Bike Rack - O Ring Posts

Location: King and Toronto Streets

Date photo taken: 1 May 2018

The majority of bike racks across the City are of this standard post-and-ring design, created by city designers David Dennis and Eric Pederson. Early models even included their initials. 25 were installed as part of a pilot project in 1984. Prior to this most cyclists locked their bikes to parking meters. When the city began removing coin-operated parking meters in 1999, the city began installing these bike posts instead with about 3000 posts being installed over a 3 year period. By 2016 approximately 17,500 had been installed around the city. Pros of the design, according to the City's website, include that they are easily recognized, spatially efficient, inexpensive and robust. Cons include that they are kind of challenging for users, and older styles are not tamper-proof, leaving bikes more vulnerable to vandalism and theft. A new and improved design was introduced in 2008, and as more focus is given to cycling across the city, many more unique designs are showing up on private property and city land all across Toronto.