City of Toronto apologizes for typos on new cycle path signs

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Would you rather exercise on Lake Shore Trail or Lake Shore Trial? Or perhaps Lake Share Trail? All are apparently options after the City of Toronto installed new signs for cyclists last month, but failed to notice several typos before they went up.

Photographer and retired college professor John Oughton posted a photo to Facebook shortly after the signs were erected. “Lake Shore Trial 0.2 km” it reads, under Oughton’s cheeky comment: “Justice for the Lake Shore (you had ONE job).”

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Comments suggested the sign, posted on Leslie Street, was written in an Australian accent, or that it wasn’t a typo at all, since the city’s widespread construction does make the path more of a trial than a trail in places.

At least two more errors were subsequently discovered, with CTV news reporting a sign for “Lake Share Trail” on Eastern Avenue – a laudable goal, since the path is for use by cyclists and pedestrians alike – while The Star noted one on Danforth Avenue that said “Downton” was 2.6 kilometres away. (Downton, for fans of the British series, is in fact some 5,500 kilometres away, in Yorkshire.)

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The city was quick to apologize for the errant signage, and promised to have new ones installed quickly.

“Replacements for the two erroneous signs are in fabrication and will be installed by the end of this week,” the city said in a statement. “Furthermore, the associated costs for rectification are insignificant, underscoring the rarity of such errors in the City’s comprehensive signage network.”

It added: “This was a result of a human error in the proofreading process,” noting: “We are actively reviewing and reinforcing our internal protocols to ensure a more robust system is in place to catch such errors before signs are installed.”

The National Post can attest to the city’s alacrity in such matters. In 2019, a former Post copy editor (and writer of this story) noticed a typo on a sign, crudely corrected by a passerby, warning of “Unstable Shorline.” A tweet to the city brought a response within hours, and the sign was fixed a few days later. The shoreline itself took a little longer but is no longer dangerous.

This sign was replaced within days of the city being notified. Photo by Chris Knight

Meanwhile, the latest misprints have galvanized Torontonians into looking for other errors in signage, with one posting to social media a sign near Donlands Avenue indicating a “Traffic Claming Zone.”

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