This is my cycling route to work. Along this stretch of Yonge Street, where the bike lanes are being removed, there is no viable side-street alternative within the street grid. The only other north–south options are Avenue Road and Mount Pleasant Road. Neither has cycling infrastructure, and both are completely out of the question from a safety perspective. That leaves Yonge Street. Once the bike lanes are removed, people cycling through this part of the city will have no choice but to merge with traffic and take the lane, as permitted under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. Anyone who believes this will reduce congestion is deeply naive. Cyclists travelling from the north have virtually no alternative to Yonge Street from just north of St. Clair Avenue. In my case, I remain on Yonge until Roxborough Street, where I turn east and weave through the residential streets of Rosedale to Bloor, with one short dicey moment at Park Road. Removing bike lanes will not remove cyclists. It will simply force us into mixed traffic, making the street less safe and less efficient for everyone. It didn't have to be this way.

Bikes can move many people while taking up very little space. Cars move very few people in relation to the space they take up. So in cities where space is at a premium, which one actually causes congestion?