The city of Toronto has gotten itself into something like a mild-mannered uproar over protesters who walked onto the Gardiner Expressway (an  elevated, arterial, limited-access highway in the heart of the city), shutting the roadway down last night. Torontonians should expect more protesters to use this tactic in the future, not necessarily from Tamils, but from anyone seeking attention, since these recent protesters were only following in the tire prints of bicycle activist group Critical Mass.

This article in the Toronto Star has the why, who and wherefore about the ongoing actions by Tamils seeking a ceasefire in the current conflict in Sri Lanka. It’s worth noting that this incident is the second Gardiner seizure in less than a year. The first took place at the end of May 2008, when about 200 cycling activists taking part in a regular mass ride rode up one Gardiner on-ramp. Four people were charged in that incident.

While their causes may seem disparate, the pro-Tamil group and Critical Mass actions shared a few characteristics, beyond their location:

-In both cases, the groups apparently took a spontaneous decision to move onto the expressway.

-In both cases, children were brought along onto the highway with the activists.

-In both cases, they were astonishingly lucky that no one was run over by a car travelling at high speed.

-In both cases, the vast majority of participants were not penalized in any way.

Which means that a precedent has now been set, and any cause — no matter how serious or frivolous, justified or crackpot – that can gather a couple of hundred people has a proven tactic at their disposal to seize the attention of the city.

Which means Torontonians should expect more unscheduled Gardiner closures in the months and years to come.

(Top image of bicycle path running between abandoned Gardiner Expressway extension by SimonP, from wikimedia.)