Toronto's downtown bike lane network, long lacking a major east/west corridor to shuttle cyclists across the city, is set for a significant upgrade. A pilot project involving Richmond and Adelaide streets (amongst others) launched last spring, which brought dedicated bike infrastructure between Bathurst and Simcoe/York, and now city staff will recommend an extension east to Parliament.

Any cyclist who's ridden through the Financial District during rush hour knows how perilous it can be at present, so this will be a welcome upgrade should council vote in favour of the recommendation. Not only that, but the whole "bikeway network" idea hinges on our cycling infrastructure connecting in a meaningful way that allows riders to remain in protected areas when accessing key areas in the city.

Connecting this east/west corridor with the Sherbourne bike lane just makes sense. The extension would be installed this fall, which would give staff some time to compile ridership information before council votes on making the entire Richmond/Adelaide corridor a permanent fixture in summer 2016.