Victoria cyclists are speaking out after a large amount of nails and screws were discovered on a new bike lane that they called “controversial” due to community opposition.
The Twitter account @somesarah posted Thursday about what was found on the Superior Street bike lane that was part of the City of Victoria’s efforts this year to link the James Bay neighbourhood with downtown cycling infrastructure.
“Total haul from the Superior Street bike lane today,” read the tweet, “43 screws and nails found lying in the middle of the bike path, and only on the bike path. Not in the street, not in the gutter, not on the sidewalks. Only in the middle of the new and controversial bike lane. I’m not inclined to assume the worst, but I have to say… I’m pretty sure this was deliberate. Someone should be ashamed of themselves.”
Protected and painted bike lanes were built on Government, Superior and Montreal streets. The project also included just under one kilometre of road paving, upgrading crossings at 15 intersections, an electric vehicle fast-charging station, a community-designed berry garden and a new traffic signal at Belleville and Menzies streets.
“Needless to say, this is not chill as hell,” tweeted @somesarah. “It’s dangerous. Cyclists are your friends, your kids, your neighbours, your baristas, your rickshaw drivers, your kid’s friend’s parents, etc. Just trying to get around without combustion engines … I was still prepared to think that it could have just been residual construction debris that was missed by the sweepers. But on my return trip I picked up another 2 dozen or so. All these nails were RIGHT in the centre of the bike lane.”
Other Victoria cyclists were not surprised by the discovery, which could have damaged bikes or resulted in a crash.
“Wouldn’t be the first time that bike lanes were targeted like this,” tweeted John Luton. “Lots of construction going on and one expects errant debris nearby, but the pattern here looks rather suspicious.”
Other responses were angrier.
“This type of behaviour is disgusting,” read a post by @JohnsonStBRDG. “I don’t want to believe people are awful enough to do this, but it seems pretty clear this was deliberate! I absolutely hate that this is where we are. Some of us just want a safe way to bike to work & school & the store. Pls leave us alone!”
The 2021 census found Greater Victoria had the highest rate of regular commuting by bike out of Canada’s 41 largest cities.
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