Sound Familiar?

A reader from Toronto sends in a familiar-sounding story:

The lanes were installed last July at a cost of $65,000 amid fury from some Rosedale and Moore Park residents.

They said losing a fifth lane in the road’s centre, which changed from northbound to southbound depending on the time of day, would prolong their commutes, and that bike lanes already exist a block away on parallel Sherbourne St.

A city report released last week said that, since the lanes were installed, car travel time on Jarvis has increased by about two minutes in the morning rush hour and three to five minutes after work. The number of bikes on Jarvis during the busiest 8 hours of the day soared from an average of 290 to 890.

Tim Costigam, president of the Moore Park Resident’s Association, was delighted by Thursday’s vote.

“We are strong advocates for better bike lanes in the city, in the right location,” Costigam said, adding that, based on his observations during daily commutes up and down Jarvis, the city’s estimates on commuting delay and bike traffic are “hard to believe.”

A group that says it is for bike lanes, but is actually against it.  A plea to use a pre-existing bike lane one block away.  The only difference is that travel times on Prospect Park West have remained the same, but all the rest is there.  NIMBYism is an international phenomenon.