Toronto bike lanes could be dangerous for people who are blind, advocate says

Some new bike lanes in midtown Toronto may be dangerous for the visually impaired, according to a report from the CBC.

David Lepofsky was taken aback when he discovered, during a recent stroll with a friend, that he was about to transition from the sidewalk to a bike path. The realization only came to him when his sighted friend pointed out that a new segment of the bike lane on Eglinton Avenue in midtown Toronto is at the same level as the sidewalk.

“I was shocked,” Lepofsky, who is blind, said. “Then I was disgusted … how on Earth did they do this with such callous disregard for the safety of blind pedestrians?”

Using a white cane for navigation in the city, Lepofsky faces a challenge—while the cane can detect changes in texture, it doesn’t communicate to those unfamiliar with the markings that it signifies a cyclist lane. Lepofsky is urging the city to promptly modify this bike lane by lowering it below sidewalk level. This adjustment aims to enhance the safety of both blind pedestrians and cyclists, ensuring they can navigate without concerns about colliding with pedestrians or their canes.

Infrastructure not preferred design

The City of Toronto reported conducting “accessibility site visits” across the city, involving individuals with disabilities, according to the CBC report. The findings indicated that participants could detect the type of dark pavers used. Nevertheless, these accessibility visits, along with other considerations, led to a bike lane design distinct from the one implemented on this particular stretch of Eglinton Avenue.

“Our preferred design today is to have the street and then the bikeway to be 50 mm above the streets, and then the bikeway to be 50 mm below the sidewalk, so everybody’s raised,” Becky Katz, manager of cycling and pedestrian projects for the City of Toronto, said.

Regarding the segment of Eglinton highlighted by Lepofsky, it was noted that the street was designed concurrently with the Eglinton Crosstown project, which dates back over 10 years. However, the bike lane on this street was recently completed. Similar designs, raising concerns for Lepofsky, are employed in various locations across the city, with occasional new constructions still adopting this particular design.