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Why aren’t the city ordinances regarding no stopping and parking in bike lanes being enforced? We have spent hundreds of thousands dollars on these lanes and cars regularly use them are parking, loading and unloading or turning lanes. I have never seen anyone getting a ticket for this. I have never seen the police (not on emergency calls who sometimes block the lanes even though there is an inlet not far away which they could park in) or parking authority patrolling for violators.

The attached picture (taken today, May 9, at approximately 4:30pm) is from one of multiple violators on the north bound side of Sherbourne between Queen and Gerrard. A man associated with the truck picture became rude and threatening when I took this picture claiming they had the right to park there because they were “men at work.” They were from a private contractor sodding private property – not on any official city business or service. He knew that the fine was $150 and stated he didn’t care – again, that “men at work” thing. There was a cab straddling the bike lane and the automobile lane in the same area. It got away before I could get a picture.

I wish I could say this was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, it is common. It’s daily and it’s fairly constant and consistent. The other day riding southbound on Sherbourne between Bloor and Queen, there were no less than six cars and trucks blocking the bike lane. And not just on Sherbourne – but bike lanes all over the city. It’s also particularly bad on Bloor Street between Yonge and Church. Drivers stop in these no stopping zones (which should be a separate ticket from blocking the bike lane) with impunity because they know they will not be ticketed or fined. Instead, cyclists are routinely put in danger by having to merge in to vehicular traffic to get around them.

It is clear that the current city administration is hostile to alternate forms of transportation, but that is no excuse for not enforcing the laws on the books. By not enforcing bike lane ordinances, the city has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars making the bike lanes and is now losing hundreds of thousands of dollars more in revenue from non-enforcement. At this point, bike lanes in Toronto are a complete joke. In fact, Toronto is clearly in the lead as one of the most unfriendly cycling cities.