Daily BrewU.K. newspaper writes about Toronto’s ‘war on cycling’
While people in Canada are reading about the riots in the U.K., the British are reading some unflattering stuff about Canada.
The Guardian posted a story on Aug. 11 saying that Toronto has started a war on cycling and Mayor Rob Ford is doing little to diminish tensions.
Writer Anna Soper gives her take on the city's recent budget cut proposals, Doug Ford's comments about Margaret Atwood and the removal of bike lanes.
She writes that "relations between cyclists, pedestrians and drivers have grown fraught," especially after Ford's inauguration.
"Ford's invited guest speaker confirmed the concerns of many cyclists. Don Cherry, CBC Television's colourful ice-hockey pundit, made a typically brash appearance. Cherry referred to Ford's opponents as bike-riding 'pinkos' and wished the Mayor luck against this formidable bunch."
She recognizes that cyclists are also part of the problem, as some fail to obey traffic rules,
The article quickly racked up more than 100 comments, setting off a debate about cycling in Canada and England.
"The fact that a legislator thinks that faster moving cars in an urban environment is a good thing is extremely worrying," writes PhineasPPhagbrake in the comments. "A cycle takes up about 2 square metres of road space whereas a car takes up at least 10: cyclist actually reduce traffic congestion."
People also offered their thoughts about Canada in the comments.
"Damn. I always thought and hoped Toronto and Canada in general were more progressive than here," writes Bobbins123. "But ah well, it's all the same everywhere. Same old cuts, same old (bad) priorities."
Comment Zavaell even compared Canada's largest city to the United States, writing, "Is the mayor imported from the U.S.?"
(Getty Images)
