Utility poles pose danger to cyclists on Queens Quay
Installing utility poles in the middle of a bike lane — where cyclists could crash into them — seems like a dumb idea. But that’s what happened last week on one of Toronto’s busiest bike lanes, along the south side of Queens Quay, a waterfront destination for cyclists.
Utility poles in various states of repair have been a bit of a theme in our columns lately, which has the effect of prodding readers into looking at them with a critical eye.
So we’re not surprised that we continue to hear about other pole prob- lems, but we were startled by a note from a reader about poles that went up last week along the Queens Quay cycling route.
The reader’s email said, “Hydro crews are just now installing four new (utility) poles, smack in the middle of the bike lane that runs all the way along the street.
“And I mean right in the middle of the lane, which is clearly marked with bike lane signs, and even has a line marking east and west lanes.
“It just seems amazing to build a perfectly nice, smooth bike lane (used by me and lots of others), and then install enormous poles right in the middle. But I guess I don’t understand road work.”
We went there and found four new wooden poles in the middle of the bike lane, heading east from the T intersection of Queens Quay and Lower Jarvis St.
It’s astounding, given that the current configuration of the cycling path is less than two years old and will soon be jammed by riders, now that the weather is warming up. Status: Mallory Cunnington, who deals with media for Toronto Hydro, which is responsible for utility poles, sent us the following explanation: “We had to relocate some poles due to construction activities in the area and clearance requirements.
The clearance requirements are in place for the safety of the public and those working in the construction zone.
The poles are temporary until construction is completed.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or call us at 416-869-4823 email jlakey@thestar.ca. To read our blog, go to thestar.com/news/the_fixer. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.