It’s been a few days since the snow fell, and now there’s a frozen mass of dirty ice obstructing the bike lane on York Blvd.

This situation occurs on bike lanes all over the city, and is one of the determinants in my decision to not use my bike this time of year.

Days after a snow fall, cars drive on clear, dry roadways, while cyclists contend with crusty mountains of exhaust-dirtied ice. It’s a double standard and it creates a dangerous and unpredictable environment for cyclists.

I’ve seen it enough over the years to conclude the city doesn’t take its responsibility to maintain cycling routes seriously. The predictable result is they actively discourage people like myself who would like the option to bike year round.

Sure there are days (more like hours) that even driving is difficult in bad weather, but the lingering detritus in the bike lane serves to remind us –long after the storm — that cyclists are second rate when it comes to service.

As others have pointed out, before the bike lanes were installed, the curb lane was used for cars and guess what? It was always cleared of snow and ice.

What does that tell you?