Ward 6: Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Anthony Humphreys and David Juliusson, our Co-Captains for Ward 6, describe the challenges they are working to overcome in their ward:

Ward 6 is situated in South-West Toronto and is bounded by Etobicoke Creek to the West, the Gardiner Expressway to the North, and Lake Ontario to the South. It is a unique area of Toronto: Much of the ward was once cottage country and in some ways still feels like that. There are five business and residential associations within the ward, and the Lakeshore is the only East West connection from the ward to the rest of Toronto.

At first glance, it seems like an unhealthy area for a cycling culture. In some ways it is, but its a mix. There are only two Bicycle User Groups in the area. In Mimico, the only sign of cycling is the "no bike riding on the sidewalk" signs, and the delivery trucks parked in the bike lane from Louisa St. to the Humber Bay Park. This is the greeting one gets when cycling off the Martin Goodman Trail. Ward 6 is represented by Councillor Mark Grimes, who is best known to cyclists for his opposition to bike lanes on Annette St. at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in September. He also blocked bike lanes on Horner Ave., even though it was on the bike plan and is a road that allows no parking. He reasoned that it was too dangerous for cyclists because so may trucks turn at the corner of Browns Line and Horner. Councillor Grimes has first hand experience with this: Before entering politics he was president of his family trucking firm which routinely uses Horner Ave. “I've been in the trucking business, I know the turning radii of the trucks, it's too dangerous, I know somebody is going to get killed," he says. This has already happened even without the lane. The stoplight at Beta St. was installed because a pedestrian was killed there. Horner is a favourite for police speed traps with cars routinely being clocked at 40 to 50 km over the speed limit. All compromise solutions were ignored and the issue is back in the “study” phase. There is not yet a strong enough cycling community to get the type of support that led to action on Annette St.

There are however some positive things happening in Ward 6. In July, Lakeshore Cycles opened in New Toronto. It primarily services bikes but sells used bikes too. Before that, Sporting Life was the only place to get a tune-up in the ward. Councillor Grimes sees himself as a supporter of bike issues. He is on record for supporting snow removal on the entire Martin Goodman Trail and for wanting bike lanes in his ward. In 2008, 10% of all installed bike lanes were to be in Ward 6. Although we fell short, the lanes were installed on Royal York Rd. This connects previously installed segments and creates a continuous bike path from Lakeshore to Mimico Creek. Councillor Grimes supported this bike initiative. When compared to the other Councillors from the former Etobicoke, he is as close to a cycling advocate on council as we get in the West end of the city.

There is interest in cycling at both the provincial and federal government levels in Ward 6. The Waterfront Trail goes through the communities of Long Branch and New Toronto. Some of it is off-road through parks like Colonel Sam Smith. Other parts of the trail are on quiet residential streets. The Waterfront Trail goes from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Cornwall. Even though it has significant breaks, it successfully connects people to the water in their communities.

The gap in the Waterfront Trail is being closed in stages. In July 2008, Phase 1 of the Mimico Waterfront Linear Park opened. It stretches from Superior Ave. to the Norris Crescent Parkette, and has a cantilevered boardwalk that is listed as a bike lane. Plans are in the works for signage. Phase 2 works create a 250 metre-long boardwalk and multi-use Waterfront Trail between Superior Ave. and Grand Harbour. This will connect with the Martin Goodman Trail, meaning that an off-road trail will exist through Mimico. The funding for this initiative comes from the federal government, and all three levels of elected officials have listed Phase 2 as a priority. Due to land ownership issues that are yet to be resolved, the project has no set date of completion, but it will happen. The political will and desire from residents of Mimico is there. Finally, a bike lane between Norris Park Crescent and First Ave. is on the official bike plan, although it was not brought up in 2008. It is a lane that should go through. There is only limited parking allowed (although the no parking area around the Polish embassy is ignored by police and car drivers). It will connect the Mimico Waterfront Park to the Waterfront Trail. Lakeshore is a wide road with little traffic at that point. When all the work is completed, there will be a bike connection from Mississauga all the way to the Harbourfront.

There is real potential for bike lanes in Ward 6. It has many quiet residential streets that connect between major North South routes, and Etobicoke Creek could become a great bike route. There is an old path from Metro Toronto days that is used by local cyclists and dog walkers which connects from the lake to Sherway Gardens. It needs work but could become a major North South lane and cross into other wards similar to the Humber bike route. There is political will to have bike lanes, along with a healthy cycling community. This community is not obvious at first glance, but many people ride to the store or take short bike trips in the ward. Anthony and I are working hard as advocates to make cycling initiatives happen, so look for many positive changes emerging from Ward 6 in years to come.