Toronto isn't known to be a particularly bike-friendly city — quite the opposite, actually — and it doesn't seem to be working too hard to remedy that reputation. 

Exhibit A: a metal pole has been installed smack in the middle of a downtown bike lane. 

A light standard was installed over night in the middle of the bike line on Adelaide at the corner of Victoria! Not a single sign! The concrete traffic barrier was moved in to block the lane more… seriously City of Toronto who thought this a good idea? pic.twitter.com/vToIVWWs58

— Sinéad (@Sinad98181915) September 16, 2022

The pole, located at the southwest corner of Adelaide and Victoria Streets, seemingly appeared out of nowhere in recent days, much to the shock and dismay of cyclists. A concrete traffic barrier was moved to surround it — further obstructing the lane.

That's a new utility pole *on the road in the middle of a bike lane*. Not just a question of priorities, but of basic sanity. Why would you install a pole on the road? https://t.co/5DTlXCYYJ4

— Edward Keenan (@thekeenanwire) September 22, 2022

Frustrated cyclists took to social media to try and get some information about the oddly-placed infrastructure, though the city, Toronto Hydro and the Toronto Transit Commission initally all pointed the finger at one another. 

In case you're just tuning in folks pic.twitter.com/BHOf1WLgA1

— 💉💉 Oenit 💉💉 (@angrycyclista) September 22, 2022

Eventually, TTC Customer Service revealed that it was behind the placement, and that the work is being done in conjunction with the city. The TTC said the pole was placed there because the bike lane is eventually set to move to the north side of the street.

Not surprising… Toronto doesn’t tend to hire the brightest 👇🏻 https://t.co/daEz05RsxM

— Olivia 💙 (@beachloving29) September 22, 2022

"Could this pole placement have not waited till the bike lane was swapped?" asked an understandably annoyed cyclist on Twitter. "Additionally where is the signage? Adelaide is the only main [throughfare] for cyclists."

Using "safety"as a justification: congrats on succinctly summarizing how the safety of cyclists isn't valued in this city

— Ben McCanny (@benmccanny) September 22, 2022

TTC Customer Service responded that the city wanted them to move the pole ahead of the bike lane swap because its original location was unsafe, puzzling residents who pointed out that the current location is about as unsafe as it gets.

The work to fix an unsafe pole has created an unsafe condition. Will your crews be fixing this to be consistent with Ontario Traffic Manual Book 7 - Temporary Conditions? cc @cllrbuxtonpotts https://t.co/1vr2BpEnXe

— Paul Kulig (@PaulKulig_TO) September 22, 2022

"I'll keep this in mind every day as I bike into traffic to avoid the pole in the bike lane," quipped one cyclist in response. 

"Pls move the pole from the middle of the bike lane to the middle of the car lane," wrote another, "where it'll be safely out of the way."