The Boa

 

Location: 100 Wellington Street
Date photo taken: 15 February 2018

I just love these elegant yet fun bike racks, which can be found in various lengths around the buildings of the Toronto Dominion Centre. I even love their name, The Boa. This rack actually consists of 5 shorter segments arranged together. And guess what? They're made in Canada, the work of Dobra Design, based in Vancouver.

Bike Lockers

Location: Lower Jarvis

Date photo taken: 30 January 2017

Ever wondered what the deal is with these big boxes? Manufactured by CycleSafe, they're part of the City's cycling infrastructure and they provide protection against "theft, vandalism and inclement weather", all for $10 per month. Each box holds one standard bike plus gear such as panniers, locks, helmets, etc. and each one is assigned to a single user, who receives a key for their personal use. To find out locker locations and all the details about renting one, check out the City's cycling website.

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.

Bike Plants - Part 2

Location: Gatineau Hydro Corridor, Bellamy Rd. N. south of Brimorton
Date photo taken: 18 February 2017

Sprouting from the snow, three more bike plants (two were featured in an earlier post). Like all good design, these bike racks are both beautiful and functional. The divided segments provide multiple locking points which accommodate various heights, angles and types of locks. The flat profile also provides stability for bikes leaned against them. These were installed along the cycle path through the Gatineau Hydro Corridor in Scarborough in 2012.

Bike Rack - Live

Location: Mowat Avenue and Liberty Street, Liberty Village

Date photo taken: 22 August 2015

Here's another decorative bike rack, this one from Liberty Village. It's courtesy of Bike Here!, a program launched in 2011 by the Liberty Village BIA to promote cycling in the neighbourhood. As part of the program, a competition was held to create bike racks that would double as public art. Twelve designs were selected for their artistic merit, their link to the community and their functionality. This is one of three winning racks designed by Karen Lau.

Bike Racks - Finch Hydro Corridor

Location: Finch Hydro Corridor, McNicoll Ave. and McCowan Rd.
Date photo taken: 5 September 2013

Back in July 2009 the city received national and provincial funding to develop multi-use trails within hydro and rail corridors across Toronto. Seven projects were identified, including this one, along the Finch Hydro Corridor. As part of the ongoing infrastructure improvements, a public art competition was held to design new bike stands. Marianne Lovink and Scott Eunson won with these organically inspired Bike Plants.

Bike Rack - Blue Coil

Location: Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands

Date photo taken: 21 May 2015

In June 2016 the city adopted a 10 year cycling network plan geared to improving cycling infrastructure in the city. One small piece of this is bike parking, or bike racks. While the majority of racks installed by the city are of standard post-and-ring design, they are looking at different options. In the meantime, there are lots of examples of interesting racks out there. Here is one from the Toronto Islands, near the entrance to Hanlan's Point beach.