenty kilometers on two wheels each week.
“The culture of the car is a little crazy,” he said. A lot [d’automobilistes] are very centered on themselves. This is the case for some cyclists too, but, usually, it is because they try to survive in the middle of large, weakening cars. ”
«Ils [les automobilistes] Make fairly dangerous and reckless driving for the wheel for no reason. They want to go to the red light as quickly as possible to go to grocery store, ”deplores David Shellnutt, a lawyer specializing in body damage whose clientele is mainly made up of cyclists.
Motorists would also be more aggressive towards cyclists since the Ford government declared what the founder of the cabinet The Bikingy Lawyer considers to be a “bike war”.
What does it mean by “war on bikes”?
In the fall of 2024, the administration of Doug Ford adopted a law obliging the city to withdraw 19 kilometers of cycle paths from the Bloor, Yonge and University streets, three traffic in downtown, in order to reduce automotive congestion.
According to this law, the municipalities must also have the agreement of the Minister of Transport to develop new cycle paths if they led to the withdrawal of a lane for vehicles.
But at the end of July, the Ontario Superior Court invalidated the law, stressing that it would pose an “increased risk of damage and death” to cyclists and that a restoration of the automobile tracks would not reduce congestion.
Despite this victory for the cyclists, the city of Toronto did not plan for any new track project during the second quarter of 2025, according to the organization Cycle Toronto. It has also reversed on existing track security projects.
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Developments that save lives
The data confirm the judgment rendered by the Superior Court.
By comparing accidents involving cyclists in Toronto and Montreal, we see the effectiveness of cycle infrastructure, especially to prevent deaths.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
In 2024, six cyclists died in Toronto. These incidents occurred on streets where there were no protected cycle paths. David Shellnutt also indicates seeing hundreds of cases of cyclists who have undergone injuries in his cabinet each year.
“Several of our cases are linked to collisions at intersections. Motorists want to be the first in red light and, as soon as they see a space between the cars, they rush to it without taking into account cyclists and pedestrians, which creates collisions, “says the lawyer, who also claims to see a lot of cases of prevailing.
In comparison, the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company (SAAQ) reports 674 collisions involving cyclists last year in Montreal. Three people died.
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What explains the best assessment in Montreal?
The cycle network is more than three times larger in the Quebec metropolis than Toronto: 1083 kilometers against 334.4 kilometers.
There are also more cyclists with us than on the other side of the 401: Bixi recorded 13 million trips in 2024, compared to 6.9 million for the Toronto sharing bicycle service. And that is without counting the movements of cyclists who use their own bike.
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“In Montreal, not only did we multiply the kilometers, but, in addition, we adopted a quality approach to the infrastructure, with the standard of Express Bike Networks (Rev) and that, it changes the situation completely. We are able to offer infrastructure that is adapted to all ages and to all empowies on streets as busy as Saint-Denis, Peel and Saint-Antoine, “explains Magali Bebronne, director of programs at Vélo Québec.
The number of collisions between motorists and cyclists decrease by 38% by cyclist-home after the implementation of protected cycle paths, it is noted in a
. The benefits are even affected on the neighboring streets.
The Montreal cycling network ranks first in Canadian cities of more than 300,000 inhabitants, according to the list of cycle cities in Canada in the American organization Peopleforbikes. Toronto arrives at the 12th row.
