Urban Repair Squad (URS) || Toronto || Archive

With A Love For Flowers From London

2012-01-19T12:41:00.001-08:00

With Love From Portland

2012-01-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

A fine example of preventing dangerous spots for cyclists. Fixed in Portland for next to nothing:
http://bikeportland.org/2012/01/04/activist-takes-road-hazard-fix-into-own-hands-for-under-20-64616?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikePortland+%28BikePortland.org%29 (Hat tip to Nick from Portland) Follow up. Seems the City of Portland got the message

Article: http://is.gd/F0J3cF

Classic Urban Repairs - Sao Paulo 2007

2011-12-07T09:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.apocalipsemotorizado.net/2007/09/04/sinalizando-as-ruas-para-democratizar-o-espaco/

Pottery Road Before & After Re-design

2011-12-01T14:18:00.001-08:00

Giant SLOW stencil installed by URS earlier in the spring works better in terms slowing down traffic speeds just before the busy Don Valley Trail crossing.

Below is the current design as it is today.

Haz Ciudad Creates 6KM DIY Bike Lane In Mexico City

2011-11-12T06:05:00.001-08:00

Via The Grist and Haz Ciudad (Spanish)

2011-11-10T18:53:00.001-08:00

Spotted tonight at the corner of Dundas West and Sterling. The intersection where Jenna Morrison lost her life on Monday. It should be noted that these stencil were NOT done by the Urban Repair Squad nor the City of Toronto. But very effective nonetheless. Amazing what some cardboard and $10 of spray paint can do.

Progress

2011-11-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

"The anti-dote to people not wanting progress is to make progress." -David Deutsch

This Space Available Documentary

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

'PublicAdCampaign is excited to announce the world premier of the full length documentary film This Space Available, on November 5th at 7pm. The film investigates the topic of Visual Pollution in our global community through the eyes of industry insiders, governmental agencies and public activists like myself. While I have yet to see the film myself, I expect the film to be an even handed account of this pressing global issue meant to spur debate on the topic and build a critical platform on which further discussion can occur. There will be a Q&A after the screening for anyone who would like to discuss the issue further with the participants and film makers.

To purchase tickets for the This Space Available premier at the DOC NYC fest at the IFC theater on 11-05-11, please visit the DOC NYC website [HERE].'

Sao Paulo Bikecapetas

2011-10-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Including many views of URS chapter Sao Paulo's work; Bicycle and Slow (Devagar Vidas) Stencils.

2011-10-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

NOW Oct. 13

URS - Bloor Bike Lane May 2007

2011-10-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Lego My Bike Lane - The Video

2011-10-10T16:27:00.001-07:00

Lego My Bike Lane

2011-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dupont Street Toronto.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Lego my bike lane!

This morning Toronto's Urban Repair Squad (URS) got down to fixing the city's broken infrastructure once again. The City's recent and mind-boggling financial investment in the removal of cycling safety infrastructure motivated the anonymous group of urban citizens to bring their construction kits to the corner of Dupont Street and Lansdowne Avenue. Goal: To repair damage done to the Dupont bicycle lane three weeks prior. Is Dupont Street a throughway for all urban commuters to traverse the East and West parameters of the city? The Urban Repair Squad thinks so. Streets need to work for everyone, not just cars. Commuters on bicycles continue to use Dupont as their necessary travel route to work, eat, and play. But, their infrastructure needs are being pulled out from under their... wheels. Urban Repair Squad holds true to a vision of a fairer city that adapts to the diversity of our citizens' transportation choices. In response to the removal of the Dupont lanes, for the duration of this morning's rush hour, the squad re-installed a more flexible, modular system of bike lane infrastructure. This installation is proof that building a safe cycling infrastructure is really just child's play.
This action was done in solidarity with cyclists who use Birchmount and Pharmacy, whose bike lane's are being removed as we write.
Councillor Ana Bailao's response to proposed removal, posted July 22, 2011:http://bikingtoronto.com/duncan/councillor-ana-bailao-proposes-reversible-centre-lane-on-dupont/

Articles: http://torontoist.com/2011/10/spotted-lego-my-bike-lane/
http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/10/dupont_gets_a_lego_bike_lane_for_a_few_hours/
Spotted: NOW Magazine Oct. 13, 2011

More photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinreis/sets/72157627694362053/

Pissoir Publique

2011-10-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

P1100675, a photo by Martinho on Flickr.

Installation during Nuit Blanche 2011 Toronto. Urban Repair Squad and volunteers install a public toilet at Queen & Lisgar. "The merchants and residents of Ossington Village thanks you for peeing on these doors instead of peeing on our doors." Sponsored by French wine company Piat D'Or.

An Artist Quoted

2011-09-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes you have to fight danger with danger." - Roadsworth, on the perceived dangers of painting artwork onto public roads. Toronto, Sept. 28, 2011.

Classic Bike Lane Fun

2011-09-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Urban Repair Squad Article On Treehugger

2011-08-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/the-ultimate-diy-urban-repair-squad.php
Urban Repair Squad Traffic Calming Installation - Pottery Road - Spring 2011.

Ghost bike Francisco Jander Martins in São Paulo

2011-08-22T13:16:00.001-07:00

Ciclistas protestam após morte de colega em São Paulo, a photo by marcel maia on Flickr.

Ghost bike Francisco Jander Martins, a photo by marcel maia on Flickr.

Slow Down. Lives at stake!
Sao Paulo

Blackout Anniversary 2011

2011-08-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

by Lisa Logan

Schmatta Square Design

2011-08-15T03:06:00.001-07:00

8th Anniversary Blackout Party

2011-08-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

Augmented Reality Advertising Takeover (AR | AD)

2011-08-09T10:34:00.001-07:00

Traverse City Michigan

2011-08-05T08:15:00.001-07:00

8th Street "Share the Road", a photo by MyWheelsareTurning on Flickr.

8th Street "Share the Road" DIY Sharrows after city refuses to accommodate cyclists with a bike lane.

With Love From Anchorage, Alaska

2011-08-05T08:12:00.001-07:00

DIY bike lane, a photo by bikesunite on Flickr.

With Love from Montreal

2011-08-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Photo By Hamish Wilson

Coletivo Camina, Haz Ciudad (Walk, Make Your City Collective)

2011-06-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

COLECTIVO CAMINA, HAZ CIUDAD in Mexico City, DF decided that this roadway needed safer access for pedestrians. So they installed it. Although their work was painted over, the city agreed with their vision and installed a separated space for pedestrians and cyclists. Great work. More of their excellent work can be found here: http://hazciudad.blogspot.com (in Spanish) Via Sustainable Cities

200 Billboards Replaced With Art In Montreal

2011-06-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

Installation by Justseeds

See all the amazing art here

Street Lego

2011-05-22T07:43:00.001-07:00

Street Lego, a set on Flickr.

Bloor and Lansdowne Toronto May 1, 2011

Installed Jan 26, 2009 - Still There May 4, 2011

2011-05-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

May 4, 2011 Photo

The Bike-Friendly TTC Signage designed by URS at Spadina Station.

2009 Installation at 70 TTC Subway stations.

2011-04-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Radical cyclists peddle sharrow agenda in Victoria

Posted By: Simon Nattrass

04/13/2011 12:00 AM

In the middle of the night, with no warning at all, pedestrian infrastructure was savagely attacked by a gang of bike riding anarchists known to authorities only as the Other Urban Repair Squad (OURS). Shunning reason and civilization, these brutes painted another round in the series of sharrows marring our streets since 2009.

Or not.

Maybe a group of concerned citizens got together and decided to take up arms (read: paint) in the name of improving local cycling amenities. You figure it out.

Sharrows are road markings indicating a shared-use lane where roads are too narrow to incorporate a bike lane. OURS has been painting these markings around the capital since 2009, focusing on high-traffic areas with little existing bicycle infrastructure.

Yukon Duit, spokesperson for OURS says the group is painting sharrows to highlight the gap between car and bike infrastructure upgrading and maintenance in the capital.

“We’re talking about bike lanes that just disappear into the ether in the middle of a route. Imagine if these were vehicle routes — we would never do that to cars.”

According to councillor John Luton, due process — meaning engineers, studies, and consultation — is still what’s needed. OURS, in contrast, is undemocratic and unsafe. “I want this decision made by professionals, not by the self-appointed vanguard of cyclist’s interests,” Luton says.

Or maybe not.

“This is exactly what democracy looks like. It’s engaged citizens helping to shape the public sphere,” says Duit. “The City of Victoria collapsed its one formal group for cyclists to have their voice, so there’s no longer a direct route for cyclists to communicate our needs to the city.” As far as Duit is concerned, OURS is filling that void.

While the group doesn’t necessarily adhere to Transportation Authority guidelines when applying sharrows, Duit says that’s not the idea.

“Our point is not that we’re using the exact materials and spacing,” Duit says. “Our point is that the city should be doing it. This is the next best thing while we wait for the city and the region to take action. Of course the city is going to do a better job — that’s the whole point.”

In the end, while the goals of activists, radicals and officials (in this case, anyway) appear to coincide, debate over method may still doom future sharrows to less-than-legal status. M

Urban Repair Squad In Good Magazine

2011-04-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.good.is/post/diy-urban-design-from-guerrilla-gardening-to-yarn-bombing/

Yarn Bombing Toronto

2011-04-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

Urban Repair Squad at CCA Actions Exhibtion in 2010

2011-04-11T12:55:00.001-07:00

Archive Page From The Canadian Centre For Architecture

MaSAT - Madrid Street Advertising Takeover

2011-04-02T02:37:00.000-07:00

This original action was later expanded to liberate 106 billboards in Madrid on March 30th, 2011. http://www.publicadcampaign.com/masat/

With Love From Hannover (Germany)

2011-04-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Urban Repair Squad, Hannover on Facebook

Share The Road

2011-03-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

COMPARTILHE A RUA from andre farkas on Vimeo.

O.U.R.S. Victoria Opens Urban Repair Season With Style

2011-03-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA’S ‘Other Urban Repair Squad’ (O.U.R.S.) STRIKES Again:
Cycling Activists Paint “Guerrilla Sharrows” to launch spring cycling season

March 22, 2011 - Coast Salish Territories, Victoria –
Victoria’s celebrated Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) has painted more
“sharrows” along a busy commuter route in Victoria. The markings run
along Lansdowne Road, which links downtown with the Camosun and
University of Victoria campuses.

"Now that it's spring more folks will be riding their bikes to work
and school,” says Yukon Duit, spokesperson for the group. “We do our
nighttime urban repair work because of a simple wish to get more
people out of their cars and onto their bikes. We’d like to kick off
the cycling season on a safe note, and let cyclists know that even
though the City has forgotten about their infrastructure needs, we
haven’t.”

Sharrows – short for “Shared Use Arrow” – are bicycle-and-chevron
markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities
across North America and Europe on roadways that are too narrow to
incorporate a full bike lane.

It's been nearly a year since guerrilla sharrows were painted on
different sections of Hillside and Lansdowne - an area of town which
many cyclists agree should have more bike lanes connecting to the
downtown core. Yet, neither the CRD nor the Cities of Saanich and
Victoria have responded with any further developments.

Another set of guerrilla sharrows running along Lansdowne in front of
Camosun College were left untouched by the City of the Saanich – a
progressive move that was applauded by the cycling community.

"We know from our experience that painting bike lanes is cheap. You
can buy a lot of paint with $2-million, so we thought we'd show the
Region and City how it's done. Again," says Duit. “For its part, the
City is making decisions in the dark, without the input of the cycling
community, and at a snail’s pace” claims Duit, pointing to the
shutting down of the City of Victoria Cycling Advisory Committee
nearly three years ago.

Each year there are 1,300 crashes involving cyclists in British
Columbia, and on average, 10 people are killed. When car and bicycle
collide, the cyclist invariably loses.

“I was always afraid to bike to school before, but seeing the sharrows
on the road has helped me know that cars pay attention to me on my
bike” said Eva Moores-Afely when OURS interviewed random cyclists that
used the sharrows on their commute to Camosun College last year.

"It’s clear that despite touting Victoria as the cycling capital of
Canada, the CRD and the City do not see cycling infrastructure as a
priority,” states Duit. “None of the City of Victoria’s $189-million
2010 budget was allocated to the Sustainability Department, yet nearly
$69-million was spent repairing major vehicular roadways into the city
and $3-million was spent on automobile parkades.”

“The City and the Region needs to put their money where their mouth
is, and do more to support commuter cycling,” notes Duit. Bike lanes
along the Hillside-Lansdowne corridor would encourage cycling among
the University of Victoria and Camosun College communities which see
over 34,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff accessing the
campuses during the school year. Studies have shown that the biggest
barrier to getting more people on bicycles is the perception of danger
on the road due to inadequate cycling infrastructure.

O.U.R.S Victoria is part of a larger international network of Urban
Repair Squads across North America, Europe and South America that
encourages people to reclaim ownership and stewardship of urban spaces
by constructing urban infrastructure through direct action.

To receive more info or to see high resolution photos email:
oursvictoria@graffiti.net

An Answer To Rob Ford's 'War On Graffiti'

2011-03-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Urban Repair Squad in April 2009 took a different approach at the same location.

DIY Bike Lane Stencil Exhibition (Sao Paulo)

2011-03-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

URBANITÉS INATTENDUES - Opening Today

2011-03-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

More info: CMAV

Centre Méridional de l'Architecture et de la Ville
Toulouse

2011-03-01T06:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.cmaville.org/article-urbanites-inattendues-67154831.html

Shop with Self-managed Architecture, Noise Fridge, Coloco, Ctrl + Z, The Shed Vertical, Didattica, Encore Heureux Exyzt, Muf, Raumlabor, Recetas Urbanas, SYN-atelier urban exploration, Urban Repair Squad, J. Graham and T. Jusczyk, JP Ganem, Mossop + Michaels architects, G. Lang, AC Work, Office for Unsolicited Architecture (OAU), Mr. Rakowitz, playspace Foundation

Exhibition developed and presented by the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Architecture de Toulouse in partnership with AERA, with the kind cooperation of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Montreal Scientific commissioner Enrico Chapel, architect, teacher.

The exhibition presents a selection of urban situations which are defined at the crossroads architecture, art and politics: reversible and temporary buildings, plant, scenes, art, participative, gardens, play areas, informal settlements which are built ... or "self-build 'next steps of DIY', low-tech and ready-mades. The aim is to question their use value and symbolic value. To what extent these various situations they promote constructive appropriation of urban space and participation unscheduled fate of contemporary cities?

Sao Paulo: Cyclists Square Fifth Anniversary

2011-02-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, cycling activists claimed a small square in central Sao Paulo for all cyclists.
The rest is history.

Billboard Hack

2011-02-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

http://wins.failblog.org/2010/04/12/culture-jamming-win-go-by-bike/

URS Goes To France (Toulouse)

2011-01-28T08:42:00.001-08:00

Photographs and video of the work by URS will be on display in the upcoming exhibition at the Centre Méridional de l’Architecture et de la Ville, Toulouse, France.

The exhibition will open on February 26 and will run until 28 May, 2011. The exhibition deals with unexpected urban inter-ventions and urban actions, and
is titled: Urbanités inattendues. Actions architecturales en ville.

Info: http://www.cmaville.org/

Common Sense by Yehuda Moon

2011-01-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

Via http://www.yehudamoon.com

With Love From Guadalajara (Mexico)

2011-01-16T10:05:00.001-08:00

Via Treehugger

With Love From Madrid

2011-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Art by Luzinterruptus: Carril bici efímero / Ephemeral bike lane

2010 Bike Plan News - FREE COUPONS

2011-01-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More bike lanes

Ideas

2010-12-07T13:28:00.001-08:00

Dreaming on 8th Street

2010-11-19T14:41:00.001-08:00

Dreaming on 8th Street (Traverse City, MI) Underutilized Parking Lane
Originally uploaded by MyWheelsareTurning

Urban Repair Squad Toronto Google Map

2010-10-23T05:53:00.001-07:00

View Urban Repair Squad Repairs in a larger map

With Love From Baltimore

2010-10-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

In the middle of the night, on Monday, July the 26th (or more correctly, the morning of the 27th) a group of activist artists made a bold statement on the streets of Baltimore. They left behind a bike lane, stencil art, and their manifesto which reads:

"The Guerrilla Bike Lane arose from a desire to express ourselves and our passion for an escalating need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. We seek to promote and establish fair and safe riding conditions for cyclists in Baltimore. The intention of our guerrilla artwork is to educate the public using environmentally friendly and creative means in a non-aggressive way. We hope this will serve as a catalyst for people to see and build the community within the city, to consciously take action instead of settling for an inactive way of life."

Where will the GBL gang strike next? Only time will tell.

Fine Vimeo Video here: http://vimeo.com/14125301

Toronto's First Bike Boxes - By Urban Repair Squad

2010-10-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Cyclometer says: Bike Boxes for the Harbord- Hoskin and College Bicycle Lanes
Weather permitting, the installation of Toronto’s first Bike boxes (PDF) are scheduled to begin Monday October 4th. Bike boxes are a pavement marking that designates a space for cyclists to wait in front of cars at a red light, and to proceed first when the light turns green. The new design treatment will be evaluated for use in the future at other intersections across the City. Bike boxes are scheduled to be installed this year, at the following locations:

Harbord-Hoskin and St George (north, south, east and west bound)
Hoskin and Queens Park Crescent (eastbound)
Harbord and Spadina (east and westbound)
College and Spadina (east and westbound)
College and St George-Beverley (north, south, east and west bound)

Note Bene: The claim that these are the 'first' is of course inaccurate.
The city removed the actual first bike boxes installed by the Urban Repair Squad Harbord and Bathurst (Oct. 2008) 9 (photo below)

With Love From Missoula (Montana)

2010-10-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

Activists paint sharrows in multiple colours on a very dangerous road section in Missoula.

Aurash of DoTank drawing a 'sharrow'

2010-10-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

Aurash of DoTank drawing a 'sharrow'
Originally uploaded by Ted Ullrich

Long Island New York

The Macdonell Sharrows

2010-10-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

With Love From Halifax

2010-10-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Photo by Emma Feltes

New Urban Repair Squad paints up Halifax! Fine work!

More info on Spacing Halifax

Hallam Sharrows in Dandyhorse Magazine

2010-09-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

New Issue October 2010. Dandyhorse.com USR Hallam Sharows (2008)

New Stencil by URS Toronto

2010-09-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Harbord Street.
In sets of three. Time to fill in the gap in this bike lane and stop putting business interests ahead of public safety.

Photo by Rick Conroy.

Press:
GOOD Magazine
Torontoist

TOSAT / DUSPA

2010-08-23T14:40:00.001-07:00

P1280055
Originally uploaded by Martinho

Carlton and Parliament

TOSAT

2010-08-23T08:24:00.001-07:00

Art By Jordan Seiler
http://www.publicadcampaign.com/tosat/

P1270912
Originally uploaded by Martinho

The Hallam Sharrows. Better Late Than Never?

2010-08-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

After promising Sharrows for Hallam in the fall of 2007 the city finally installed them earlier this week. Almost three years after the fact! Talk about slow.

You can still see the sharrow painted by URS in the early spring of 2008! The paint crew must have wondered what these were doing there ... (grin)
As it turns out the city does not need council approval for putting in sharrows so one has to wonder what took so long.

In any case, the URS sharrows on Hallam were never removed and likely represent one of the longest lasting examples of DIY cycling infra-structure in the world.

The banner photos above is a Hallam Sharrow.

2010 Blackout Anniversary Party

2010-08-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

Blackout Party 2010 from Tino on Vimeo.
In memory of Ryan Carriere, killed at the intersection Oct. 21, 2005.

2010 Toronto Blackout Party Photos & Video Clips

2010-08-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

OURS Victoria Strikes Again

2010-08-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Guerrilla street painters struck on Cook Street this week, were “sharrows” briefly appeared between Fairfield Road and Southgate Street, but were immediately painted over by city of Victoria crews.

The sharrows — shared-use arrows reminding drivers to share road space in areas too narrow for full bike lanes — were painted by Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad, which describes itself as a “collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members.”

The group said in a news release that the Cook Street sharrows were the fourth attempt to increase cycling security in Greater Victoria.

Sharrows painted earlier this year on Lansdowne Road have not been removed, but last year, two sets of markings on Hillside Avenue were immediately painted over as city staff said they were confusing and could be dangerous. Sharrows are used in some cities, but are not approved in Greater Victoria.
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Laying It Down In Brasil

2010-08-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

URS Crosswalk Design From Brasil

2010-08-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Lives at stake.

Inspired by URS

2010-08-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

by Pia Blumenthal (NYC) | Text by Laura Kiniry (GOOD)

The View From The West Coast

2010-08-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

OURS strikes for their one year anniversary
by the Other Urban Repair Squad
Coast Salish Territories - Victoria's Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) struck once again on Monday July 19, painting sharrows on one of the most unsafe cycling roads in Victoria on Cook Street between Fairfield and Southgate.

"Sharrows" aim to increase driver awareness of bicycles

One year ago, they came out for the first time painting sharrows on Hillside Avenue, a heavy traffic corridor with no bike lane and used by both cyclists and cars. Monday July 19th was OURS fourth attempt to increase the cycling security and bike friendliness of greater Victoria.

OURS, a collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members, argue that sharrows are an excellent way to increase bike visibility and promote sharing the road. Facing the reality of many unsafe biking areas in Victoria and the slow bureaucratic system in place, OURS has decided to help the community by painting sharrows themselves based on the recommended design and dimension standards.

Sharrows are not a replacement for lanes but they indicate major bike routes and are accepted by the Transportation Association of Canada as a minimum safety standard.

"They are perfect for Victoria with its narrow roads and tight budget," says OURS spokeperson, Yukon Duit. Sharrows are short for "Shared Use Arrow". They are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that cannot incorporate a full bike lane.
"Our sharrows [on cook] got painted over by the city of Victoria crew before morning traffic could enjoy the safety of a real bike friendly city!" says Duit. Saanich municipality, on the other hand, has left the sharrows done by OURS over a month ago, which is greatly appreciated by the cyclist community. "I was always afraid to bike to school before, but seeing the sharrows on the road has helped me know that cars pay attention to me on my bike" says Eva Moores-Afetly yesterday when OURS interviewed random cyclists that biked using the sharrows on their way past Camosun College.

Sharrows are used by cities in Australia, France, Germany, Switizerland, UK and the US. The Toronto Urban Repair Squad (URS) has been more creative even than OURS Victoria, using pink paint and drawing their own bike symbols with square wheels and funky bike designs. Toronto has also left the sharrows up. "The point is visibility and sending the message to drivers that the streets are to be shared," Carey Tive of URS said, reminding us that Canadian citizens have a strong history of being active

These actions are being taken because of the slow response to make cycling in the city safer and more friendly. Montreal boasts 2400 + kms of trails and a budget of more than $134 million dedicated for bike infrastructure. With 27k of Lochside trail and 55k of Galloping Goose trail, Victoria, is left in the dust even with their tilte of Cycling Capital of Canada. "The greater Victoria has been creating positive changes for the cycling community over the last decade and it is important to acknowledge what's been done, but OURS wants more and the cycling community deserved sharrows and inner-urban areas to be on the agenda too." says Duit. "The focus needs to change from costly road expansions like bike lanes to effective alternatives such as sharrows".

OURS is not only putting words into action but is also doing it quickly and cheap. "Cook Street got done in fifteen minutes and with about ten dollars worth of paint," says Duit. With that type of efficiency, Victoria might even want to consider contracting OURS for their future cycling safety marking!

So far OURS 4-City 0...the match is still on!

Public Support for OURS in Victoria

2010-07-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/letters-july-8/

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/Unofficial+sharrows+make+roads+safer/3245114/story.html

Awesome O.U.R.S. (Victoria) Strikes Again (Press Release)

2010-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‘Other Urban Repair Squad’ (O.U.R.S.) Hits Victoria Again:
Cycling Activists Paint “Guerrilla Sharrows” in Response to Slow Expansion of Bike Lanes
(Lansdowne Road between Richmond Road and Foul Bay roads)

June 24, 2010 - Coast Salish Territories, Victoria –Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) has painted more “sharrows” along a busy commuter route in Victoria. The markings run along a street linking downtown and Camosun and University of Victoria campuses.

"It's been nearly a year since we painted the sharrows on Hillside and there's been no action at all from the CRD in terms of providing more bike lanes," says Yukon Duit, spokesperson for the group. The Hillside sharrows were subsequently painted over by City workers last July.

Sharrows – short for “Shared Use Arrow” – are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that are too narrow to incorporate a full bike lane.

Sharrows were adopted last year by the Transportation Association of Canada, which approves standards and guidelines for road design and markings across Canada. The markings have not been officially adopted by any of the municipalities in the CRD, although they are used to designate major bike routes in many other cities in Canada - most notably in Montreal and Vancouver.

"It’s clear that despite touting Victoria as the cycling capital of Canada, the CRD and the City do not see cycling infrastructure as a priority,” states Duit. “None of the City of Victoria’s $189-million 2010 budget has been allocated to the Sustainability Department, yet nearly $69-million will be spent repairing major vehicular roadways into the city and $3-million will be spent on automobile parkades.”

The City of Victoria 2009-2028 Capital Plan Project Budget allocates $2-million for a bike lane along Yates from Government to Wharf. Duit, however, says that the funds are misdirected.

“That’s a lot of money to spend on one block – and a lane on a downtown commercial block does not do much to support commuter cycling,” notes Duit. Alternatively, bike lanes along the Hillside-Lansdowne corridor would encourage cycling among the University of Victoria and Camosun College communities which see over 34,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff accessing the campuses during the school year. Studies have shown that the biggest barrier to getting more people on bicycles is the perception of danger on the road due to inadequate cycling infrastructure.

The sharrows were painted 2 weeks ago. “I feel much safer having [the sharrows] there,“ says commuter cyclist Idid Itoo. “Cars and trucks are definitely responding differently, and giving me more space on the road.”

"We know from our experience that painting bike lanes is cheap. You can buy a lot of paint with $2-million, so we thought we'd show the CRD how it's done. Again," says Duit. “For its part, the City is making decisions in the dark, without the input of the cycling community, and at a snail’s pace” claims Duit, pointing to the shutting down of the City of Victoria Cycling Advisory Committee nearly two years ago.

O.U.R.S Victoria is part of a larger international network of Urban Repair Squads across North America, Europe and South America that encourages people to reclaim ownership and stewardship of urban spaces by constructing urban infrastructure through direct action.
-30-

For more information:
To receive more info on the whereabouts of the new sharrows or to see photos email: oursvictoria@graffiti.net

O.U.R.S. Victoria media (2010)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/97162834.html

O.U.R.S Victoria media (2009):
http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/to-diy-or-not-to-diy/food-and-life/ http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Sharrows+need+official http://www.timescolonist.com/news/City+crews+obliterate+guerrilla+road+marks http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/City+erases+more+bike+sharrows+Hillside http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Cycling+activists+leading

An earlier report by City of Victoria Councillor John Luton on the success of sharrows in Montreal:
http://cyclfac_toolbox-3wc.thecyclistwebhouse.com/sharrows/Index.htm

Zebra

2010-06-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

Brazil 2 X 1 North Korea - Cidade Universitária bridge, Sao Paulo

With Love From Lyon, France

2010-06-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Lots of people gathered on that peculiar Saturday afternoon (may 29) with the motto « draw yourself the bike lane you always asked for ». Indeed, bikers associations have been asking for real bike-lane planning in Lyon for years without being even heard. The existing bike lanes are ageing (pictograms disappearing...), mysteriously stop at dangerous crossroads, do not cross over bridges (there are many in Lyon), are not connected etc.

Despite, the major is boasting about “Lyon being a great biking city”.
Obviously, he has never tried biking around... This symbolic action was an attempt to draw everybody's attention and to show it is possible (and quite easy !) to create bike lanes. If we can do it, the city can surely do so...

The action was repeated the following Saturday to create bike lanes against the traffic in one-way streets in Lyon city centre. The city centre is a 30 km/h speed limit zone and all one-way streets should be opened to two-way traffic for bikes (as allowed by regulation). But once again, the municipality does not seem ready to move on. The action demonstrated the feasibility of such an urban
development... Let's hope it will inspire our city council !
Links: http://velorutionlyon.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=292
http://velorutionlyon.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=294

URS In The Toronto Star

2010-05-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

As the Star’s Robyn Doolittle reported in June, 2007, a group of activists calling themselves the Other Urban Repair Squad began putting unofficial — and illegal; they could have been arrested — bicycle lanes on city streets, using hot pink paint.
It was a protest against the city’s years-behind-schedule program to expand bike lanes. The painting had to be done during the rush hour, the only time cars wouldn’t be parked where the bike lane would be.
Doolittle accompanied the squad on one foray along Bloor St. She wrote, "Commuters instinctively take their positions, and bikes head right for the new lane as drivers dutifully merge left."
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/816124--how-one-french-town-deals-with-the-inevitable-car-bicycle-rivalry

ATSA - Change (Toronto Free Gallery)

2010-05-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

ATSA is Proud to present CHANGE at the TORONTO FREE GALLERY! Closing Saturday, July 24, 2010.

CHANGE, is ATSA’s complete body of work together in one location, enabling the visitor to discover or rediscover this socially engaged collective through an appreciation of its overall output.

EXHIBITION, ART, DERIVED PRODUCTS FOR SALE!
EVERYTHING MUST GO!
FROM $2 TO $2,000!
www.atsa.qc.ca
CHANGE, a retrospective of ATSA’s work coupled with an intervention on marketing, all at a “store” near you!
CHANGE, a platform for reexamining the major societal issues covered by ATSA: wealth and resource distribution; rampant consumerism; stewardship of our natural, built and intangible heritage; addiction to fossil fuels; violence toward children; globalization; and more.

Crossing the bridge

2010-05-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

One of the main challenges faced by daily bicyclist's in Sao Paulo is crossing the bridges over Pinheiros and Tiete rivers.

Last sunday, Urban Repair folks painted more than 40 sharrows in Cidade Universitária bridge, warning drivers about the existence of bikes on the road that connects Pinheiros neighborhood and Sao Paulo University (USP).

The painting happend just after a solidarity gathering for a young bicyclist hit by a car in a street close to the bridge. Relatives of the young Tomas said the accident was not driver's fault.

The repair men and women painted "Devagar Vidas" on the ground, highlighting the importance of lower speeds in the city. Photos: aline / macacoveio

Le Ruban Verte Marseille TV Report

2010-05-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

With Love From L.A.'s Dept of D.I.Y.

2010-04-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Operation Caelia Shortface from The Dept of D.I.Y. on Vimeo.
Close to 1000 signs were posted ... totally amazing!

A Different Path - HotDocs May 7 at the Royal | International Premiere

2010-04-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

"Have you noticed that communities have been replaced by commutes, and pedestrians by parking lots? A handful of activists, sick of living in a car culture, decide to mobilize against automobiles. Seniors on scooters in Seattle, clown cyclists in Toronto, kayak commuters in New York and Portugal unite! Demanding sidewalks, curbs, and car-free days, protesters plan parties and absurdist actions to persuade others to join the revolution. They amuse in an effort to raise awareness about mobility issues. Richard and Cleta create a DIY scooter lane, while Michael dresses up the Klownen Führer. A lack of access to safe walkways and bike lanes has trapped large portions of the population, but since when does not being a driver equate to not being a citizen? Streets may have become the domain of cars, but they were originally intended for people. The time has come to take them back." - Angie Driscoll

Fri, May 07 7:15 pm \| The Royal
Sun, May 09 6:30 pm \| The Cumberland 3 http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/a_different_path

Official website: thirtymilesfromanywhere.com
Official trailer: Trailer | Director(s) : Monteith McCollum

City of Toronto Announces Bike Boxes Pilot Project (Maybe)

2010-04-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Too bad they had to take this one out.
Toronto's First Bike Box was installed by URS in 2008.
Let's see if they actually paint them.

In any case, why wait?

News story

Ghost Bike & Traffic Calming Action in Sao Paulo (Devagar Vidas)

2010-04-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.apocalipsemotorizado.net/2010/03/29/noticias-de-uma-guerra-publica/
Ghost bike installation for Manoel Perreira Torres. Photo by Va de bike

With Love From Bratislava

2010-04-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Cykloguerilla Manifesto - Bratislava, Slovakia

We have had enough! To hell with the Mayor, who doesn't treat cyclists as full-fledged citizens. To hell with the City's and the city districts' administration who have been inactive in marking new biking lanes in the city. Initiative is in our hands now. The City hasn't been able to provide us with the working system of bike lanes in the past 20 years, so we are going to mark them ourselves. End to the ignorance of bike traffic, we want to travel safely in the city.

Who are we?

We are the people, who want to disburden the jammed roads and therefore we use mostly a bicycle to travel. We are not against the car traffic, but alone we don't find it sustainable - drivers see that everyday stuck in the traffic jams. We think bicycle is an ideal vehicle for a city - it's fast (door-to-door speed), amphibious (it can use roads and paths where roads are dangerous) and ecological.

What do we want?

We want bike lanes in the city that will serve for the safe bike traffic. The city bike lanes are not those recreational (e.g. embankment by the Danube river) - those serve for sports and to the tourists over the weekends, definitely not to day-to-day traffic to work or just to a café. Neither those amputated stumps leading from nowhere to nowhere (e.g. Trencianska street) are bike lanes - those are just the lame attempts of City administration to check off some activity.

What we do?

We show the City administration that marking the bike lanes is easy - a can of spray, a template and a little bit of common sense is enough (they haven't found it at Mayor's office in 20 years).

Contact?

cykloguerilla@gmail.com

More photos here
Cykloguerrilla Blog
(translated from Slovak via Google Translate)

New Bike Signage in L.A.

2010-04-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Photos by GB Chan
Full Story GOOD and Ecovillage

Intervention by L.A's Dept of D.I.Y.
(a.k.a. URS Los Angeles)

Heath Warning Stencil

2010-03-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

Fine work from Ireland. "Traffic Fumes Are Seriously Damaging Your Health"
Heath Warning Stencil by King Dumb

WHUMP! BAM! POW! BONK!

2010-03-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

NEW WORK
PHOTOS
ADDED
MARCH 22

Holy Cr*p!

2010-03-09T07:47:00.001-08:00

New Work by URS. Harbord Street.
Saddletramp wrote: "The action-hero drama of dodging obstacles and potholes, escaping devil-may-care drivers in super-fast cars, and braving the fierce, temperamental elements, may seem, and feel, quite comic. Unless you're face-down on the pavement. With some wit, we endeavour to provide warning with humour; suggest danger with comedy; invite caution without frightening... and most importantly, we appeal to our fine city to remember that potholes aren't just uncomfortable, they really, really hurt."
More photos here
Fonts: Hobo & Badaboom

Articles & Kudos:
Torontoist March 25
Torontoist March 10
GOOD Magazine
Wooster Collective
Treehugger
CBC Radio 3
The L Magazine (Brooklyn)
Label Networks (Youth Culture Magazine)
SanArt Contemporary Art & Culture News
ArtSlant (Contemporary Art News)
Tako, propagande culturelle (Suisse)
ArtsBlog (Italy)
Australian Cycling Council
Car Free France
Brooklyn By Bike

Roadsworth Quoted

2010-03-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

"The road is therefore, representative of many things on a symbolic, psychological, and practical level. It exists in a symbiotic relationship to the automobile for example, which is in turn related to the oil industry, which has a relationship to the military industrial complex and so on. The more roads there are, the more cars there are. The more cars there are, the more need for oil there is. The more need there is for oil, the more weapons are needed. The more weapons there are... This chain could equally be read in reverse, each link the catalyst for another chain reaction, and it is hard to say, at least for someone like myself who is not well versed in history, which came first: the chicken or the egg? The car or the cruise missile? This is inevitably a simplistic assessment of the situation but the point is, the road and its particular language (i.e. street markings) is for me, loaded with significance and therefore, ripe for re-interpretation. And because the road seems to take itself so seriously it is also a tempting target for satire. Road markings are for me, a metaphor for a certain state of mind and relationship to the outside world that is endemic of our time, and is engendered by driving."
Via NY Arts Magazine

University of Toronto LED Billboard Hacking

2010-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Photos by Kevin Bracken via Spacing a few years ago.

An action by U of T student group called 'Cars Off Campus".

How-To Link

Repair Order From The Past

2010-02-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

Repair Order URS received during the 'Creative Activism' Exhibition at the Toronto Free Gallery in Toronto. (2008)

Memorial Zebra Crossing (Lisbon)

2010-02-09T05:05:00.001-08:00

More information

Ciclofaixa Pirata

2010-02-04T14:58:00.001-08:00

Ciclofaixa Pirata
Originally uploaded by Domingo 23

Sign Of The Times

2010-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Signage idea for Sao Paulo (Brasil) Bike/Run 2010
"(No Bicycles/Pedestrians) Unless when economic interests may be at stake'
Photo/Illustration by Tiago Costa Nepomuceno

DIY Crosswalk In Portland

2010-01-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

This mystery crosswalk on
E. Burnside at NE 8th seems to be working. (Photo: Doug Klotz)

With Love From Romania

2010-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

June 2009. Bucharest. http://www.streetdelivery.ro/

O.U.R.S. Victoria, B.C. Follow-Up

2010-01-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

By Steve Carey from the Times Colonist
"Marr also mentioned that the folding of Victoria’s cycling advisory committee in 2009 into a new Environment and Infrastructure Public Advisory Committee is frustrating to Victoria’s cycling community, as there is no longer a formal communication channel.
That frustration came out when a group painted sharrows, markers meant to remind motorists to share the road, along Hillside Road and other cycling routes. The markers are common in cycling hubs such as Seattle, and are used in Saanich. The Victoria sharrows were removed by the city, which cited liability issues. The GVCC board of directors states that better communication would prevent these actions."

Clearly the GVCC is out of touch with reality just as much as the City of Victoria.
The only thing preventing such wonderful actions is safe passage for cyclist in Victoria ...NOW!
Everything else is just talk. Taking action instead like painting the sharrows on Hillside Road is a pure declaration of love to the city of Victoria and all its residents and especially cyclists. Sadly those who think they are speaking and acting on behalf of cyclists and residents refuse to accept this love letter written in paint for what it is: sanity.

Paulista Bike Lane

2009-12-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

check the results

URS X The City of Curitiba

2009-12-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

In 2007' World Carfree Day, more than 50 bicyclist's painted the first bike lane of Curitiba (Brazil). Three of them were arrested and accused of "environmental crime". The City decided to charge them in 3.000 reais (around 1.500 us dollars).

After some unsuccessfull appeals to the courts and directly to the Mayor, they decided to pay the bill and then charge the City for not following the Brazilian Traffic Code, that says that every city has to build infrastructure for bicyclists. Some fundraising events happened and the next chapter of the brave Curitiba Repair Squad X The Autocratic City battle has just begun.

More information (in portuguese) here and here.

CCA 'Actions' Exhibition Photos

2009-12-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Photos by Yvonne. This show is touring in the US now at the Graham Foundation, Chicago. Pictured URS Video 'Le Depart', Pink Bike Lane Stencil and Bike Lane Crapet by take the Tooker. Photo essay by Martin Reis/CCA

Slow Down! People's Lives At Stake.

2009-12-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

After Fernando Couto was killed by a bus in Sao Paulo on October 26 local activists and the bus drivers union got together to install a warning message designed to calm traffic at the site of the collision. Inspiring.
Photos by William Cruz: Link

The Next Day In Brooklyn

2009-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Guerrilla Bike Lane is still there on Bedford. (photo via Flickr)

More News Stories

Updates
Funeral Procession Dec. 13 Video
Naked Protest Ride Dec. 19