Spilled cement bad for bikers

What to do about cement trucks that slop dollops of their cargo on the road, where it hardens into a raised rock?

Concrete is the glue in the condo towers, buildings and new homes. An amalgam of cement powder, sand, gravel and water, it requires constant churning to stay soft. That’s where the redi-mix truck comes in, its fat cylinder behind the cab steadily revolving to maintain an even consistency until the wet cement is delivered to a construction site.

But when a relatively small amount is inadvertently dripped on the road, it can be a big problem for bike riders.

We recently got notes from two cyclists about spilled cement that has hardened into raised patches that force a choice between riding over them or veering into traffic.

Rick Owens said he rides downtown daily on Eastern Ave. and encounters piles of cement in the west- bound curb lane, near Broadview Ave. “It’s in the worst spot possible from a cyclist’s perspective,” he said.

He first contacted 311 last December, but nothing was done, Owens said, except for snowplows that rounded them off with their blades.

Judith Butler sent us photos of large patches of spilled cement near the curb on northbound Spadina Ave., near Bremner Blvd., right in the path of bike riders. The spills are not uncommon. On Tuesday, without looking for it, we spotted a long patch of spilled cement on eastbound Front St., just west of Jarvis St. Status: Steve Johnston, who deals with media for transportation services, emailed to say road crews will be dispatched to scrape off the spills on Eastern and Spadina Aves. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.