Cycling in Canada - History

History

Before the widespread adoption of private automobiles by the middle class in the mid twentieth century, bicycles were relatively popular in Canada, although Canada's snowy winters posed a problem, especially before there were industrial-sized snowploughs in every city. Travel by horse and carriage (or sled) or streetcar were more robust. As Canadian suburbanized cars became the main mode of transportation, and cycling shifted to being something done for fun or sport. The advent of the mountain bike in the later twentieth century made off-road cycling particularly popular.

In the twenty-first century with longer and longer commute times between suburbs and central business districts, many middle-class people have been moving back into the city, in a process of gentrification, this has created a more more dense urban environment less like the mid-century New World norm and more like Old World cities where cycling commuting is more popular. This has led to a new era of cycling advocacy and conflicts with motorists over funding and planning decisions, and space on the road.