Bikes and Strikes in Toronto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05.29.06
For the first day of Bike Week in Toronto, we woke up to a wildcat transit strike, with buses, streetcars and subway shut down with no warning. 770,000 commuters take transit every day, so thousands of extra cars filled up every road and traffic ground to a standstill. Everyone in the City with a bike got on it and rode to work, with no worry about door prizes or right hooks because the cars were not moving. The bicycle proved itself to be the most efficient means of transport and, next to walking, the only thing that moved. We hope many of these new riders find that they like it and keep it up! See also ::People of Toronto: Tell Us About Your City, ::Have You Reduced Your Dependence on Cars?
Since when do cars have to be moving to get the door prize? You are right though, for the most part the cyclists are doing better than the drivers.
LA: you are correct, cars are parked when they give you the door prize. However, here nobody is getting out of their cars, they are just sitting in them.
The comments posted on the Globe and Mail website show that some people who had to resort to walking or cycling actually enjoyed it and plan to continue!
I traded transit for feet after the last strike. Getting to walk everywhere I have to go is probably one of the best things to ever happen to me.