Things were looking positive for the final leg of the Annette St. Bike lanes from Jane Street to Runnymede Road. A large number of members of the local community supported them, a report from the city's transportation services department recommended them. However they were defeated by a three to two vote at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee PWIC meeting on October 10th. There is still an opportunity to turn this decision around at the City Council Meeting on October 29th and public pressure can make that a reality. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation has posted information on how you can get involved and the e-mail addresses of who you should contact at the following page:Urgent Action Needed to Support Annette Street Bike Lane.

According to an iBikeTO.ca post No Bike Lanes on Annette it was Councillor Chin Lee Ward 41 Scarborough-Rouge River, Councillor John Parker Ward 26 Don Valley West and Councillor Councillor Mark Grimes Ward 6 Etobicoke-Lakeshore who voted to have shared lane markings or 'sharrows' installed instead of full bicycle lanes. This in spite of the fact the report from the City of Toronto's engineering staff to the committee 2008 Bikeway Network Program - Annette Street: Jane Street to Runnymede Road stated that the sharrow option "would provide less benefit and safety for cyclists than bicycle lanes." . That same report characterized the bike lanes as providing "Significant improvement for Cyclists.". Councillors Glenn De Baeremaeker Ward 38 Scarborough Centre, the chair of the PWIC, and Adam Giambrone Ward 18 Davenport, former chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee, supported the Bike Lane option.

Fortunately this committee doesn't have final say on this issue and there is an opportunity to have the original recommendation in the report supported to complete the bike lanes on Annette. The report of the PWIC will go to the City Council Meeting on October 29th, 2008. There a Councillor can bring the report to a vote on the floor of Council. However a show of public support is needed to convince the Mayor and Council to do this. Residents of Toronto who want to see the Toronto Bike Plan implemented and in this case the Annette Bike Lane completed need to make their voice heard and ensure that the Bike Lane recommendation is supported. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation TCAT is taking the lead to mobilize people to get involved on this issue.

TCAT has posted an announcement on their site explaining how you can add your voice to those asking council to support the bike lane option on Annette St. Urgent Action Needed to Support Annette Street Bike Lane

The Mayor, David Miller, recently issued a letter outlining his 2009 Budget priorities.Memo: Mayor's Budget Priorities 2009. Among them is the priority to "Support the full implementation of the Toronto Bike Plan by 2012", solidifying this as part of his mandate. In order to see this element of his mandate implemented he has to ensure that important segments of the Bikeway Network are not blocked by a few resistant Councillors. These three Councillors should not be able to block the sound policy recommendation from the City's engineering staff and the wishes of the large majority of the public who were involved in the consultations on this issue. The Mayor needs to use his majority on Council to overturn the vote at the PWIC and to support the original recommendtation to install bicycle lanes on Annette St. from Jane Street to Runnymede Road. Lets encourage him to ensure that the implementation of the Toronto Bike Plan occurs both at the Budget Committee and the Public Works and Infrastructure committee.