plowing

Sherbourne cycle tracks got cleared. Most of the painted bike lanes in the city? Not so much. (Credit: photos from Jared Kolb, Cycle Toronto)

For all the naysayers who figured that building cycle tracks meant lanes blocked with snow, take a good look at both photos. Just because a lane is painted doesn't mean the City is going to take it seriously. In fact, the reverse seems to be true. The City made a commitment to clear the Sherbourne cycle tracks and it has. Meanwhile it wasn't until a few days later that the City started to clear the bike lanes. And perhaps they'd still be blocked if it weren't for some tweets to 311Toronto reporting the blockage.

A side benefit of the snow bank on Sherbourne is that it's provided enough of a barrier to keep cars from parking in it, at least for the time being. I think we've learned that the cycle tracks need more substantial barriers like this to keep cars out.

The before photo at Manning and Harbord by Tino. Note how the car lanes are quite clear.

After the cyclists have gone in and shoveled it themselves.

Local thorn-in-officials'-side Hamish wrote the city back in January to let them know their poor plowing was leaving cyclists in danger. Rob Burlie, Manager of Road Operations wrote back:

Hamish: we have had salting, ploughing and snow removal crews engaged continuously in the unforseen 14cm snow event since 11:30pm on Friday, January 7th with the snow ending at 11am on Saturday, January 8th. Our level of service for bike lanes is to maintain a 1 metre clear width within 24 to 48 hours after the completion of the snow event. Crews have been actively engaged in bike lane clearing to meet this level of service since 4pm on Saturday, January 8th and we will be finished at the end of this evening's rush hour as parked cars are hampering operations. With the amounts of snow that have fallen back to back, staff are now engaged in priority snow removal with an emphasis on bike lanes on bridges and adjacent to the lane hatchings ie. Dundas east where the snow is being continually dragged out by parked cars and hope to be complete by end of day Wednesday. I have forwarded your list of observed deficiencies to my staff to review and take any necessary action. Thank you.

I wonder if their car lane of level of service is as delayed? I doubt it.

Hamish's response:

Hi Rob -

(Photo: Tino. Whoops, that's not the right photo)

So bikes won The War On Cars! Isn't that great news?!

That's the update I got from jemadams, Twitter user, who says, and I quote:

Cars have officially lost to bikes. First snowfall and city of Toronto is plowing the Millwood bike lane ... in to the driving lane.

I'm too lazy and cozy to go bother look and confirm if the bike lanes are being plowed first all over the city, or even on Millwood. So if anyone can confirm this, then this may represent a small victory. I won't hold my breath since this jemadams may have just seen the first plow when a second plow may have come along to push it all back into the bike lane and sidewalk. Those in the know inform me that Toronto doesn't remove snow, but pushes it around in the hopes that it will melt before filling in the entire street.

So send us your photos of clear bike lanes! Before the snow melts!

As you may already know, the City has been plowing the Martin Goodman Trail this winter. A few weeks ago I took my bike down and discovered a peaceful east-west winter bike route where I didn't have to worry about sliding into a streetcar track or get run over. Bliss. This video and G&M article by Christopher Shulgan explains how the City got to plowing it and gets feedback from runners and cyclists. It's "revolutionized" the lives of runners and cyclists alike, according to Shulgan.

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How did this happen? City hall has grown accustomed to hearing the suggestion that it clear snow from various paths around the city. The previous time that municipal government examined clearing snow from the trail, in 2004, the proposal was rejected because the city said it didn't have the money.

Then came last winter's near-record snowfalls. The city began a wide-ranging review of its snow-clearing practices. And an increasingly effective cycling lobby began pushing, via the Toronto Cycling Committee, for a snow-free Martin Goodman Trail.

For example, Tammy Thorne, a bulldog on the cycling committee and the editor of the cycling-lifestyle magazine Dandyhorse, buttonholed Mayor David Miller at last summer's Jane Jacobs Awards and gave her own pitch for clearing snow from the lakeshore trail. "He appeared in favour of it," she said.