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One day, if bicyclists and the groups that represent them like TaketheTooker get their wish, a bike lane spanning the length of Bloor and Danforth Streets might be a reality. Until then, Rick Conroy's masterful manipulation, above, will have to do.
The edited photos of bike lanes plopped onto Bloor at Bay look so real that they fooled a few Bike Land Diary readers back in February 2006 when Conroy first let the images loose (we wrote about them way back then, too). A year and a half later, the city doesn't seem to be getting any closer to making it happen, even though the lane is long overdue—TaketheTooker's post outlining the reasons for it can be distilled down to three basic points: it would be accessible, it would be safe, and it wouldn't exist at the expense of non-bicyclists. Guess that we'll all just have to keep our fingers crossed for a city that embraces pedestrians, cars, and bicyclists (well, the well-behaved non-nude ones) in equal measure.
Send your Touch Up Toronto entries to touchup@torontoist.com.
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Am I the only person who thinks that this idea, while pretty creative and clever, is also incredibly - and unnecessarily - dangerous? Sure, he's making his point about bike lanes, and a valid one at that, but he's also putting cyclists in danger by creating even more confusion with respect to the relationship between cyclists and cars. What happens if, god forbid, someone gets injured because of that confusion? Is it still such a great idea?
I don't see the issue, Max -- the lanes pictured above aren't painted on the ground (though TaketheTooker has done some events where they've chalked it on); this is an entry for Touch Up Toronto, which is for edited photos of the city. Last week's entry was of the Loch Ness Monster swimming in Lake Ontario.
All along the Annex strip of Bloor some person or group took the initiative to add a bike lane. They painted a lane marker line the length of a couple blocks and stenciled on little bike symbols at intervals. I thought it was kind of a neat way to make a statement but I changed my mind when I saw the whole crew of city workers sent to clean it all off. That must have been expensive. I like this photoshopped statement better - more green friendly! Or if they need to do it on the pavement, they could use chalk...
I don't have a problem with the photoshopped version - I thought that it was like the one on Bloor between Bathurst and Spadina, which was painted on the road, and remained there for almost a week. I can tell you, having a particular vantage point on that strip of road where I spend most of my days, that it caused a great deal of unnecessary confusion and more than a few near collisions.
I see that the cabbies have assumed the standard "Bike Lane's for parking / turning/idling" stance in the photos. Big issue here is who's gonna police it and enforce it - and if it were ever implemented, there's sure to be a spike in the number of "BMW/Mercedes door meets cyclist's face" incidents. Driver obliviousness seems to increase in direct proportion to the cost of the vehicle!
bike lanes aren't supposed to be in the parking lane. they're just outside it. it doesn't look like that street could accomidate bikes unlesss they made the street into one lane.
Meanwhile, they painted a pink bike lane along Bloor from Ossington to Dufferin on the north side. You can argue about it all or do what I do enjoy them while they last.