There have been complaints this winter, as there has been in past winters, that snow has been piling up in bike lanes. The issue was brought up last week at the Toronto Cycling Committee(TCC) meeting. Members of the committee had several examples of locations where snow was blocking the bike lane either because the plows only plowed up to the edge of the bike lane or people had shovelled snow from their driveways or side walks into the bike lane. The web site www.getoutofthebikelane.com has a series of photos illustrating the problem.

At the TCC meeting Daniel Egan of the City's Cycling and Pedestrian Infrastructure unit explained that for streets with bike lanes the policy is to plow 1 metre into the bike lane. It was apparent from comments around the table at the TCC meeting that that policy is not followed in all locations. There are actions that cyclists can take if their lane is blocked by snow.

The recent edition of the Cycling News, which is published by the City of Toronto. explained how you can call the City's SNOW line to complain about the condition of the bike lane and hopefully get a crew to come out and clean it out. I have quoted information from the cyclometer below.

4. Snow Clearing Phone Number

If the roads are ploughed but the bike lanes are not, here are the numbers to call. The general public snow line, for information or to make a complaint, is 416-338-SNOW. To call in a complaint about snow in bike lanes in Transportation District 1 (Old Toronto, East York and York where most of the bike lanes are) you can also call 416-392-7737. When calling, be prepared to clearly identify the location where you are requesting additional snow clearing. During and immediately after a major snow storm the crews are working around the clock. Wait for at least 12 hours after the storm has finished before making a complaint.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) took action into their own hands and shoveled out a bike lane on January 8th, 2003. You can see photos here "Liberate a Bike Lane" or read about it at their web site.

Calling the staff at the City's Transportation Department will alert them to the fact that cyclists do use the bike lanes in the winter and that the plow operators need to keep them clear. The policy for winter maintenance of bike lanes is there. We have to remind them of it and make sure that it is applied.