Pandemic-time bike lanes in three large Canadian urban centres- differences in use and public perception by socio-demographic groups and geographical contexts

The COVID-19 pandemic led to fast and ambitious implementation of bike lanes in many Canadian cities and also presented a window of opportunity to study the effects of new cycling infrastructure. While an emerging literature has focused on the use of cycling infrastructure that resulted from pandemic-time street reallocation initiatives, not much is known about the differences in the use and public perception of these bike lanes across various socio-demographic groups and between different urban contexts. We explored this topic using data from an online survey of 2078 Canadians residing in Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver regions in Canada, collected in the summer of 2021. Results revealed that 45% respondents had used a bike lane at least once during the first year of the pandemic. In addition, 42% supported maintenance and enhancement of these facilities post-pandemic. Results from a multinomial logistic regression show that women, individuals with household incomes of less than $ 100,000, and those with multiple cars, had lower odds of using the new bike lanes, indicating the benefits of bike lanes may not have been equal across the population. Models showed that those who live within 5 km from facilities, and those who were frequest cyclists pre-pandemic, were more likely used them more frequently. Younger adults (aged 18 to 29), women, individuals with a university education, and those who used the bike lanes, were more likely to support maintenance and enhancement of these facilities. There were regional variations in both use and support, which may relate to local planning processes and the politics of mobility. The findings offer novel insights into where and among whom these facilities are less popular, which may inform future targeted policy efforts and advocacy.