Toronto could have its own bona fide bicycling mayor with Olivia Chow

Toronto is electing a new mayor and the candidate who has managed to stay on top of the polls is Olivia Chow — an avid bicyclist.

Today, residents head to the polls to cast their ballots for a new mayor, and for cyclists, the choice is fairly easy. There is Chow, who rides her bicycle for daily transportation and has long been an advocate for putting people first in governmental decision-making. And there is the rest.

On the other side of the political spectrum, two candidates polling amongst the top five have vowed to rip out bike lanes while, of course, without providing any actual facts or rationale around this removal.

Anthony Furey is a former right-wing political columnist attempting to ride a populist wave of anti-bike sentiment alongside the former chief of police Mark Saunders who, surprisingly, is running a public safety campaign while at the same time vowing to make those who ride bicycles in the city much more unsafe. Go figure.

When we talk about safety, why don’t some candidates talk about cyclist safety?

When we remove bike lanes, roads get worse.

There are deadly consequences to removing cycling infrastructure. I support Vision Zero.

— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) May 26, 2023

Other candidates in the mix at the top of the polls include some centrist candidates who would not be a net negative for bicyclists in Toronto. But Chow and her love of the bicycle could continue a slow-but-steady trend in Canada’s largest city to expand safe cycling infrastructure for all.

The election campaign for all candidates has focussed squarely on housing issues such as affordability and more rights for renters. But cycling is a hot-button issue in the city and the temperature needs to cool with a steady hand guiding the continued move to becoming a friendlier city for the two-wheeled set.

Toronto is growing at an incredible rate, long boasting of the number of cranes it has in the sky, outpacing all North American cities in development. It is adding hundreds of thousands of new residents. The city is also one of the most congested rivaling the likes of Los Angeles and London, England.

Cycling home on my trusty old bike (with winterized studs tires) in this weather was challenging but absolutely beautiful. pic.twitter.com/x9mC0LHolm

— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) March 4, 2023

The only want the city will survive let alone thrive into the future is with massive investments in people-powered transportation and public transit. The days of driving a single-occupancy automobile downtown to the office are over, and good riddance.

Chow would join other bicycle-friendly mayors such as Valérie Plante in Montreal who have put forward ambitious active-transportation agendas with amazing results for city residents.

If you make one choice for the good of the city today in Toronto, choose a candidate the puts people first and automobiles last. The survival of your city could be at stake.

Good luck!