Submitted by yvonne on 13 July, 2010 - 14:54

Toronto's Transportation Services Bike Parking team has just installed our city's first and only seasonal on-street bike parking!! 

Following the lead of cities like Montreal and Portland, Toronto has finally tried something innovative in an effort to handle the rapidly increasing demand for bike parking while also giving pedestrians on our crowded sidewalk spaces a bit of a break.

This new installation has created 16 much needed parking spaces in the same area that previously hosted 2 cars.  Protected by bright bollards, cyclists now have a safe new place to lock their two-wheelers.

The rack is also a unique design.  The front wheel is wedged between two metal brackets that form an 'anchor' of sorts for each spot.  The anchor spots, 8 in each of the two new racks, alternate with one near the ground, next to one that is raised in a 'one up/one down' pattern that allows bikes to fit better side by side. 

City staff say that if this seasonal bike parking pilot proves successful, they will consider installing it in other high bike traffic areas as of next Spring.

It should be noted that 215 Spadina tenants, Matt Blackett from Spacing magazine & Yvonne Bambrick from (at the time) the Centre for Social Innovation & (now)Toronto Cyclists Union, with strong support and attention from Councillor Vaughan's executive assistant Ange Kinnear, have been collaborating with City Staff and the Toronto Parking authority on the addition of this much needed pilot and other ring & post bike parking to area.