Is timing of cyclists’ complaints about locking rings a coincidence?

It looks as if cyclists are pushing back on the removal of the Jarvis St. bike lanes by dusting off complaints about other cycling infrastructure problems.

Every day, I sift through SeeClickFix to see what problems are registered by readers; not only is it an excellent source of fodder for my column, but it can also reveal trends in a particular area, or about an issue.

I was amazed to find 10 complaints about a need for bicycle locking rings in various locations, many of which were filed late last year, but have curiously re-appeared near the top of the list, one after another.

More locking rings are needed at Fort York, around Union Station, near the Park Hyatt Hotel, 30 Charles St. W., Cherry Beach, Octopus Gardens yoga studio, Yonge and Dundas, on Prince Arthur Ave., and so on.

It’s as if someone searched SeeClickFix and somehow rearranged the complaints so that they show up as a group. It’s uncanny, given that many were made at least a year ago.

The resentment in the cycling community over the removal of the Jarvis lanes is huge, and with good reason. It is a major step backwards, in terms of making room for bikes in the overall transportation system.

I think we’ll see a lot more pushback from bike riders, and it’ll be far more organized and effective than the few people who sat down this week in front of the work crews erasing the lanes on Jarvis.

I’ve learned the hard way that a significant slice of the cycling community is militant, ornery and unwilling to knuckle under to the interests of the driving public.

If I write 20 columns advocating for cyclists, followed by one that gently takes them to task for, say, riding on the sidewalk, they always let me have it with both barrels.

I’d say that complaints about a need for locking rings will be the least of it.