February 21, 2006
Wouldn't It Be Nice?
A couple of cycling activists photoshopped a bike lane onto Bloor Street. Wouldn't it be nice if building bike lanes in Toronto was this easy?
Sadly it's not, so campaigns like TaketheTooker are necessary. Inspired by the legacy of activist Tooker Gomberg, the proposal calls for a bike lane along the Bloor-Danforth corridor. Because of the subway, restricting car traffic along Bloor isn't as crazy as it sounds. The lack of streetcar tracks also makes the spacing of the bikelane less of a problem. You should be able to just paint a couple of lines on the road.
Building the Tooker would also mean that cyclist would get another east-west corridor. The current lanes on parts of College, Gerrard and Harbord are patchwork at best. Interested contact your local councillor or Adam Giambrone, head of the City's Cycling Committee.
Photo from Bike Lane Diary
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Does anyone else see what's lurking ominously down that bike lane? Looks like a death cabbie to me.
Bike lanes are more suited to less travelled roads like the current Dundas, Jones and Gerrard dedicated. I just dont see them working on busier roads like Danforth, Bloor, Yonge. There is far too much traffic to give up road space to under utilized dedicated bike lanes.
Interestingly, Spacing Wire and something called Martino's Bike Lane Diary are reporting this as real.
Are they photoshopped or the real deal? I'm too lazy to hop on the tube and find out.
Yeah, it seems to me that the commenters over at Bike Lane Diary have been fooled. I haven't seen it for sure, but I expect a bike lane on Bloor would generate a whole lot of discussion -- and of course, outcry from the auto-industry rights lobby -- before being installed.
Dreamy idea though!