Campaign to Save Bike Lanes Boosts Membership for Toronto Cyclists Union

Posted: 08/05/2011

On June 29, advocates from the Toronto Cyclists Union staked out a corner of Jarvis Street with a simple question: What’s wrong with this bike lane? The answer from the overwhelming majority of cyclists and motorists? “Absolutely nothing!”

The video that resulted was just one aspect of the Toronto advocates’ Save Jarvis campaign, which has not just galvanized the cycling community, but boosted the membership for the bike union.

The effort is the result of a recent push by Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, to remove a number of already installed bike lanes in the city’s core. Ford and his allies have argued that the lanes have caused traffic congestion. But, as the Bike Union has pointed out, that claim isn’t backed by the facts. “Updated traffic counts from the City of Toronto show that following the installation of bike lanes on Jarvis Street, motor vehicle volumes remained the same while cycling volumes tripled,” the bike union notes.

So, in the run-up to a city council vote to remove three major arterial bike lanes, the bike union kicked into high gear to protect the cycling facilities. They sent press releases to build their media presence, ran a targeted campaign of social media to get the word out, handed out fliers and buttons in the bike lanes themselves, and put together a three-minute video that included not just cyclists, but motorists advocating for the lane.

Unfortunately, the council voted to remove all three bike lanes last month, suggesting that the previous infrastructure will be replaced with a network of protected bike lanes on other streets. To fill the gap before the new construction, the council gave Jarvis a one-year reprieve. The bike union immediately jumped on the opportunity to capitalize on the growing, grassroots, pro-biking energy — and what better way than to get folks out pedaling.

“Our inspiration for ‘Ride for Jarvis, Ride for Bike Lanes’ was the Prospect Park Family Ride,” Heather McDonald, the bike union’s president, says. “When we were talking about what we would do if the council voted to cancel the bike lanes, the images of happy families riding on Prospect Park Ride came to mind. Leading up the ride we capitalized on social media, had a huge response via Facebook, had volunteers distributing buttons and fliers in the bike lanes and coordinated a press release.”

It worked. The turnout was huge. Approximately 1,200 cyclists streamed down Jarvis, ending with a rally at City Hall. But the event wasn’t just a boost to the bike lanes campaign; it was a membership boon for the bike union, too.

“We were able to use our core group of volunteers to act not only as marshals, but also as membership recruiters,” McDonald says. “We offered a discounted membership at the event. With a flat rate of $20 (reduced from $30), we recruited 75 members at the ride.”

“The threat of bike lane removal has really fueled our membership drive,” she adds. “Within 24 hours of the vote, 100 new members joined the bike union. Thanks to the Save Jarvis Campaign and our new full-time director of Membership, Jared Kolb, we’ve seen membership grow leaps and bounds. Andrea [Garcia, the bike union’s executive director] has been working hard at a more proactive and targeted media presence and has been able to identify good areas for advocacy to fuel membership and vice versa. A general discontent with the state of affairs with the current administration in Toronto has also helped galvanize and unite city-building groups of various interests.”

“We’re thrilled to see that more and more people are turning to the bike union as a credible voice for cyclists in Toronto. We plan to take this momentum forward as we find creative ways to advocate for cyclists in the face of the recent challenges.”

Check out photos of the ride here and stay tuned to developments on the bike lanes on the bike union’s website.

Photos of Save Jarvis Ride courtesy of Martin Reis.