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The rings on a stretch east of Keele have gone M.I.A. because of roadwork in the area, according to local Councillor Sylvia Watson .
But it’s not uncommon for the $300 hitching posts to disappear overnight. A dozen were ripped out of the concrete outside Robarts Library on St. George last fall, perhaps stolen for scrap metal or by an enterprising but unscrupulous artist to use in artwork.
Film crews have also had city workers remove the rings – sometimes with bikes attached – when they get in the way of movie shoots.
Several dozen are vandalized or run over each year and have to be replaced. All these problems may seem manageable – the city installed its 15,000th bike ring last June – but they do add to the frustration of the estimated 330,000-plus cyclists already desperate for lock-up space.
“Imagine the uproar,” says Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists’ Darren Stehr , “if there were only enough parking to accommodate 15 per cent of cars.”
City Cycling Committee chair Adam Giambrone assures us that 2,000 new bike rings are on the way this year.
He doesn’t see why anyone would want to steal a post when you can get one for free simply by filling out a form and sending it to the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure unit. Got that, ring thieves?
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