Cycling Trends and Policies in Canadian Cities

An average of 1.2% of work trips in Canada in 2001 were accounted for by bicycling, but this varied considerably by metropolitan area and by province. In this study, the authors chose six Canadian cities for detailed analysis of their bicycling trends and policies: Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia; Montreal and Quebec City in Quebec; and Ottawa and Toronto in Ontario. All of these cities have made impressive efforts to encourage more and safer bicycling. Most of the cities report increases in bicycling levels over the past twenty years but appear to have reached a limit due to lack of financing for much needed bicycling infrastructure (bike lanes and paths, intersection modifications, parking, etc.). In addition, the low-density, automobile-oriented suburban sprawl spreading around most Canadian cities has been increasing trip distances, thus making bicycling less feasible outside the urban core. Finally, Canadian provinces and cities have not imposed any significant restrictions on car use or imposed increases in fees, taxes, and other charges for car use, such as most European cities have implemented in order to discourage driving and increase transit use, bicycling, and walking. If Canadian cities really want to further increase bicycling levels, they will have to further expand bicycling infrastructure, impose more charges and restrictions on car use, and curb low-density sprawl.