What’s going on with the massive bike lanes on Pottery Road?
I drove down Pottery Road this afternoon for the first time since it reopened after construction and was so unsettled, I thought I would suggest it as a story idea for OpenFile.
For many of us who live in east Toronto, Pottery Road is a quick and easy way to bypass Danforth/Bloor Street traffic and get into downtown TO. It's great that it reopened but as I drove it today I was alarmed to see massive bike lane signs on the downhill westbound lane, in which I was driving. My son and I had a frantic discussion about whether we were driving on a bike lane and wondered whether we should turn off, but there is clearly no place to do that. As I slowed down, I noticed what appeared to be fancy bike guards to my left and was confused. Why would they build a separate bike lane and then place giant bike signs in the midst of the car lane?
When I got home, I Googled it and found this blog post:
“They’re meant to indicate that cyclists heading west should take the middle of the lane all the way down the hill past the DVP and that car drivers should wait behind them.”
http://valdodge.com/2011/11/28/pottery-road-new-and-improved-for-bikes/
We are a family of avid cyclists and generally support cycling initiatives but I’m concerned that since there's been no publicity, it will be confusing to many people (as it was for us) and a potential disaster waiting to happen. I would be grateful if OpenFile could find out the history behind this decision and provide some context to the story.
