Skip to Content
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

After Cyclists Protest, Toronto Will Protect Downtown Bike Lanes

In a victory for bike safety in Toronto, officials have agreed to add protective posts to three new downtown bike lanes.

The addition of plastic posts should make Toronto's downtown bike lanes self-enforcing. Photo: I Bike TO

Toronto striped two buffered bike lanes in July and is preparing to add another. Local cyclists were expecting the lanes to have some physical protection to keep out illegally-parked cars and shield riders from traffic, but as we noted yesterday, they were alarmed when the city failed to add any separation besides paint.

When local bike advocates refused to accept the un-protected lanes as a finished product, Toronto officials bowed to the pressure and agreed to add protective plastic posts to the three new bike lanes. (Physical barriers, even plastic bollards, have been found to have a dramatic effect on ridership.)

Jared Kolb of advocacy group Cycle Toronto says officials shouldn't stop there. He told Now Toronto the city should be experimenting with more substantial forms of protection such as curbs and concrete planters, especially on pilot projects like the new downtown bike lanes.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

And Here We Go… Election Day Is Finally Upon Us

If you haven't done so already, get that ballot filled out and into the box

November 5, 2024

Caltrain Needs Help with Bike Stuff

Interested in helping guide future bike and pedestrian features on the Caltrain system? Time to step up... or ride up, as the case may be

November 4, 2024
See all posts