Cyclists relying on the bike lanes along Danforth Avenue through Toronto's Greektown got their way after publicly fuming over a City project that was set to shut down the vital cycling artery for seven months.

The City recently closed the westbound bike lane along Danforth Avenue, with the shutdown expected to last from January through July to accommodate the reconstruction of Alexander The Great Parkette, a small but lively public square at Logan and Danforth.

The revitalized Alexander The Great Parkette will feature improvements like a refurbished centrepiece fountain, an extended Greek-style colonnade and matching concrete paving pattern, new seating, raised steel planters in reoriented planting areas, new and upgraded lighting, a raised circular stage, and the relocation of an existing statue of the park's namesake.

Greektown BIA

However, not everyone was super stoked about these upgrades — or at least the immediate impacts of the project's construction in the area.

Cyclists were disappointed, to say the least, with the City's decision to close down the bike lane for such a long period.

Lanrick Bennett Jr., who has earned the moniker of the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto for his years of cycling advocacy, shared a series of posts to X (formerly Twitter) calling out the closure.

Good afternoon @311Toronto

How do contact the group behind “Construction of Alexander The Great Parkette”

What does DOC 3997770153 do exactly?

How do I find more information on how a seven month closure of a bike lane was given the green light?

Lots of #BikeTO questions. Thx https://t.co/R2i9IffEV2 pic.twitter.com/HZqlfjQXdl

— Bicycle Mayor of Toronto (@BicycleMayorTO) January 11, 2024

Bennett tells blogTO he is frustrated by the lack of transparency from the local city councillor and BIA, calling the handling of the matter without public consultation "troubling."

"The lack of prioritizing the safety of vulnerable road users in this regard by Greektown BIA and Paula Fletcher is disappointing," said Bennett.

Luckily, by Friday, the cyclists' concerns were addressed when the City restored the closed bike lane, though Bennett was not yet ready to put the issue to bed, once again calling out the BIA and local councillor over the brief closure.

Happy to see the Danforth Av Westbound Bike Lane reopened.

Seriously @GreekTownBIA @PaulaFletcherTO what were you all thinking? Why purposely place vulnerable road users in danger?

h/t @311Toronto #BikeTO https://t.co/l6JlL8uszT pic.twitter.com/8WttzRZ3YO

— Bicycle Mayor of Toronto (@BicycleMayorTO) January 12, 2024

The Greektown BIA has defended itself, its executive director Mary Fragedakis insisting that "the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA had nothing to do with the bike lane closure."

It is also worth noting that this same BIA has faced previous conflict with bike lanes, and controversially cited bike lanes as the reason for the cancellation of the Taste of the Danforth festival in 2022.

Personal injury lawyer and cycling advocate David Shellnutt acknowledges the City's need to get projects like these done, but notes that "when you take bike lanes away, you put vulnerable road users at risk, [and] it should only be done when absolutely necessary and alternative routes provided."

Shellnutt finds it "odd that on-street parking — likely turned into private parking for workers on the project — has superseded the need to keep people safe and bike traffic moving."

blogTO reached out to Ward 14-Toronto Danforth councillor Paula Fletcher seeking additional details on the sudden closure and subsequent reversal, though the councillor's office has not yet provided a statement on the matter.