Huge bike lane puddle forces cyclists to veer
Water extends to sidewalk, making dangerous situation for pedestrians as well
When there’s nowhere for the water to go, a long, rainy day can create a miniature lake in the worst possible place.
Bike riders on Bloor St. E. learned that during the all-day rain on Tuesday, when they had to veer into traffic to avoid a massive puddle that covered the entire cycling lane, and even the sidewalk next to it.
Cycling lanes are meant to provide riders with a safe space that’s separate from the ones for cars and trucks, but the westbound bike lane offered no such protection during the downpour.
Kevvy first posted a photo of it last summer on SeeClickFix, noting that “at least two sewer grates are blocked, causing this large puddle on the north side of Bloor, just west of Parliament.
“The puddle is so large that it completely covers the bike lane for dozens of metres. Cyclists will dangerously veer into traffic due to not knowing what is in this giant puddle.”
He has since revisited his post numerous times, at one point writing that “I (and my phone) were totally drenched by walls of water thrown by passing trucks. Glad my phone survived.”
We went there Tuesday, after the rain tapered off, and found a huge puddle that not only extended into the traffic lane but also covered almost the entire sidewalk, due to a missing section of curb.
Cyclists had to choose between two options: mingle with fast-moving traffic or dismount and walk their bikes up onto the sidewalk, where they had to sidestep an extension of the puddle.
As for pedestrians, if a vehicle happened to catch the edge of the puddle with its wheel, a plume of icy water was splashed in the direction of the sidewalk, and anyone who happened to be walking on it.
We found two catch basins within the puddle, both of which appear to be totally plugged and unable to drain the water from the street, as they’re supposed to.
Given that this has been a problem since at least last summer, it is not likely to fix itself any time soon. Status: Trevor Tenn, manager of road operations in that area, emailed to say he’s asked Toronto Water, which is responsible for storm drains, to check it out right away and clear them if they’re plugged. 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.