Cycling culture was at the forefront at Nathan Phillips Square on Monday morning, as various vendors, community groups and charities related to cycling set up booths.

Several hundred cyclists taking part in the 17th annual group commute converged from five different starting points in the city for free breakfast, provided by the St. Lawrence Market.

The overriding news of the day, though, was the sudden TTC wildcat strike. The paralysis of public transit on a hot, smoggy day underscored the value of cycling as another way of commuting.

Mayor David Miller, visibly stressed by the strike, read a tersely written “proclamation.” He assured the crowd that the city is “committed to a future where every Toronto street is a cycling street.” Miller said he hoped for a future where Torontonians could “choose the bicycle as a viable form of transportation.”

Councillor Adam Giambrone, chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee, celebrated the prominence of bikes on city streets and paths.

“When you go around the city, you see more and more people riding their bikes,” he said. According to Giambrone, more than a million Torontonians identify themselves as cyclists, or nearly half the city.

All those present echoed the wishes of Miller and Giambrone regarding greater city support for cyclists, most notably through the expansion of bike lanes. Around the St. George campus, for example, bike lanes exist only on College, Harbord and St. George Streets.

Jonah, a recent U of T graduate, agreed, saying that a “full network of lanes” is needed. Cycling to school, he found that bike lanes on major streets came and went. Measures to improve safety for cyclists were also an issue, although he had never been seriously injured while cycling.

Josh Babbin, a Toronto resident who attends Queen’s University, called for “more bike lanes [and] less cars” on city streets in order to make Toronto a more bike-friendly city. He cycles both recreationally and as a means of transportation.

Babbin said he wants to see more north-south lanes. “It’s pretty bad riding on Bathurst,” he added.

Aaron Blatt, a friend of Babbin’s, described their ride downtown as confusing and unsafe. As a result, he doubted that cycling is anything but a recreational activity.

“I don’t see it so much as a viable transit option,” he said, highlighting the gap between the present and Mayor Miller’s vision of the future.