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There’s another toilet in the bike lane in Toronto because Toronto

There’s a whole new meaning to bathroom 'brakes'

Toilet bike lanes Photo by: David Shellnutt
July 5, 2023
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Riding in cities means keeping your head up to look for obstacles in the bike lanes. The most common problems for cyclists are parked cars. Thankfully, in many cities there are parking officers who try to send a message to motorists or delivery drivers with tickets. But still, people like to block the bike lanes–even if it’s “just for two minutes.” However, tickets don’t always seem to deter people, as it continues to be a problem.

When cycling infrastructure is blocked, it creates a very perilous situation for riders. In a city where there are cars galore, it can be incredibly risky to force someone out of the dedicated bike lane into traffic.

There’s a porta potty in a Toronto bike lane and it’s gotta be a metaphor for something

It’s not just cars that cyclists have to look out for. There are times when construction in cities, whether it’s roadwork or condos being built, means there can be hard-to-see obstacles left in the way of riders. That can be a disaster for a cyclist trying to navigate their way to work or home.

David Shellnutt, a.k.a The Biking Lawyer posted a photo on Twitter of a porta potty smack dab in the middle of a bike lane. He also posted that this is hardly a rare occurrence. In fact, just as seen in the (web) pages of Canadian Cycling Magazine, it happens a lot. “Sadly, this happens more often than not. At least three times last year we reported on it,” he tweeted.

It’s unclear the reason why people at construction companies leave portable toilets in the bike path. The thinking could be that they don’t want to impede pedestrians on the sidewalk. But…then it just impedes cyclists.