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Photos: Toronto Protesters Meet Bike Lane Removal Crew Head On

Yesterday was supposed to be the day that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford removed the Jarvis Street bike lane. But things didn't go exactly according to plan. As Streetsblog NYC reported, protesters physically blocked the pavement-scraping machine as crews set about erasing those painted lines. Everyone's talking about it.
8:14 AM PST on November 13, 2012

Yesterday was supposed to be the day that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford removed the Jarvis Street bike lane. But things didn’t go exactly according to plan. As Streetsblog NYC reported, protesters physically blocked the pavement-scraping machine as crews set about erasing those painted lines. Everyone’s talking about it.

Shawn Micallef at Streetsblog Network member Spacing Toronto was on hand yesterday and snapped these photos that pretty much speak for themselves:

Both the bike lane scraper and the bike lane supporters are set to return to the scene this morning. No matter what happens, these protesters made a pretty strong statement and gave Ford the type of press coverage that mayors dread.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Bike League drops in on New Orleans to explore the city’s undersung bike scene. Copenhagenize explains that his famously bike-friendly city has a new mayor whose public remarks seem to pose a threat to that image. And the Political Environment reports that time is running out for the sprawling Wisconsin suburb of Waukesha in its bid to divert Great Lakes water to support its continued, unsustainable growth.

Photo of Angie Schmitt
Angie is a Cleveland-based writer with a background in planning and newspaper reporting. She has been writing about cities for Streetsblog for six years.

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