Question: Have Bike Trough Installers Ever seen a 3D Bike?

Today, I went back to the new section of the Etobicoke Creek Trail south of Eglinton to check out how one exits at Eglinton, which could be very useful for a multi-modal trip as the trail at that point is about half way between two Mississauga Transitway stations.

Rather than riding there from my home in northeast Brampton, I took my bike with me on a visit to my Dad’s house which is only a few kilometres along Rathburn Road from a trail entrance.  I had never entered that way before, but I could see on Google maps that there is an entrance.  I wasn’t sure whether it would be a steep hill, though, or stairs.  I was prepared to carry my bike down stairs if necessary and to return to Rathburn via Garnetwood Park on the north side of Burnhamthorpe on the Lori Mitoff Trail.

Bike troughs, for anyone reading this who hasn’t encountered one, are small depressions, generally at the side of a staircase, in which one can roll one’s bike instead of carrying it. I rarely see a well designed one.

Once I got into the woods, this is what I saw:

So, someone looked at this access point and thought, “Cyclists might want to get down here without carrying their bikes”. The City of Mississauga went to some expense to accommodate cyclists on these stairs.  But, if I place my tires in the trough perpendicular to the ground, this happens (see where the pedal is?):

Thus, I arrive at the question in my title.  Do bike trough designers/installers imagine a bike exists in only two dimensions?  Why are the troughs usually right against the railing necessitating that the bike be angled away from the railing in order to roll without catching the pedals and handlebars? Depending on how bad the design is versus how heavy one’s bike is, it can be easier to just carry one’s bike. Especially, since every 10 steps there is a landing, and one has to get the bike tires out of the trough, and then back in again.

Here’s a well designed one at one of the locks on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa with the trough offset from the railing:

If you care to look here’s a bunch more I have encountered in my travels.

It’s not rocket science.  Why is so much bike infrastructure designed and built by people who have clearly never been on a bike?

Rant over for today.

Next blog will be a rant about the missing multi-use path along Eglinton at the Etobicoke Creek trail.