A bar in West Toronto decided it would be hilarious fun to sell T-shirts mocking bike lanes–but local cyclists didn’t find it that amusing, especially given that a rider was killed in the vicinity by a driver just weeks earlier.
David Shellnutt, a.k.a. the Biking Lawyer, drew attention to the shirts that were on sale at The Old Sod bar. The shirts read, “Fook bike lanes,” with the o’s being stylized as a bike. Clever, huh?
Toronto cyclists said, “Pardon?”
The cycling community was hardly impressed. The shirts were on sale, but you got one free with every catering order.
“Less than two weeks after a cyclist was killed just a few city blocks from The Old Sod, they are selling fuck bike lane shirts,” Shellnutt posted on Instagram. “Navjot Kaur was struck from behind by a motorist on a road without a bike lane. She died as a result.”
Kaur, who was riding with her husband and a friend on Aug. 24, was riding at the back of the group when she was hit, despite riding single file near the curb. She was rushed to hospital but later died.
The shirts were being sold at the pub as part of a city culinary initiative, The Taste of the Kingsway.
“Aside from the callousness with respect to the road safety concerns of vulnerable road users, we are very concerned that City of Toronto funding would go to an event that platforms false narratives and promotes hatred towards one group of community members. They also let ‘balance on Bloor’ set up a booth. So much for dialogue, sharing experiences and concern for your neighbours,” he posted.
Ghost bike ride broken up
To make things worse, the memorial ride for Kaur was disrupted by an overzealous Toronto police officer. On Saturday, Shellnutt and others gathered for a ghost bike memorial for the 26-year-old. As they were about to leave, sirens went off, and an officer shouted loudly. “I went over to check on the situation and let him know that if there was an issue, we were prepared to address it and leave safely,” Shellnutt said. “It was a very unfortunate example of traffic enforcement.”
Well, riders decided enough was enough and made their own version of the shirts. Not only that, but many decided to post negative reviews about the bar, given the distasteful sale.
These modified shirts aren’t quite for sale yet, but many said they’d love for someone to make them!
Check out the “revised” version below.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…