bloor bike lanes

Toronto bike lane gets new barrier shaped like ocean waves

The City of Toronto is in the midst of installing new bike lanes and cycle tracks throughout the city as a part of the accelerated cycling network expansion, and one of the new lanes just got a cool new barrier to protect cyclists from cars. 

City staff were on Bloor Street today installing the new barriers, which will run from Avenue Road to Church Street once completed. 

Mark Mills, who works for transportation services for the city, posted a photo of the innovative separators on Twitter Thursday morning.

"Catch a Wave!!! City staff installing waves on Bloor St. Cycling lanes. Please leave the surf boards at the beach ....cycling only!" he wrote.

According to a tweet from an urban planner working on the project, planter boxes were first installed from Avenue to Bay streets yesterday. 

He said most of the separators, which are placed in between the planters, are being installed today, while the remaining planters and barriers are tentatively scheduled for installation next week. 

Meanwhile, many Toronto cyclists are responding to Mills' tweet in order to express their admiration for the new barriers, which are far more exciting than the traditional white separators used elsewhere in the city. 

"Wow, that's actually kind of cool. Using a more complex form will likely be a better psychological deterrent for drivers to attempt rolling over/into them. I like it," wrote one avid biker.

And others are so impressed, they're vouching for these same waves to be installed along other city bike lanes in their neighbourhoods.

"Please please please bring planters & 'the wave' to Harbord, St. George, Argyle & College. SO tired of the bike lane being used every few feet as free parking for the I'm-too-lazy-to-walk-20 feet. If nothing else, the resultant bump to City revenues should surely be welcome," one resident pleaded.

Toronto motorists are notorious for ignoring bike lanes and using all road space for parking regardless of intended use, as is evidenced by the fact that a closeup of Mills' photo reveals a car parked in the lane in the spot where the waves have not yet been installed — so here's hoping drivers finally get the message.

Lead photo by

Mark Mills


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