Cyclists accuse Toronto mayor Ford of 'war on bikes' [BBC]

Toronto's tough-talking mayor has never hidden his disdain for cyclists. Now they are accusing him of trumping up a war on two-wheeled commuters. Bike lanes have been removed but are the city's streets any more dangerous to ride?

Rob Ford cruised to victory as city mayor a year-and-a-half ago pledging to end what he dubbed "the war on the car". He argued that bike lanes were taking away space for cars.

"And what I compare bike lanes to is swimming with the sharks. Sooner or later you're going to get bitten," said Ford speaking in 2010 as a Toronto city council-member.

"And every year we have dozens of people that get hit by cars or trucks. Well, no wonder: roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks, not for people on bikes.

"My heart bleeds for them when I hear someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day."

Since Ford came into office, Toronto hasn't just stopped putting in bike lanes; it has started removing some of them.

[continue at BBC]