It seems that whenever the issue of bike lanes is raised in Toronto, the amateur meteorologists climb out of the woodwork to remind us all that Toronto is in The North and it snows a lot and it’s cold and you can only ride a bike for two weeks in July.
This, of course, is bullshit.
Let’s review some basic facts, handily provided to us by the Weather Network. (Admittedly, the research point appears to be the Toronto Islands, which may be slightly different from the “mainland” part of the city. Still, it should provide a good ballpark.)
Only December, January, and February have a mean temperature of less than zero (celsius, because we are Canadian).
Those same months are the only ones to average more than 20mm of snow, though March, at 19mm, is close enough. Only January and February are particularly prone to heavy snowfall, with 13 and 12 days respectively of more than 5cm of snow.
Of course, the word “average” is key here. Anyone who’s lived in Toronto knows it can vary wildly: This past winter was fairly mild, while last year was a miserable beast.
This year was my first commuting by bike, and it really wasn’t too bad: The cold isn’t much of an issue at all – dress warmly, with some basic water-resistance, and you’re fine; a bit cold when you start, but warm and toasty by the time you get to work. It’s a bit of an investment, but still cheaper than driving or buying a TTC Metropass every month. Buy some TTC tokens, and you can avoid the worst of the winter weather.
You’d be surprised how easy it is to ride a couple days after snow has been plowed, but in a worst-case, once-every-five-years winter, let’s be conservative and say you can’t bike at all. But that hardly seems like the scenario to consider when planning the entire city’s transportation.