The death knell rings for the Jarvis Street bike lanes

We all knew this day was coming; the Jarvis Street bike lanes are finished. Starting now, road crews are beginning the process of scratching out the painted curbside markings and carrying out preliminary work on a fifth, reversible vehicle lane. One thing we didn't see coming, though, is the arrival of on-street parking.

New solar-powered meters on the west side of the street between Queen and Bloor, installed last week, represent the final step back to a car-dominated Jarvis. It also sends a message to anyone involved in protesting the changes: on-street car parking is more important than bike lanes.

Rob Ford seems pretty happy work is getting underway. He told the Toronto Sun he "listened to the taxpayers and [did] what they wanted me to do."

The removal of the lanes coincides with a report about to be considered by the public works and infrastructure committee that recommends kicking the existing painted lanes on Wellesley Street up to a fully separated cycling path between Parliament and Queens Park, then up onto Hoskin Avenue.

Spacing said their goodbyes today with a clever and biting series of (Photoshopped) images that show several of the new parking meters bearing dedications to the councillors that voted to remove the lanes earlier this year (follow that link — it's worth it!).

A protest at the removal is planned for later today but there's presently a few supporters sitting in the bike lane blocking the progress of a vehicle painting over the markings. For now, the vehicle seems to be simply driving around the parked protesters.

Here's how the story is unfolding on Twitter:

Photos: Chris Bateman/blogTO and Spacing.