Gil Penalosa, who runs a Mississauga organization called “Walk and Bike for Life,” delivered the morning’s high point: a barn-burning speech calling for a new pro-bike culture.

“Paris has installed 20,400 public bikes,” he said. “And a few weeks ago the mayor of London announced $1-billion for bicycle lanes.

Mexico City plans 450 kilometres of bike lanes in the next four years. In Toronto we cannot keep talking about baby steps. This is not a a financial issue, this is not a technical issue, this is a political issue!”

Rob MacIsaac, who heads Metrolinx, the provincial agency trying to improve transportation in greater Toronto, said his group will spend $2.3-million to put 1,000 bike racks on buses across greater Toronto, and $2.2-million to purchase and install 1,000 bike storage spaces, including lockers, at GO Transit stations.”