Safety and efficiency: if these were the guiding principles of our transportation system, our cities would look a lot different — and political decision-making about how we get around would be a lot easier. It’s not just decisions about motor traffic (cars and mass transit, for example) that would be affected but also decisions about who and what belongs on our sidewalks and in our bike lanes.

This issue came up last week when Toronto’s public works and infrastructure committee recommended that council work on a strategy to get cyclists off sidewalks.

Concerns about cost — both communal and individual — and the environment mean that cheaper and less polluting means of transport like electric bikes (e-bikes), bicycles and good shoes are becoming more fashionable.

In general, it’s easy to agree that bicycles belong in bike lanes and pedestrians belong on sidewalks. What’s more challenging is deciding what else belongs. Do electric bikes, Segways and electric scooters (or mopeds) also belong in bike lanes? And do these vehicles have any claim on sidewalks?

Some cyclists question whether bike lanes ought to be shared with e-bikes, perhaps because hard-won cycling lanes are still scarce and cyclists aren’t yet used to silent e-bikes. E-bikes certainly meet the efficiency test: they don’t cost much, don’t need much road space and don’t have exhaust pipes spewing toxic waste products. And their top speed of 32 km/h means they can more safely share bike lanes than car lanes.

Bike lanes can also be safely shared with Segways and electric scooters provided there is enough room to pass without forcing anyone into motor traffic lanes.

Right now the safety of bike lane users is readily sacrificed. Courier and other motor vehicles routinely take over bike lanes for stopping or parking, which forces cyclists to veer dangerously into auto traffic. Enforcement against violators is lacklustre, at best. This is why the proposal by Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong to create a downtown bike lane network separated with cement curbs is a good start.

Providing for the safety of residents who use bicycles, e-bikes, Segways and even electric scooters on our roads is also the best way to protect the safety of walkers on sidewalks.

Pedestrians have a right to be safe. Forcing cyclists onto unsafe roads, however, discourages cycling and compromises their safety. Fining cyclists for using sidewalks doesn’t address the problem of unsafe roads. Would parents want to see their teenaged children riding on roads with fast-paced traffic? The result is that more parents chauffeur their children in cars, compromising efficiency (not to mention fitness levels) and further congesting roads.

Currently, bylaws allow only small-wheeled bicycles on our sidewalks, on the assumption that the rider is also small and therefore not particularly powerful (or fast). This isn’t always the case. Laws that allow only young cyclists on sidewalks make more sense, providing their speed respects pedestrians. The same applies to motorized wheelchairs.

Indeed, it’s not just the safety of pedestrians that is compromised by cyclists on sidewalks — the cyclists themselves can be at greater risk. The City of Toronto’s 2003 cycling collision study found that one of the most common collision points with cars and trucks is at intersections when cyclists leave the sidewalk to cross a road. This type of collision is especially common for cyclists under 18.

Putting safety and efficiency at the centre of transportation planning also allows us to talk about power and speed, the traditional features marketed by the car industry. A comprehensive World Bank and World Health Organization report found that motor vehicles don’t mix safely with pedestrians and cyclists at speeds of 30 km/h or greater.

This finding makes transportation planning easier for communities that give priority to safety. In cases where there is no room for a bike lane, and no alternative route, the speed of all traffic would be reduced to 30 km/h or less.

Carmakers could continue to make and market high-powered and fast cars — but communities needn’t make the accommodation of these products their priority.

When cities like Toronto and the province get around to updating laws about which vehicles belong where in our cities, a good start would be to put the focus squarely on safety and efficiency — principles that serve the entire community.