If you have been riding your bike this spring within the borders of the former City of Toronto you probably have noticed the small blue bike route signs springing up like little blue crocuses. This is the first phase of the implementation of the Bikeway Network Information system(BNIS). The goal of the BNIS is to link all Toronto's on street and off street cycling infrastructure into a connected network of bike lanes, paths and on street shared routes. This is the first sign of that network starting to form.

This Bike Route sign indicates the intersection of Routes 10 and 49, The Dundas East bike lane and the shared roadway route on Logan.

These signs will help Toronto residents navigate the bicycle lanes and routes of the city especially since the 2005 version of the Toronto Bike Map will include the numbered routes on it. The 2005 Toronto Bike Map should be available during Bike Week which kicks off on May 30th, 2005.

This first phase was funded out of the 2004 budget and the work was completed over the winter. A total of 70 kms of routes were signed. The 2005 budget has funds for a futher 75 kms of routes. I haven't heard which area of the city will be next to get the new signs.

Bike Route signs are also to be installed along the paths in Toronto's Parks. Unfortunately the Parks Department did not include funding for implementing the signs in parks in their 2005 budget and the Toronto Cycling Committee's efforts to convince Councillors to add the money to the budget were unsuccessful. The only section of the paths that are signed is a section that was done as a pilot project last year on the Lower Don Trail. (See previous article).

Until the map comes out you can explore the city and figure out where the new routes go. Here is a hint to help you. East-west routes are even numbers starting at Route 2 , the Martin Goodman Trail, at the south of the city and incrementing as you go north. The north south trails have odd numbers and start at Route 1 at the western boarder of the city and increment as you move east.