Thread by @spicygarage

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope It depends. Census numbers tend to focus on commuting to work, likely the longest trip anyone makes (thus least likely by bike). In the Toronto CMA, 1.6% of people commute to work by bike.

But availability of safe, separated bike lanes has a huge impact: it's 34% in Cabbagetown.

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope It's a chicken-and-egg problem: many people just won't bike if they have to share lanes with speeding drivers. As bike infrastructure has grown, more people commute to work. (⬆️88% in the past twenty years, vs. 32% for driving.)

With 2.3 bikes in the average Toronto household…>

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope …there's clearly pent-up demand from people just waiting for bike lanes to finally appear in their neighbourhood.

Build it and they will come: for example, cycling exploded by 1,000% once Richmond/Adelaide streets got separated bike lanes, with 94% of those being new cyclists.

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope One final note: people often focus on commuting to work, as if drivers only took their car to the office and back.

When you look at *all* trips Toronto households take, most of them are less than a 30-minute bike ride away!

And 1/3 of trips are less than a 15-min. bike ride.

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope @spicygarage: @uphilldrop @citymississauga Cycling is not some quirky fad for a fringe group. It's cheap, nimble transportation requiring no gas, no parking fees, is the fastest mode on downtown streets, and good exercise.

Cyclists need safety whether going to work or elsewhere.

@quipianist @bigfishstone @jen_keesmaat @demescope @threadreaderapp unroll