Some Parkdale residents say a new bike lane has created 'chaos'

A group of Parkdale residents say one of the city's latest bike path projects is causing chaos in their neighbourhood, and what should be making cyclists safer has, in practice, made roads more dangerous. 

Implementation of the West Parkdale Cycling Connection began earlier this month. The new bike path starts at The Queensway, travels through a series of small residential streets, and ends at Brock Avenue.

Some residents say street changes, including new one-ways, have caused congestion, chaos, anger and confusion, adding that they've seen drivers going the wrong way on roads and speeding.

Jordan Marshall, a cyclist, is one of them.

"People are getting out of their cars, like punching windshields," he told CBC Toronto. "I've seen crazy stuff happening… just a lot of frustration."

Marshall lives near the corner of Pearson Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue, one of the sites of several traffic direction changes related to the project, where a two-way street became a one-way. He says he's seen a spike in road rage incidents since the implementation began. 

As Toronto grapples with widespread traffic gridlock, the city has made creating more and better bike lanes one of its goals, in an effort to encourage commuter cycling and increase safety. But where and how bike lanes are implemented is an ongoing debate happening across neighbourhoods. 

Cycling advocates and the city say the new route was created to strengthen the cycling network and make biking safer. 

"This infrastructure is designed to help support people in this ward get from A to B and help unlock more local trips," said Michael Longfield, executive director of the non-profit advocacy group Cycle Toronto.

"It's also important to keep in mind that a lot of this is about safety. 2024 is proving to be Toronto's deadliest year for people on bikes. We've had five people killed already."

But many local cyclists who spoke to CBC Toronto said though the route could help others pass through the neighbourhood it hasn't benefited them. Since the road changes, driver behaviour has become erratic, from speeding to ignoring new rules, many say. 

The problem now, they say, is that there are more bottlenecks and bad driving, adding that the paint on the road doesn't do much to make them safer. 

"All I do see is just the chaos of the cars," Marshall said.

"I never felt unsafe as a cyclist biking beside the cars."