Hamilton cyclists say vehicles should stay out of their bike lanes

Oliver Flood might be the most experienced six-year-old cyclist in Hamilton.

"He's always been on wheels" saidTom Flood, Oliver's dad.

Oliver and his dadhit the road together almostevery day. When the Charltonbikelanes were installed, it allowed themtostart biking toschool, daycare, workand back.

But lately they've foundthe lanes designed tokeep them safe are more of an obstacle course than a direct route. Vehicles keep parking in them, including Canada Post drivers making deliveries.

"People think, it's just oneminute, I'll park in the bike lane andbe right back," Floodsaid. "But if everyone does thatit really adds up."

Flood says the problem of blocked bike lanes is especially critical forkids like Oliver.

"It's a shocking thing to have to swerve out of your lane into traffic," he said. "Especially for those that are younger or more vulnerable."

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Earlier this week, Canada Post announced its vehicles would stop parking in bike lanes while making deliveries or pickups throughout the city of Toronto.

That announcement came after Kyle Ashley, Toronto's most proactive bike lane enforcer, thrust them into the spotlight of his Twitter account.

Canada Post told CBC Hamilton this week that their employees are expected to follow traffic laws in every city when serving customers, which includes no-stopping zones like bike lanes.

"If there is an issue, customers should contact us so that we can investigate and address it," said Sylvie Lapointe, aspokesperson for Canada Post.

Flood says by no means is Canada Post the only offender butthe issue is so frequent thatheandOliver set outto document just how often they come across it.

For the past year or so they've been collectingpictures of theirdaily run-ins.

"It's not about shaming the driver, we really just want to track this and bring awareness," he said.

And according to social media, the Floods aren't the only ones concerned.

The hashtag #BlockedInHamOnt has been used dozens of times to highlight the issue across the city.

Local cyclingactivistRyanMcgrealsays he sees the issue a lot, too butthe solution is more complicated than simply asking drivers to avoid bike lanes, he says.

"The best way to fixthis isto physically protect the space so it doesn'tbecome an on-street parking spot," he said.

"Otherwise it defeats the purpose of providing dedicated space to keep cyclists safe."

Flood says heand Oliver plan to bring their hand-collected datato Hamilton City Council in September.

"We want to show them, 'Hey this is kind of a problem,' andmaybe theycan help us start to address this."