Green lane of death

Proceed at your own risk
London, ON
October 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#LdnONT rarely gets the #cycling thing right. It's a city traditionally led by politicians who don't ride bikes, so they can't - or won't - empathize with those who do.

So we end up with inadequate bike infrastructure, typified by the general attitude that paint is enough. For the record, it isn't.

The green paint you see here is especially problematic, because it gets ridiculously slippery when wet. Very safe when you're braking before a major intersection, surrounded by high-speed traffic. It's great fun.

And since large flashes of colorful paint are a cheap way to convince the masses that the city is getting something done, they're popping up everywhere. Lipstick, meet pig.

Still, it does look somewhat surreal when it's just been laid down and hasn't been streaked with rubber by drivers busy with their smartphones. This would be a pretty rad shade if it were on a rec room wall and not threatening to kill us on the commute home.

Aesthetics aside, I think it's time more folks at City Hall rode their bikes to work. Then we wouldn't have to argue ourselves hoarse that there are better ways to build cities that work for everyone and not just drivers.

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