Sometimes the smartest cycling advocacy doesn’t come in the form of a white paper or a heated council meeting—it comes on a fluorescent vest, delivered with a wink.
Speed River Bicycle’s “I’d Rather Be in the Bike Lane” Hi-Vis Vest is exactly that kind of quietly effective protest. On the surface, it’s a simple, practical piece of cycling gear: high-visibility, easy to layer over a jacket, and legible from a distance whether you’re pedalling through traffic or locking up outside a café. But the message does the real work.
Clear. Calm. Hard to argue with.
The vest grew out of a local push for better bike lane maintenance in Guelph, Ontario after Mayor Cam Guthrie pulled the plug on winter clearing as a cost-cutting measure. The phrase caught on because it taps into something universal: most people on bikes aren’t trying to make a political statement—they’re just trying to ride in safe, usable space that already exists.
And it turns out that approach worked.
“I’d Rather Be in the Bike Lane” Hi-Vis Vest
In mid-December, after public backlash and a highly visible protest ride that drew more than 50 cyclists downtown, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie reversed a budget decision that would have left bike lanes unplowed all winter. Snow clearing was reinstated immediately. The debate, councillors later acknowledged, was fundamentally about safety—and seeing snow-filled bike lanes in action made the consequences impossible to ignore.
There’s also substance behind the style. At $29.99, the vest is affordable, and $10 from every sale goes directly to Freehub Community Bike Centre, a volunteer-run, donation-funded program of the Guelph Tool Library. Speed River Bicycle is upfront about it: this isn’t a profit play, it’s community support.
Wear it on your commute. Pull it on for errands. Pin it to a backpack or show up to the next group ride glowing and unmistakable. Wherever it appears, the message travels.
Because in Guelph—and increasingly everywhere—the answer is pretty clear: people really would rather be in the bike lane.