David Shellnutt tries to ride his bicycle as much as possible through the wintertime. Some of the items that are essential to him are his goggles, gloves, face-covering, and his rubber Chuck Taylor shoes. (Photo: Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star/Getty Images)
A major urban policy response during the pandemic has been the rapid implementation of new bike lanes. Paris, Milan and Bogotá were among the first cities to develop dozens, or even hundreds, of kilometres of new cycling routes.
Canadian cities were slower off the mark, but over the summer, new cycling infrastructure became part of their response to Covid-19 as well. A recent survey in Toronto demonstrated overwhelming support for these initiatives. It found that 84% of respondents supported the construction of protected bike lanes and 85% wanted the city to do more to protect vulnerable road users.