Protesters Take Toronto Bike Lane Removal Lying Down

Efforts to remove a bike lane from Toronto's Jarvis Street did not go exactly as planned this week, as protesters prevented city crews from completing their work by blockading the street, reports Lissette Valdez.

November 14, 2012, 7am PST | Jonathan Nettler | @nettsj

The Toronto Cuty Council's plan to remove recently installed bike lanes on Jarvis Street in order to improve traffic flow for automobiles hit a speed bump this week as "cyclists chose to lie down, sit, and ultimately blockade the street" to prevent city crews from scraping away the lanes' thin dividing lines, says Valdez.

"The lanes were part of street safety measures enacted by [current Mayor] Ford's predecessor David Miller. Cyclists have been unhappy with the decision declaring that removing the lanes puts their safety at risk."

Writing on Tuesday, Valdez noted that, "[r]emoval of the lanes continued again today and currently the dispute remains unresolved. Unable to work at night-due to noise restrictions-the scrubbing crews must complete the removal during the day. Police were on site today in an attempt to usher back protesters and allow the work to continue. One man was reportedly arrested and taken into custody this afternoon as the protest continues."

Full Story:

Toronto Bikers Revolt Against Mayor’s Attempts to Remove Bike Lanes

Published on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 in The Architect's Newspaper Blog