Bike Lanes Fight Food Insecurity
- Cyndi Gillbert
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Bike lanes are more than a way to get around. They connect our community and support a vibrant, safe, and sustainable city.
For Bike Brigade, they’re a critical part of how we transport food and essential supplies to our neighbours across Toronto. Our volunteer riders cover hundreds of kms each week, delivering groceries, prepared meals, farm fresh produce, and even pet supplies by bike to people, service agencies, and community fridges across Toronto. In 2023, Brad Bradford himself presented us with a Toronto Community Champion Award in recognition of the extraordinary contributions we make to support the health and solidarity of City of Toronto residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The need didn't end with COVID.
Protected cycling infrastructure helps make those journeys safer and more direct. It means more cyclists feel comfortable volunteering their time and energy to support other members of their community. It means the Bike Brigade can continue to work with over 30 campaign partners, including food banks, mutual aid organizations, and multifaith community programs to address critical gaps in food security and health equity, support environmentally sustainable transportation, and build resilient, empowered communities.
Bike lanes mean we can do all of the above, and even reduce the number of cars on the road. We can keep making over 8,650 deliveries to 230+ recipients per year. We can continue to deliver over 6,450 food hampers and 6,240 hot meals, make over 850 community fridge runs, and distribute over 120 pet food, menstrual product, and other care packages. For many seniors, immune-compromised individuals, and people with disabilities, this might be the only way they can access these resources. The person on a bike delivering directly to them may be the only friendly face they see for days at a time.
Removing protected bike lanes on Bloor or University doesn’t remove the need for those deliveries. It changes how, and even if, our volunteers are able to get there. With protected bike lanes, Bike Brigade riders feel safe to ride. Without them, many don’t.
We use bike lanes to deliver, not ravines, Brad.
Safe routes help us show up — for our volunteers, for our deliveries, and for our neighbours.
