Readers have differing views over sanctity of cycling lanes
Street sharing not always possible in emergency — if high speed is essential
There are exceptions to rules, including parking in a cycling lane for emergency repairs to services that most of us depend on.
That’s the opinion of a surprising number of readers about our previous column on three fibre optic service trucks that we found parked in the Sherbourne St. bike lane last Tuesday.
DistinctTech, a contractor to Rogers, told us the trucks were parked in the lane, south of Front St., for emergency work because it was the closest access point to a service well between the road and sidewalk.
A company manager said the “splice vans” could not park on the road and had to be close to the service well, since “there is only so much slack” in the wires running from the vans to the well.
“Perhaps we can find a way that would work better in these situations, as this was a rare situation, but it does happen,” he said.
Rogers spokesperson Samantha Grant offered an equivocal reply to our questions: “We’re reaching out to the contractor about the details of this specific work site. The health and safety of the public, our employees and partners is very important to us, and we have a robust contractor safety management process that includes working roadside.”
But no equivocation from cyclists. And no parking in bike lanes. Period.
“Basic respect for cyclists is out the window as we frequently have to veer out of dedicated lanes into traffic,” said Rudy Mumm.
Linda Trabulsi, who has travelled in northern Europe, said bike lanes are “sacred” in Copenhagen, and should be in Toronto.
“The excuse given by the company is not acceptable to me.”
“Regardless of any legality, my opinion is there is no justification for blocking the bike lane,” said Kathleen Mackey. “To do so makes the space unsafe for cyclists and other road users.”
“We continue to suffer mightily from the blockage of our roads by private businesses conducting their work and construction,” said Andree Shore.
“There’s no reason this work cannot be done through the night where it troubles many fewer of us.”
The most thoughtful note came from John Knott, who said he has worked for a Rogers contractor, and that city permits for emergency work “specifically prohibit parking on the sidewalk or boulevard. That leaves only the bike lane or normal traffic lane,” and since the cable has to pass through the truck, it would have to cross the bike lane, even if the truck parked in a traffic lane.
“This means that both the bike and regular traffic lane would be blocked. Those guys are not parked there because they can’t be bothered to park elsewhere. They’re parked in the only place they can be.”
“Is parking in the bike lane justified?” asked Terry Kushnier. “Absolutely. This was a form of emergency service that didn’t have a multitude of options. We all have to put up with occasional inconvenience when our infrastructure needs maintenance or repair, and that includes cyclists.”
Catherine Ho lamented the lack of planning by the city to accommodate delivery trucks and service repairs on streets with bike lanes, saying, “city planners did not give much thought to where repair vans can park to fix fibre optic cable.
“The internet is a big part of our lives and people depend on it.”
We’ll explore options for situations like this in a future column.