Toronto seniors want to bike, study shows, and advocates want the city to help them get riding

Rhoda Potter, a 75-year-old Scarborough resident, says she rides her bike at least once a week.

She says the activity is good for health and well-being and that more "older adults" — as she says many people aged 65 and up prefer to be called — would also like to take it up, but safety concerns and a lack of accessible cycling infrastructure are holding them back.

Potter was among a group that appealed to the city earlier this week, asking the city to make cycling a key component of Toronto Public Health's strategic plan for 2024 to 2028 — a tenet of which is the creation of age-inclusive communities that work for seniors.

"Many times we focus on cycling with the younger groups," Potter told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Tuesday. 

"But we see the benefits for the older adults to get out there, get moving. The mobility issues can improve when you're out and about."

According to a new report from non-profit Cycle Toronto, only 38 per cent of Torontonians who are 65 and older meet the federally-recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity, while 40 per cent of Canadians who are 50-years-old and above are at risk of social isolation.

Cycling is part of the solution to both problems, said Alison Stewart, director of advocacy and public policy for Cycle Toronto, at a news conference on Monday where she presented the report. She said active transportation can keep seniors active and outgoing, and age shouldn't stop them.

The report noted that 86 per cent of the seniors would like access to learn-to-ride programs, but Stewart said many of the seniors surveyed said that they do not have access to bikes or they don't know how to use Bike Share stations. 

"Despite the well-documented benefits of biking and walking, seniors are often overlooked in policies and planning that shape the public realm and safety," Stewart said.

 "If we want to create an equitable, dynamic, vibrant city that's safe and accessible to people of all ages, abilities and incomes, then it really begins by making our streets safer for people walking and biking," she said.

The city is committed to long-term improvements to cycling policies, programs and infrastructure, Coun. Chris Moise, chair of the city's board of health, said at Monday's news conference. 

"We recognize that expanding access to cycling programs and offering a range of e-bikes and adaptive bike styles is crucial to making cycling a viable option for our seniors," he said.