tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45247981732789601702023-11-16T05:20:22.246-05:00Cycle TorontoA blog about bike lanes, cycling infrastructure, and land use planningCycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-20025740552318432892012-02-07T19:41:00.000-05:002012-02-07T19:41:07.465-05:00Coroner's Inquest into Cycling Deaths in OntarioWow, it's been a long time since my last post! I have been writing blog entries all along in my head, I assure you, but I guess it's harder for you to read them that way.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, as a result of public pressure and unfortunate cycling tragedies, Ontario's Chief Coroner announced an inquest into cycling deaths in the province. You can read about some of the details in this <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1075029--coroner-to-review-ontario-cycling-deaths">news article</a> from October.<br />
<br />
A call for submissions went out to the public and I took the opportunity to work with my local <a href="http://bikeunion.to/wards">Toronto Cyclists Union</a> ward group and draft a set of proposals for increasing safety on our roads. We developed a set of nine suggestions based around our three pillars of safety: infrastructure, education, enforcement.<br />
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Continue reading for our proposals. We welcome your comments and feedback.<br />
<br />
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</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Separated bike lanes<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The safest and most thriving cycling cities in the world – Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bogotá, for example – have all built physically separated bike lanes because they are proven to work. Closer to home, Montreal, Vancouver, and even Guelph have installed or are in the process of installing separated bike lanes. Toronto has started to look into a small network of separated bike lanes and we support this effort. Separated lanes that abut the adjacent sidewalk increase safety by preventing cars from stopping or parking in bike lanes, and prevent open car doors from interfering with cyclists and causing collisions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">In addition to building the proposed network of physically separated bike lanes in Toronto’s downtown core, we recommend the City to build physically separated lanes on all major arterials outside of the core. Further still, we recommend the City start to convert all painted line bike lanes into physically separated lanes. It is our position that having a robust, well designed, and well-integrated network of physically separated bike lanes in Toronto will have a transformative effect in increasing ridership and safety. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bike-specific traffic lights<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bike-specific traffic lights increase safety and regulate traffic in the exact same way that traffic lights for cars, streetcars, and pedestrians do. They have been installed in cities where there are also physically separated bike lanes – for example, New York City, Vancouver, Montreal, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam. Bike-specific traffic lights are a visual regulator and reminder to other users of the road who has the right of way. In Copenhagen, bike traffic lights typically turn green a few seconds before car traffic lights to allow the stream of cyclists a head start in crossing the intersection. Visibility, priority, and regulation provide safety to cyclists. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mandate side guards on large trucks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">We support the proposal of Olivia Chow and others to require side guards on large trucks to prevent cyclists and pedestrians from being pulled underneath. We understand that this was a recommendation of the last Coroner’s Inquest in the late 1990s and we support its renewed call.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Improve painted line bike lanes<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Painted line bike lanes are an improvement over nothing, but they are a half measure at best. Their most important function is to carve out space for cyclists, and reserve the physical space on the street for when the City is ready to convert them into physically separated lanes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the mean time, these lanes can be improved in a very simple and inexpensive way. At all of these lanes, when they approach an intersection, the solid line becomes dotted to allow and encourage cars to merge into the bike lane in order to make a right hand turn. This is a key zone of insecurity and collision for cyclists because they must always contend with cars making right-hand turns from the bike lane. Cyclists are forced to make a last minute decision to continue on the right of the car, swing into traffic to go around on the left, or end up being suddenly stuck behind the car. All of these options can be very dangerous for cyclists and encourage avoidable collisions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">To change this, we recommend requiring that all painted line bike lanes be solid lines up to the intersection. This idea has worked well with bike boxes recently installed, which prevent cars from merging into bike lanes and from making right hand turns on a red light. There is one example of a solid lane, which is that heading westbound along College at Bathurst. Cars at this intersection now overwhelmingly stay in their lane and make right-hand turns only when the bike lane is clear. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Remove on-street car parking<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Though contentious with car drivers and erroneously contentious for local businesses, no city will have a safe and thriving bike culture and ridership if we continue to allow on-street car parking. The main issue, as you see on the recently re-designed Harbord Street, is that cyclists are constantly forced to change direction, go in and out of lanes and sharrows, and swerve around parked cars. Removal of on-street parking will free up space to install new bike lanes and will reduce the occurrence of cyclists being hit by opened car doors. Where on-street parking remains, bike lanes should be designed so that they are adjacent to the sidewalk, with parked cars as the buffer between cyclists and moving traffic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Rationalize right-of-way rules<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Whether or not there are clear right-of-way rules that include cyclists, users of the road do not universally know what they are. This causes confusion and collisions. We recommend that right-of-way rules be rationalized to prioritize users of the road in a hierarchy of vulnerability. Pedestrians will have right of way first, then cyclists, and then cars. This means, for example, that right-hand turning cars must wait for crossing pedestrians and cyclists before they make their turn. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Cycling education in schools<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A big part of improving safety for cyclists and all users of the road is to teach children how to safely ride bikes on city streets; that is, to raise the next generation with the know-how, confidence, and experience of city cyclists. As there used to be drivers’ education in high schools, we recommend implementing cycling education into elementary schools. In Copenhagen, for example, elementary school children are required to pass cycling tests at school. This provides for a supportive environment in which children can learn the rules of the road and gain experience and confidence riding on the street. Of course, we recommend that this be implemented along side the installation of physically separated bike lanes, which is an element of making cycling safe for children. The age at which children start this education may be debated, but we recommend around the age of ten.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Amend the <i>Highway Traffic Act</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">One of the greatest obstacles to developing safe cycling infrastructure is that the definition of “vehicle” in the <i>Highway Traffic Act</i> (“Act”) is defined to include bicycles, which ends up treating bikes as if they were cars. This causes a variety of problems such as making it legally difficult for cities to install contra-flow bike lanes on one-way streets. We recommend that the Act be amended to create a unique legal category for the bicycle. This is important in recognizing that a bicycle is a vehicle fundamentally different from a car, bus, or truck, and should be afforded different treatment. We already see unique legal categories for vehicles such as streetcars, which, in Toronto, have right-of-way lanes and specific traffic signals as a result. We believe that amending the Act in such a way will affect a shift in how we think of and treat bikes in Ontario. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Enforce traffic laws<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">While we accept that the rules of the road apply equally to cyclists – though an amendment to the Act may have a positive effect on this – there is almost no enforcement of other vehicles that park in bike lanes.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">With some regularity, municipal police forces implement blitz days where they ticket cyclists.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This type of action does not happen with respect to ticketing other vehicles on the road vis-à-vis cyclists and bike lanes.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Enforcement will improve safety by ensuring that cars are not parked in bike lanes and will send an equally strong message to motorists that they must obey the rules of the road when it comes to cyclists. </span></div></span><!--EndFragment-->Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-36406058778692113502011-08-03T21:27:00.000-04:002011-08-03T21:27:23.701-04:00TrafficA friend recently sent me this image. Well said.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69-CyjK-sLNkpLUZqMb3fiS1zsVCNHz8HLbiqTGgEWAuys-Smfsj072lUQdcAxiSzFikZa7qsEPD-ADPL6nnKE11th8binj3Ek3yUQ9_UnhXbuzLlAXFsdEFrt6gu3WoAk1WGXlOclac/s1600/traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69-CyjK-sLNkpLUZqMb3fiS1zsVCNHz8HLbiqTGgEWAuys-Smfsj072lUQdcAxiSzFikZa7qsEPD-ADPL6nnKE11th8binj3Ek3yUQ9_UnhXbuzLlAXFsdEFrt6gu3WoAk1WGXlOclac/s400/traffic.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-4840259709569365072011-08-01T23:00:00.002-04:002011-08-01T23:01:48.188-04:00Ring and Post Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx4e6JkRda4L0OBu2v2urTsHYIqoDPuWXSbpMX-dkJli_mEuVQ4GTgQ_8QiF2svUBa8qF9XPsypnVnJ-FISJLtkkQFVcAE8aGBW0qvgXsOhqGrNpbj13l353Md5O6Mthh9wferpzarxQ/s1600/IMG_5962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx4e6JkRda4L0OBu2v2urTsHYIqoDPuWXSbpMX-dkJli_mEuVQ4GTgQ_8QiF2svUBa8qF9XPsypnVnJ-FISJLtkkQFVcAE8aGBW0qvgXsOhqGrNpbj13l353Md5O6Mthh9wferpzarxQ/s400/IMG_5962.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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The other day I was riding through Kensington Market and saw these great flowers growing from ring and post bicycle parking.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://mystreethasnotrees.com/">My Street Has No Trees</a> is a new public and participatory art project to beautify our public spaces. Teaming up with <a href="http://www.artspin.ca/">Art Spin</a> and <a href="http://blacksmithcycle.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/artspin-cycleart-event-was-a-huge-success/">Blacksmith Cycle</a>, this project has started to outfit Toronto bike parking with lovely little flower pots and flowers. Here are some pictures I snapped this weekend.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttmrEylMGzSJRbV_mrP32hgFRs9OKG-8SlbD-sAmgqgGYWXbvu8pVTvsQ3xJkywPQ_YQfSWs0bGfJVsAtFU3_0jmwoiK0WVAAVHHYLWYndQq9htG6J7GMPud_FhVsqPYpFvOKJ1lMY20/s1600/IMG_5953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttmrEylMGzSJRbV_mrP32hgFRs9OKG-8SlbD-sAmgqgGYWXbvu8pVTvsQ3xJkywPQ_YQfSWs0bGfJVsAtFU3_0jmwoiK0WVAAVHHYLWYndQq9htG6J7GMPud_FhVsqPYpFvOKJ1lMY20/s400/IMG_5953.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7o4NX71wpalmrnA9_0cZIvSRJPcLojK-kKq8uThl87vAMstccYls5RpxUvwwD3iwpmNaQp_nc7SIlNIi1FfdBn0UaNTtfkbBj37PKw39nigP2UH_ccs-713V6xCnYcQwsTPVsGh8Xo0/s1600/IMG_5961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7o4NX71wpalmrnA9_0cZIvSRJPcLojK-kKq8uThl87vAMstccYls5RpxUvwwD3iwpmNaQp_nc7SIlNIi1FfdBn0UaNTtfkbBj37PKw39nigP2UH_ccs-713V6xCnYcQwsTPVsGh8Xo0/s400/IMG_5961.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBhLKk72pdX085a66S_ZdUv0Sr-9FjADTxN8BF_qzNjp1Y1IjVGrSmA85T59gDyu8MTV4Z8mTnOZRIvImixyS4-xptqzDsCegz6ST8eq87Lk0cBfH9LWEAY4JxJMuAStcMVE7PmtdpUY/s1600/IMG_5954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBhLKk72pdX085a66S_ZdUv0Sr-9FjADTxN8BF_qzNjp1Y1IjVGrSmA85T59gDyu8MTV4Z8mTnOZRIvImixyS4-xptqzDsCegz6ST8eq87Lk0cBfH9LWEAY4JxJMuAStcMVE7PmtdpUY/s400/IMG_5954.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-72604120254244219212011-07-30T12:54:00.000-04:002011-07-30T12:54:49.717-04:00Art Bike Strikes Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGb9kGdLQrH8GF8ejF5xnn3vyCNiFY84odlQsb9kc78j-fMjcCC8WaaASLxNAoEmJmnGnHuPOSa538t7clv4ltBODrH55Q2M8sx3IIo1EQshgxdK6dF2a-p9x3RGBxmNt0GmViJnhDzM/s1600/Art+Bike+2+%255B2%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGb9kGdLQrH8GF8ejF5xnn3vyCNiFY84odlQsb9kc78j-fMjcCC8WaaASLxNAoEmJmnGnHuPOSa538t7clv4ltBODrH55Q2M8sx3IIo1EQshgxdK6dF2a-p9x3RGBxmNt0GmViJnhDzM/s400/Art+Bike+2+%255B2%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Saw this sweet second 'art bike' this morning when my partner and I were out for a morning coffee and croissant. Check out more photos inside.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The good folks over at <a href="http://blogthegood.tumblr.com/">blogthegoodbike</a> have done it again.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3Ophgqf79J1LXjdvEbzDwIgY26f3zFhTMhiEfE36kzGJlQsteMrtSX5Sxp3OSZ2mZ6gAoFWwZj-RTtgBQ9Q8Hso-bzDoat6kqJHnQ7no2aNaeRuz4JozuXRPoi1Duf47Pig-awyH9Qs/s1600/Art+Bike+2+%255B4%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3Ophgqf79J1LXjdvEbzDwIgY26f3zFhTMhiEfE36kzGJlQsteMrtSX5Sxp3OSZ2mZ6gAoFWwZj-RTtgBQ9Q8Hso-bzDoat6kqJHnQ7no2aNaeRuz4JozuXRPoi1Duf47Pig-awyH9Qs/s400/Art+Bike+2+%255B4%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3Ophgqf79J1LXjdvEbzDwIgY26f3zFhTMhiEfE36kzGJlQsteMrtSX5Sxp3OSZ2mZ6gAoFWwZj-RTtgBQ9Q8Hso-bzDoat6kqJHnQ7no2aNaeRuz4JozuXRPoi1Duf47Pig-awyH9Qs/s1600/Art+Bike+2+%255B4%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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You may recall the <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2011/06/ford-conquers-art-bike.html">hoopla</a> over the first 'art bike' that caught the media's attention as well as the attention of Transportation Services at City Hall. It was supposed to be removed, but I ride by it every so often and it's still there. I won't reveal the location of the second 'art bike' though.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdmvFKzAzD3fMYKip7liM6JwxXB-IBKbXr2PKnnUjkORJcZc79Yl-PH3sMyxXtILrm23GrQkQL-6R00i8n_NJ0nY7oYlG6wswvAzaFC7Zikxtq8tWfjILZkD_d9i9Ba_D6Bc2H_yguVQ/s1600/Art+Bike+2+%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdmvFKzAzD3fMYKip7liM6JwxXB-IBKbXr2PKnnUjkORJcZc79Yl-PH3sMyxXtILrm23GrQkQL-6R00i8n_NJ0nY7oYlG6wswvAzaFC7Zikxtq8tWfjILZkD_d9i9Ba_D6Bc2H_yguVQ/s400/Art+Bike+2+%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdmvFKzAzD3fMYKip7liM6JwxXB-IBKbXr2PKnnUjkORJcZc79Yl-PH3sMyxXtILrm23GrQkQL-6R00i8n_NJ0nY7oYlG6wswvAzaFC7Zikxtq8tWfjILZkD_d9i9Ba_D6Bc2H_yguVQ/s1600/Art+Bike+2+%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><br />
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Hopefully Ford the Destroyer won't eat this one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIwshRIIWU96hyphenhyphen0OQ6MgrHZpw_1dKdmnOB0y6HUt7jUO3yWWedZbH1IFpv6Suwyz_cYamlij43PuSw9tZxjD7wpNjWWOp7SqZhg0Vygss98FZIDvbTuLm1Z77Q_Lhm_Q0bK5ku2tFbWY/s1600/ford+eats+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIwshRIIWU96hyphenhyphen0OQ6MgrHZpw_1dKdmnOB0y6HUt7jUO3yWWedZbH1IFpv6Suwyz_cYamlij43PuSw9tZxjD7wpNjWWOp7SqZhg0Vygss98FZIDvbTuLm1Z77Q_Lhm_Q0bK5ku2tFbWY/s400/ford+eats+bike.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: blogthegood</td></tr>
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Ha ha! Actually, tensions have settled and apparently the City has given the good bike project 50 more bikes to use and have relaxed the City by-laws to boot.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-26764390749151553502011-07-20T22:31:00.002-04:002011-07-20T22:34:10.490-04:00Ford Nation Meet Bicycle Nation: Ride for Jarvis!This evening over 1,000 people in this great city of ours took to the streets to register our discontent with the recent decision of city council to remove three bike lanes in Toronto, and we took to the streets to show our support and resolve for a better cycling city for everyone.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULDFcse-vx-736LlOhosxdWuK0aSAWmUGdSHUXkICnY5zh13DjUD_WsyKYRYLxTWP9q3EAdxY7YQCQ-DH2ZGonJDOuRNfN9Z7Hb7hBTuPmLGBcTxPyEqlLk9mIJUq-5dgxDOducnpRAI/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULDFcse-vx-736LlOhosxdWuK0aSAWmUGdSHUXkICnY5zh13DjUD_WsyKYRYLxTWP9q3EAdxY7YQCQ-DH2ZGonJDOuRNfN9Z7Hb7hBTuPmLGBcTxPyEqlLk9mIJUq-5dgxDOducnpRAI/s400/IMG_5919.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The <a href="http://bikeunion.to/">Toronto Cyclists Union</a> organized this great ride. Around 1,000 people met first at Allan Gardens for a rally with words from the organizers, councillor Paula Fletcher, and councillor Mike Layton.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshEX5_EfwdwmdciZ6mYWll6VWPEHfzGYjpNQj24w4B5sOIowYy6Q76-oBWRvtpzPChLK8xYdm5CBk0mcu4e0jZNlAmIXBooWziBPDoe97kXNDGxXXEJVR5eI8nxbnP-nGucutRxYojEQ/s1600/IMG_5902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshEX5_EfwdwmdciZ6mYWll6VWPEHfzGYjpNQj24w4B5sOIowYy6Q76-oBWRvtpzPChLK8xYdm5CBk0mcu4e0jZNlAmIXBooWziBPDoe97kXNDGxXXEJVR5eI8nxbnP-nGucutRxYojEQ/s400/IMG_5902.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Cycle Toronto</td></tr>
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We started up Jarvis and then up Church to Bloor, circled back down Jarvis and then along Queen ending up at City Hall.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Cycle Toronto</td></tr>
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More demos are being planned with the goal of getting bigger and bigger crowds of cyclists out on the streets. Also, a call was put out for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass">critical mass</a> rides, which occur in Toronto the last Friday of every month at 6 p.m. starting at Bloor and Spadina. <br />
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There was a lot of media out covering the ride. Check out the news stories from <a href="http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/143990--more-than-1-000-cyclists-take-over-jarvis-street">City TV</a>, the <a href="http://thestar.blogs.com/cycling/2011/07/cyclists-take-over-jarvis.html">Toronto Star</a>, and a video report from the <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/20/cyclists-flood-jarvis-st-in-road-protest">Toronto Sun</a>. Tweeting was going wild over at <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23bikeTO">#bikeTO</a>.<br />
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Also, Cycle Toronto finally has some pictures up on flickr and you can see the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycletoronto/sets/72157627119736599/">Ride for Jarvis set</a>.<br />
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Thanks to the TCU. Now's a great time to <a href="https://bikeunion.to/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=12">sign up</a> as a member and get involved.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-23136986474174252092011-07-19T13:39:00.000-04:002011-07-19T13:39:22.593-04:00Ride for Jarvis, Ride for TorontoJoin us tomorrow evening, Wednesday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Allan Gardens for a protest ride down Jarvis St.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn8D2coo1ru_jsUsi3xsDIC0tNC_NW1keYOyVhrryRoAj97vuG-iGO79xqufxQRI161J3wLQub6h0JHGySPoEQOj5ED8eBO8xHBxt_anLfwnXHnUG_HAaO92MgRDm0DA9OF_FyydFrQ8/s1600/RideforJarvis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn8D2coo1ru_jsUsi3xsDIC0tNC_NW1keYOyVhrryRoAj97vuG-iGO79xqufxQRI161J3wLQub6h0JHGySPoEQOj5ED8eBO8xHBxt_anLfwnXHnUG_HAaO92MgRDm0DA9OF_FyydFrQ8/s400/RideforJarvis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/campaign-begins-save-jarvis">I Bike T.O.</a></td></tr>
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The Toronto Cyclists Union has organized a <a href="http://bikeunion.to/event/2011/07/14/ride-jarvis-ride-toronto">Ride for Jarvis</a>, which is a critical mass type demonstration for tomorrow evening to show our disappointment with last week's decision by city council to remove bike lanes on Jarvis St., Birchmount Rd., and Pharmacy Ave.<br />
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While we all hope that the proposed network of separated lanes will become a reality, it is never a good sign when bike lanes are removed.<br />
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So come on out and show your support and solidarity for cycling in Toronto.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-63081008299242841602011-07-08T17:23:00.000-04:002011-07-08T17:23:37.520-04:00Bike Share Hits Madison Wisconsin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TZnYj5iA8rB5KjKHuJY-2p7sQOYslyfNJ580-IyiNgnVZ2GHxYukB9bWaaCUbMmNAYCQS8ipQRSsI5StydGb7P0WacBVhILp4bZrF2PG3vkrE-0OITnmqp8yAB-4GE8ckmEaxSVJQqQ/s1600/Madison+Bike+Share.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TZnYj5iA8rB5KjKHuJY-2p7sQOYslyfNJ580-IyiNgnVZ2GHxYukB9bWaaCUbMmNAYCQS8ipQRSsI5StydGb7P0WacBVhILp4bZrF2PG3vkrE-0OITnmqp8yAB-4GE8ckmEaxSVJQqQ/s400/Madison+Bike+Share.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
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A good friend of mine has been living in Madison, WI the past year and has been loving the cycling culture there. He sent me this photo and others of the <a href="http://www.bcycle.com/">B-Cycle</a> bikes that came to Madison this year. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_sharing_system">Bike share</a> programs have been springing up around the world in the past several years as people come to discover that cycling is the fastest, cheapest, and most fun way to get around a city. These public systems are great for tourists and for resident commuters.<br />
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Of course, Toronto got the BIXI bikes this year and recently saw it's <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1021456--bixi-hits-100-000-ride-mark">100,000th ride</a>! Expansion is in the air, for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8V0D45nHMo89ttwCsfaL7s2WpL590-16WIsdUGSGVbkrnbibt4OylfQ2WggPY243UD8wWL6MDZIKy9ysElRjzyl3YAo3piog_MfY26HN7bcIXeris3tsdgA5cQma8wl1zXke_sbsH1Q/s1600/cbn_logo_web.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8V0D45nHMo89ttwCsfaL7s2WpL590-16WIsdUGSGVbkrnbibt4OylfQ2WggPY243UD8wWL6MDZIKy9ysElRjzyl3YAo3piog_MfY26HN7bcIXeris3tsdgA5cQma8wl1zXke_sbsH1Q/s200/cbn_logo_web.png" width="110" /></a><br />
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BIXI was not the first bike share program to hit Toronto though. Toronto's <a href="http://www.communitybicyclenetwork.org/bikeshare">Community Bicycle Network</a> ran a bike share program several years ago. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's another photo from Madison:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6iEuH79VpHbWT76bOEE7Sj46BtJaSSBb5d5FlDm4Cb9g-gSy2L1haW67lvMeCLLr_izQGGJ18Y85EGKlM_f9b6VdYNE_o_2o6LamypdbGSKOOcodZntYvcrua7ueMgEt1ez7JqtuIfU/s1600/Madison+Bike+Share+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6iEuH79VpHbWT76bOEE7Sj46BtJaSSBb5d5FlDm4Cb9g-gSy2L1haW67lvMeCLLr_izQGGJ18Y85EGKlM_f9b6VdYNE_o_2o6LamypdbGSKOOcodZntYvcrua7ueMgEt1ez7JqtuIfU/s320/Madison+Bike+Share+2.JPG" width="239" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, a round of applause for the good folks of Madison! </div>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-48212520902344140252011-07-06T18:29:00.001-04:002011-07-06T18:29:33.904-04:00New York City Skirt Police<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiqqQR9VL5uHPwsOAWmkCr9AG_tceBqWiPGaFv6C1wC4o-zobSFSnqJDd4_YKECXMeBhk_TnN-sDb4Ez8rHxOZWx5RDkTArh13TUFx3T60dnUFlzrr97Bm50oj0q2DCk1FPGWIPWDuqs/s1600/Bike-blog--skirt-on-bike--006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiqqQR9VL5uHPwsOAWmkCr9AG_tceBqWiPGaFv6C1wC4o-zobSFSnqJDd4_YKECXMeBhk_TnN-sDb4Ez8rHxOZWx5RDkTArh13TUFx3T60dnUFlzrr97Bm50oj0q2DCk1FPGWIPWDuqs/s400/Bike-blog--skirt-on-bike--006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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This is the story of Jasmijn Rijcken, a Dutch woman in NYC to promote <span id="goog_2125380037"></span><a href="http://www.vanmoof.com/">Vanmoof</a> <span id="goog_2125380038"></span>bicycles, who alleges she was stopped and harassed by a NYC police officer for wearing a skirt while biking. Apparently this can be dangerous and distracting to motorists.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This story has been picked up by, reported on, and blogged about by many so far and I won't attempt to repeat it. Take a look at these links for the background:<br />
<ul><li>The <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/06/11/cop_allegedly_threatened_to_ticket.php">Gothamist</a> was one of the first to pick up the story</li>
<li>Across the pond in London, the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/jun/15/cycling-skirt-motoring-hazard">Guardian</a> also picked up the story</li>
<li>Further afar, our Danish friends at <a href="http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/2011/06/short-skirts-on-bicycles-protest-in-new.html">Cycle Chic</a> reported on the story and explored a bit of the gendered history of cycling</li>
<li>Some suggested it was all a marketing hoax, so <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/06/14/a-long-explanation-of-why-the-biking-while-sexy-story-is-no-hoax/">Streegsblog</a> investigated and decided that it was likely legit</li>
</ul>This isn't the first time the NYPD has sought to ticket a cyclist for perfectly legal behaviour. Not too long ago <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2011/06/video-bicycle-tickets-for-legal-cycling.html">I blogged about</a> a cyclist in NYC who was ticketed for not riding in a bike lane. He made a great video about it. <br />
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In response to this madness, protest rides were organized. They've been dubbed 'Skirts on Bikes' rides.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Andrew Schwartz for <a href="http://www.nypress.com/blog-9321-after-last-nights-skirts-on-bikes-ride.html">New York Press</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Check out the <a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/06/skirts_on_bikes.php">Village Voice</a> and the <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/06/16/short_skirt_celebration_protest_bik.php">Gothamist</a> for more on the protest rides.<br />
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So, what gives with hating on women (and cyclists) these days? In Toronto this past year a police officer made some comments to a group of students at York University that women should dress less slutty in order not to be raped. This, of course, spawned a <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1004972--new-delhi-is-latest-city-to-organize-slutwalk">worldwide reaction</a> that led to the now famous <a href="http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/">Slut Walks</a>.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-8529393419758611702011-07-05T23:02:00.004-04:002011-07-20T14:37:05.279-04:00Save Jarvis Bike Lanes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgcbAXS2sKmFRn1jswLoYoRHqmAcOzEfc4ACcIhw6pUpN2lIod_rJ-zm4YC6GGtbtC3HRGHgb8A4GzlTSOZjB27mEbaYtwVBIraxavyNOlUJJCIFk3cPwjfcQS044Mrx7K7HsEOfa4WA/s1600/save_jarvis_single_or.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgcbAXS2sKmFRn1jswLoYoRHqmAcOzEfc4ACcIhw6pUpN2lIod_rJ-zm4YC6GGtbtC3HRGHgb8A4GzlTSOZjB27mEbaYtwVBIraxavyNOlUJJCIFk3cPwjfcQS044Mrx7K7HsEOfa4WA/s320/save_jarvis_single_or.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Ford has decided to ignore reason and economic sense by proposing to remove the Jarvis St. bike lanes.<br />
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We must stop him.<br />
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Here's how you can help.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Toronto Cyclists Union has sent out an <a href="http://bikeunion.to/save-jarvis">action alert </a>and set up a website with helpful information:<br />
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<blockquote>1. Call and E-mail Rob Ford: 416-397-FORD/<a href="mailto:mayor_ford@toronto.ca">mayor_ford@toronto.ca</a><br />
2. <a href="http://bikeunion.to/e-mail-your-councillor" target="_blank">Call and E-mail your local Councillor</a> <br />
3. <a href="http://bikeunion.to/save-jarvis-petition" target="_blank">Sign our petition</a><br />
4. Join our Save Jarvis! Team by contacting us at <a href="mailto:jarvis@bikeunion.to">jarvis@bikeunion.to</a>. We're looking for volunteers who can flyer the bike lane on week day mornings, gather testimonials, pictures, video and connect with cyclists who use the bike lane.<br />
5. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164930363572048" target="_blank">Attend the upcoming City Council</a> meeting on July 12/13 where Councillors will be debating and voting on the Jarvis removal. Let's show City Hall that the community supports bike lanes on Jarvis Street. The more cyclists that attend the meeting, the better. Please plan on staying for as long as possible. We'll have a better idea of what day Jarvis Street will be debated on as the meeting date gets closer. <br />
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We need you to reach out to your network and help the bike union keep the flood waters rising. Share with every electronic friend until we beat this bad idea.<br />
<a href="http://www.bikeunion.to/join" target="_self">Join for Jarvis!</a></blockquote>For background and more information take a look at the following links:<br />
<ul><li>I Bike TO: <a href="http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/what-wrong-jarvis-bike-lane">What is wrong with the Jarvis Bike Lane?</a> and a <a href="http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/mayor-and-councillor-parker-fail-councillor-wong-tam-and-residents-jarvis-bike-lanes">Backgrounder</a></li>
<li>Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation: <a href="http://www.torontocat.ca/node/1649">Public Works Committee votes for and against Bike Improvements</a></li>
<li>Mez Dispenser: <a href="http://meslin.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/dissecting/">Dissecting Mayor Ford's Jarvis Letter</a></li>
</ul>This debacle and the mess that is Rob Ford has even made it all the way to Denmark, and has been featured on <a href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/search/label/rob%20ford">Copenhagenize</a>. <br />
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Like transit, priority neighbourhoods, and public housing, cycling in Toronto is under attack. It's time we stand up and fight back!Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-18099113310497350912011-06-16T22:01:00.004-04:002011-07-05T21:56:26.537-04:00Ford Conquers Art Bike?So Toronto is going to have "art bikes."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4i9xYUAw0V6-R7qZLXH2BaTfS84PpV6F4iDS4QoJAjB3UKABzGXvEuJOXrr4LMm1hRskoqKCmjUxlhYvLv5bJyJO2l6V5ptxOu-RuIVA8tdY1BqAljuQvBasFohLnxQQGuGYyhe4GfU/s1600/art+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4i9xYUAw0V6-R7qZLXH2BaTfS84PpV6F4iDS4QoJAjB3UKABzGXvEuJOXrr4LMm1hRskoqKCmjUxlhYvLv5bJyJO2l6V5ptxOu-RuIVA8tdY1BqAljuQvBasFohLnxQQGuGYyhe4GfU/s400/art+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1001733--spontaneous-act-of-art-ordered-removed-from-dundas-st?bn=1">Spontaneous act of art ordered removed from Dundas St.</a></td></tr>
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The Toronto Star published an article on June 2 about Caroline Macfarlane who painted a bike that has been locked to a bike post for over a year.<br />
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Sometimes I take Dundas to and from work and saw it the other day. It was awesome! Bike + art = cool things in Toronto.<br />
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Then <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/index.htm">Transportation Services</a> decided to put a removal notice on it because they hate art in Toronto (actually, it's because all of a sudden, after sitting there for over a year, this bike is taking up precious parking space for other bikes and needed to be removed). Despite attempts to save the bike, Transportation Services got their way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OqTA_c400TGbCa1nPYcgybOAJlGyGsVE6C3cMHWK4pz3XT260pMrx-VPsSzOQQAHdiWOnXJhWt5bdXN2Yo6wre9rWDpwP74oLyd6DY1krKObUPt5oKkjL7hKHqwej_-ZuWWMuTi_-YY/s1600/save+our+neon+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OqTA_c400TGbCa1nPYcgybOAJlGyGsVE6C3cMHWK4pz3XT260pMrx-VPsSzOQQAHdiWOnXJhWt5bdXN2Yo6wre9rWDpwP74oLyd6DY1krKObUPt5oKkjL7hKHqwej_-ZuWWMuTi_-YY/s400/save+our+neon+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogthegood.tumblr.com/post/6039844159/save-our-neon-bike">blogthegood</a></td></tr>
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So the bike was removed and now seems to be a nice prize for Ford. Kinda looks like one of them <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/903416--cherry-s-pinko-comments-draw-plenty-of-reaction">left-wing pinko</a> bike riders!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRht8KTkvc7u0RK4X_OTe1on4Qv_a4o507JGHYvVSIXtioKVmr2qu6sKOjPNFVBRP0PlVJJXFmo81JgW7qTNZPb4EUHXmU3uhY_LNo0sJssiY8HvrR5_iJdKHVGQgXjlB3Qcy8o-4Uh0E/s1600/ford+conquers+art+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRht8KTkvc7u0RK4X_OTe1on4Qv_a4o507JGHYvVSIXtioKVmr2qu6sKOjPNFVBRP0PlVJJXFmo81JgW7qTNZPb4EUHXmU3uhY_LNo0sJssiY8HvrR5_iJdKHVGQgXjlB3Qcy8o-4Uh0E/s400/ford+conquers+art+bike.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1009390--more-art-bikes-rolling-to-t-o-sidewalks">More 'art bikes' rolling to T.O. sidewalks</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today the Toronto Star reported that since removing a nice piece of street art City Council has decided to institutionalize "art bikes" by providing Macfarlane with 150 bikes collected by the City to art up and put on sidewalks around the city. Am I missing something? So the City can step in and decide to ruin something great and then become heroes for "allowing" the very same artist to do it all over again? Let's just hope the City doesn't move to sell off the art bikes to corporate sponsors. <br />
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This reminds me of two weeks ago when the City <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1000475--artist-says-city-erased-mural-it-paid-him-to-paint">painted over a mural</a> on Dupont that was still in progress of being made even though it was commissioned by the City. What is going on here?! Who is in charge?! <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/cityscape/2011/06/08/we-called-it-mural-artist-to-get-a-second-shot-at-dupont-underpass/">Apparently</a> the City is now allowing the same guy to re-paint the same mural at the same spot. I don't get it.<br />
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Check out <a href="http://blogthegood.tumblr.com/post/6039831308/re-cycling">Macfarlane's blog post</a> on the so-called art bike.<br />
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<a href="http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/contact_us.htm">Contact Transportation Services</a> to register your discontent.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-34961904593703480402011-06-14T19:03:00.001-04:002011-07-20T14:37:34.205-04:00Video: Bicycle Tickets for Legal Cycling?!The other day a friend of mine sent me this video of a guy in NYC who got a ticket for not cycling in the bike lane. Turns out, of course, that not cycling in a bike lane is perfectly legal and the guy should not have been ticketed. Apparently one should continue to ride in a bike lane even when there are obstructions. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bzE-IMaegzQ" width="560"></iframe>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-16138342642488774322011-05-15T16:43:00.003-04:002011-05-15T19:22:08.723-04:00Have your say: physically separated bike lanes in Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ie2GDYrgWopv7Xd1YCdYp1rI9IhcFxRqSOVtvMifcMC7Ji2FbMmj58lO62IiM0afROwRNb4LD34jQYibqlSBf8uQpe-BSMq4PMNZKO5iqhRu7EpgQRoRptbnFdbEVtHDHjhJff0dzM4/s1600/separated-bike-lanes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ie2GDYrgWopv7Xd1YCdYp1rI9IhcFxRqSOVtvMifcMC7Ji2FbMmj58lO62IiM0afROwRNb4LD34jQYibqlSBf8uQpe-BSMq4PMNZKO5iqhRu7EpgQRoRptbnFdbEVtHDHjhJff0dzM4/s640/separated-bike-lanes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/10/04/notes-on-bicycling-in-copenhagen/">Copenhagen</a> - <a href="http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2009/10/ride-report-bogota-colombia.html">Bogotá</a> - <a href="http://thecityfix.com/research-recap-may-2-safe-cycle-tracks-the-value-of-accessibility-surprisingly-active-suburbia/">Montreal</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the May issue of <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/cyclometer/index.htm">Cyclometer</a> - the City of Toronto's newsletter about cycling - there is a call out for help on designing physically separated bike lanes in Toronto. With the successful launch of <a href="https://toronto.bixi.com/">BIXI</a> bikes in Toronto and the recent <a href="http://bikingtoronto.com/physically-separate-bikelanes-coming-to-downtown-toronto/">publicity</a> about a downtown network of separate lanes, it seems that the City is seriously considering creating some decent biking infrastructure. The call out reads as follows: <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Share Your Cycle Track Design Insights </b><br />
The City of Toronto is starting to consider options for physically separated bike lanes (Also known as "Cycle Tracks") in the downtown area. <br />
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You can help inform our research by contributing to the <a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Cycle+Tracks" target="_blank"> SteetsWiki Cycle Tracks web pages</a>. You'll need to create a <a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/space/join" target="_blank">wikispaces</a> account and join "SteetsWiki", which is usually approved within an hour or two, and then you can start to edit web pages. With your help we can find all the potential solutions for designing ideal Cycle Tracks.</span> </span></blockquote>This may be a great opportunity to ensure that the designers and planners at City hall have all the information they need to do a good job. So.... have your say!Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-8903492099443262292011-01-15T11:05:00.000-05:002011-01-15T11:05:01.147-05:00Biking is Cool<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuKTkyLguvU9pOsQ5l7epaEbqShP86gcn57TWYG3NTbs2aWxYEoG9hRpLRwu_Pk-gPXNOs3cesKr3ECYxN7AlHSLh4CTQJ1dd6z13AcZeUwPCuKEh4vOUPv39RUmdSR8cxCNuBKpTK2U/s1600/beatles+ride+bikes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuKTkyLguvU9pOsQ5l7epaEbqShP86gcn57TWYG3NTbs2aWxYEoG9hRpLRwu_Pk-gPXNOs3cesKr3ECYxN7AlHSLh4CTQJ1dd6z13AcZeUwPCuKEh4vOUPv39RUmdSR8cxCNuBKpTK2U/s400/beatles+ride+bikes.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul, Ringo, George and John ride bikes. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>My partner recently found this cool site that posts pictures of famous people riding bikes. It's called <a href="http://ridesabike.tumblr.com/">Rides a Bike</a>.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-39417827944184378372011-01-07T23:23:00.000-05:002011-01-07T23:23:23.248-05:00Save Transit City!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TeBS6rE0l8vgYazs_HKDr8-1qFvqVD9e7mN2jHv0D5COkOoWZCgaAdQMSmbvBDWiIyZXZUIFcjjynNk4A_uiA9b251GmkoPhF8ZilXAdTLGoRKMxL_lPu9QpHxv02pA6GtQNsA9tdKI/s1600/Transit+Comparison+Poster-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TeBS6rE0l8vgYazs_HKDr8-1qFvqVD9e7mN2jHv0D5COkOoWZCgaAdQMSmbvBDWiIyZXZUIFcjjynNk4A_uiA9b251GmkoPhF8ZilXAdTLGoRKMxL_lPu9QpHxv02pA6GtQNsA9tdKI/s400/Transit+Comparison+Poster-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Because a functioning city needs more than bikes, come out and rally in support of Transit City this Sunday January 9 from 2-4 p.m. at City Hall.<br />
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I received this nifty poster from Councillor Joe Mihevc's listserv. I'm not on facebook, but apparently there is a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/event.php?eid=161885717188424">page</a> set up for the event. Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-6265714375660410072011-01-07T18:59:00.001-05:002011-01-07T18:59:50.937-05:00Biking news: dedicated lanes in Toronto, raised lanes in Guelph, and Canada featured on CopenhagenizeIt's been an interesting week for cycling.<br />
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<b><u>Dedicated lanes in Toronto</u>:</b><br />
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Today the Star <a href="http://www.thestar.com/article/917749--city-to-build-curbs-for-separate-bike-lanes-downtown">ran an article</a> about a plan to build curbs to separate bike lanes in the downtown. Denzil Minnan-Wong, the new chair of the public works and infrastructure committee, has come out in support of building a network of separated bike lanes along major streets. Some streets that already have space carved out with bike lanes - such as Sherbourne - will get curbs separating cars from bikes. Other streets without bike lanes - such as Richmond - may get bi-directional bike lanes. Of course, this plan must pass through the committee and then council, but it's great news for Toronto!<br />
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<b><u>Raised lanes in Guelph</u>:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_G7BB6J8Tfh1XHqu09IwnagC_j2Fsx9OATKoYl2lrJXS_h2cBJKQVcjD2fTi8KgxT4GioN6I6wXPpf7C77-zv1Fx9K3GkK0pwdtWVJ5Y6_VHzhcFwm9NVqnXKvNjdUbgsr2BRWf45ps/s1600/%255Bguelph%255D+raised+lane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_G7BB6J8Tfh1XHqu09IwnagC_j2Fsx9OATKoYl2lrJXS_h2cBJKQVcjD2fTi8KgxT4GioN6I6wXPpf7C77-zv1Fx9K3GkK0pwdtWVJ5Y6_VHzhcFwm9NVqnXKvNjdUbgsr2BRWf45ps/s400/%255Bguelph%255D+raised+lane.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: <a href="http://guelph.ca/remastered/?p=3302">Guelph Remastered</a></td></tr>
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Upon some research this week about 'raised lanes' I found out that Guelph has begun construction on Ontario's first <a href="http://guelph.ca/remastered/?p=3302">raised bike lane</a>. Separated from car traffic by raising the lane like a sidewalk, this lane is very similar to the type seen in Copenhagen. <br />
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<b><u>Ottawa and Toronto make Copenhagenize</u>:</b><br />
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<b></b>A post on <a href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/2011/01/wake-up-ottawa.html">Copenhagenize</a> today rails on the Bank Street BIA in Ottawa for opposing the planned physically separated bike infrastructure, which cited safety concerns as their reason. Apparently the study cited in support, which highlighted an increase in accidents after Copenhagen built separated lanes, came from the <a href="http://www.vehicularcyclist.com/">vehicular cycling</a> community that argues vigorously against cycling infrastructure. Vehicular cyclists advocate for bikes to be treated the same as cars - certainly not a position supported by us here at Cycle Toronto.<br />
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Copenhagenize also linked to the Star article noted above. Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-57998287717786296382011-01-03T18:10:00.001-05:002011-01-03T18:12:59.718-05:00The Great Sharrow Debate<object height="334" width="550"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u8e6ZReHLKM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u8e6ZReHLKM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="550" height="334"></embed></object><br />
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Sharrows are a sorry substitute, a poor compromise, and an illusion of safety and progress. Until the City starts taking bold action to create a functioning network of physically separated bike lanes, cyclists will continue to be second-class citizens. And those who use bikes to ride on city streets must stop accepting unsafe and regressive pavement markings in place of safe and effective cycling infrastructure: we must shed ourselves of the defeatist attitude that something is better than nothing and advocate collectively for real change. A vision of Toronto as a true cycling city is not out of reach, but we must stop negotiating ourselves down to the point where we believe that separated lanes are unworkable and sharrows will push us in the right direction. If we want the City to be bold we must be bold ourselves!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * </div><br />
The City of Toronto will soon be holding a <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2010/12/notice-of-public-consultation-sharrow.html">public consultation</a> to discuss the relatively recent pilot project on College St. between Manning and Landsdowne that saw "sharrows" installed where College St. has been determined to be too narrow to accommodate the continuation of the College St. bike lane. On-street car parking is allowed except during rush hour when the sharrows reveal themselves for cyclists. Thursday January 20, 2011 will be an opportunity for us to tell City Hall that we won't accept second-rate gestures of progress and recognition any longer. Come out and make your voice heard.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * </div><br />
"Sharrows" are "shared lane pavement markings," which look like bicycles with two chevrons in front. They are becoming increasingly common on streets in North America as well as the UK and Australia. In 2004 the City of San Francisco undertook a study of sharrows, which soon after saw them spread across the U.S. For more information about sharrows generally take a look at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking">Wikipedia page</a> and for more information about sharrows in Toronto you can read the FAQ on the <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/network/sharrow_faq.htm">city's website</a>.<br />
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Sharrows are meant to do a number of things including: alert motorists to the presence of cyclists on the road, improve safety for cycists, and indicate the lateral position where cyclists should ride. In Toronto we tend to have two types: sharrows placed to the right side of a curb lane where there is enough room for cyclists and motorists to ride side-by-side, and sharrows placed in the centre of the curb lane where there isn't. In the latter case, cyclists are encouraged by sharrows to "take the lane," as it were.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">* *</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>There are several reasons why I believe that sharrows are bad for cyclists.<br />
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First, the psychological sense of improved safety on the road gained by sharrows is not a substitute for the real improvement in safety that would come with physically separated lanes, raised lanes, or bike pathways. Sharrows don't provide much more security for children, older riders, less agile riders, or larger cargo bikes that could be used to transport kids. Toronto continues to be a cycling city dominated by younger and more physically fit individuals. An inclusive method of transportation this does not make.<br />
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Sharrows tend to put cyclists between fast moving cars (and/or streetcars) and parked cars that leave cyclists vulnerable to both opened doors and cars changing lanes (despite any visibility improvement gained by the sharrow): The reality is that bikes are still placed in the middle.<br />
<br />
Second, sharrows aren't all that usable. Most of the time sharrows sit under parked cars, or cars sitting in traffic. Turns out that they aren't all that visible under snow either. Rush-hour sharrows are only operative for a few hours on weekdays and centre lane sharrows encourage unsafe riding practices - I for one would rather ride by the side of road than in the centre of a lane between cars, buses, and trucks all going 40km/hr faster than me.<br />
<br />
Anecdotally, I have heard from drivers who find this practice of "taking the lane" to be incredibly frustrating and unsafe. The effect is to pit cyclists against motorists when the intention is to encourage a polite sharing of the road space. The result, from a vocal car driving population, is a reasonable argument to get bikes off the roads entirely.<br />
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Third, sharrows reinforce the incorrect and detrimental belief that bikes are cars. Ontario has regretfully lumped both cars and bikes into the definition of "vehicle" under the <i><a href="http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h08_e.htm#BK0">Highway Traffic Act</a></i>. This allows a bike to be on the road in Ontario, but has seemingly convinced everyone to treat bikes likes cars: the same traffic laws, the same traffic violation fines, arguments in favour of requiring bike licensing, and, for our purposes here, requiring bikes to share the road with cars.<br />
<br />
Streetcars, for example, are not "vehicles" and it has been easier to develop streetcar-specific infrastructure including right-of-way lanes, traffic lights, etc. A separate definition has provided the possibility of prioritization in some cases (such as specific and advance lights) and a broader debate about budgeting, policy, design, and engineering. "Pedestrian" is not defined in the Act, but I would venture a guess that we all think sidewalks are a good idea.<br />
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Sharrows are "infrastructure" that reinforce the false notion that bikes and cars should be treated the same and should share the road. If we start to think of bikes as a unique category of transportation, which they are - one more similar to pedestrians than cars - then the realization that it makes more sense to accommodate bikes by building separated infrastructure will follow.<br />
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Cities like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Bogotá have all been successful in creating some form of separated cycling infrastructure - whether it be separated lanes, raised lanes, off-road but networked paths, or bike paths integrated into sidewalks - that recognize bikes as a form of transportation unlike cars.<br />
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Forth, sharrows are a political step backwards and will make it harder to advocate for better cycling infrastructure in the future. Each time we accept a new sharrow on the road we signal to City Hall that this is a reasonable compromise on safe infrastructure and that we are willing to settle for anything. We set a very low standard and a dangerous precedent for how Toronto should develop it's public road space. Even though we have caught onto the idea of "complete streets" we still see a fragmented understanding of the space between buildings. <br />
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</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>* *</i></div><i><br />
</i><br />
These arguments certainly raise many questions. There are undoubtedly legitimate concerns about money, political will, available road space, design and engineering standards, the legal status of bikes, and so on. But if Toronto is ever to become a safe and enjoyable cycling city we need to at least start with a shared vision and framework of best standards, rather than worst.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-46235441891432931012010-12-31T17:33:00.001-05:002010-12-31T17:36:01.999-05:00Notice of Public Consultation: Sharrow Evaluation Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTUY7nOhW2Xo6V57wzQhouV4tfaYEks45NI-4QU88JlYMukiFMUAktTTlRWwzcvLV8onJUmxCgfCVoY6x3p7-rDzMrGuN0pNlddNEyP2mQvk3yKdTHuwxCGqQovX9aj0vspJwYU0Xy5Y/s1600/Sharrow+Meeting+Notice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTUY7nOhW2Xo6V57wzQhouV4tfaYEks45NI-4QU88JlYMukiFMUAktTTlRWwzcvLV8onJUmxCgfCVoY6x3p7-rDzMrGuN0pNlddNEyP2mQvk3yKdTHuwxCGqQovX9aj0vspJwYU0Xy5Y/s400/Sharrow+Meeting+Notice.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A public meeting to discuss rush hour sharrows is coming up on Thursday January 20, 2011 at City Hall. This is an open meeting to learn more about the trial project that put sharrows on College St. for use during rush hour when car parking is not allowed. Click <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/public-consultations/rush-hour-sharows.htm">here</a> for more information and details about time and place.<br />
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Sharrows are pavement markings that indicate where cyclists are supposed to ride on the road and are also meant to alert car drivers to the presence of cyclists. Earlier in the year the City of Toronto unleashed these markings on College St. where the road narrows and the bike lanes end. The City reached out to cyclists who ride that stretch of road during rush hour to see how they like it. You can read my previous post about the pilot project <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2010/03/college-street-cycling-survey.html">here</a>.<br />
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To prepare for the meeting, or for your interest, you can download the <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/reports/pdf/2010_sharrow_eval.pdf">Evaluation Report</a> [pdf].<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbhTDRPFCsBzSeIgic8-eAoAFM4ZrUmOnXmLapuf2j_pELwZdZd15DBsxk2Hs4itLQTK_x9x23T8fGC6UGJLnSBfClcYMTydNsTfURRbxMwJcyangy2RLiuhYFNvhc-dEFUkLNP8YjFc/s1600/Sharrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbhTDRPFCsBzSeIgic8-eAoAFM4ZrUmOnXmLapuf2j_pELwZdZd15DBsxk2Hs4itLQTK_x9x23T8fGC6UGJLnSBfClcYMTydNsTfURRbxMwJcyangy2RLiuhYFNvhc-dEFUkLNP8YjFc/s320/Sharrow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally decontextualized picture of a sharrow. Credit: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/11/30/google-bike-directions.html">CBC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Truth be told, I'm not a fan of sharrows, but I'll save that diatribe for another post.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-11937935616211214722010-12-21T23:04:00.002-05:002010-12-22T20:23:10.345-05:00City of Toronto 2010 Bicycle Count SummaryThe City has just released its Bicycle Count Summary. From the City website:<br />
<blockquote>In September 2010, the City of Toronto conducted its first Bicycle Count along four screenlines in downtown: Bloor Street, Spadina Avenue, Queens Quay and Jarvis Street. The Count provides data on how many cyclists are riding on downtown streets, when and where they are riding, and other characteristics about cyclists such as helmet use, gender, sidewalk riding and whether the cyclist is transporting a passenger.</blockquote>Take a look at the <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/reports/pdf/bicycle_count_summary_2010.pdf">Summary</a> [pdf] and the <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/open/datasets/bicycle-count-and-locations/">Complete Raw Data</a> [web links].<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER0bzM3enQ8XtSH-ns0zX4brD08WDTuevPHtMHn-Aild-AUdD7r2PZkCvCdFbRi05gaZC9t6ayuRNPN6MeJay_mxEM4HbWIUUiGlSzEKyP_su9mu0MCnx5p2lij1NqLVFS3TkmDgTQGg/s1600/Toronto+Bike+Summary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER0bzM3enQ8XtSH-ns0zX4brD08WDTuevPHtMHn-Aild-AUdD7r2PZkCvCdFbRi05gaZC9t6ayuRNPN6MeJay_mxEM4HbWIUUiGlSzEKyP_su9mu0MCnx5p2lij1NqLVFS3TkmDgTQGg/s400/Toronto+Bike+Summary.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The Count found that over 19,000 cyclists entered the downtown core and over 15,000 exited between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on a typical weekday in September. [Correction: the survey likely counted bicycle trips in and out of the downtown, rather than unique cyclists.]<br />
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Not surprisingly, the count found that people preferred riding in bike lanes, which also attracted a broader range of riders.<br />
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This Count comes as a welcome addition to the resources the City and all of us have to better address the infrastructure needs of cyclists in Toronto. Funny, also, that it comes so shortly after my <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2010/12/spotlight-on-nyc.html">last post</a> that spoke about the need to track and count cyclists as they do in other cities such as Copenhagen.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-80557459198533676422010-12-12T19:26:00.002-05:002010-12-12T19:32:50.572-05:00Spotlight on NYC<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFUVjI31K8kYiq59ILXuYTb3X7zv14KxwQ5bAnqGD3q9pSj1FXuU0hpreefeW-IKnZwymyxjHph6qClE28RUbR8yPKhWb4Y-bVMJQh98mRYWGmACt8HMx7-NZTxh5Xo1T5Iv5lMfGgCA/s1600/%255Bnyc%255D+9th-avenue-bike-lane-manhattan-lookingsouth-1122008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFUVjI31K8kYiq59ILXuYTb3X7zv14KxwQ5bAnqGD3q9pSj1FXuU0hpreefeW-IKnZwymyxjHph6qClE28RUbR8yPKhWb4Y-bVMJQh98mRYWGmACt8HMx7-NZTxh5Xo1T5Iv5lMfGgCA/s400/%255Bnyc%255D+9th-avenue-bike-lane-manhattan-lookingsouth-1122008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.nycbikemaps.com/spokes/2008-new-bike-lanes-in-new-york-city/">NYC Bike Maps</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>New York City often comes up in discussions about bike lanes these days. Apparently over 250 miles of bike lanes have been created within the last four years alone. Popular grassroots support for better and safer cycling infrastructure, an increase in ridership, and strong willed municipal political support have made this possible. <br />
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NYC may be a sexy place to talk about bike lanes and bike culture, but it is not necessarily the leader in the U.S. Other cities like <a href="http://bikeportland.org/">Portland</a>, OR and <a href="http://www.cityofmadison.com/trafficEngineering/bicyclingMadison.cfm">Madison</a>, WI have long been good cycling cities.<br />
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But there is a sense that if such a huge, congested and heavily populated city like New York can manage to redesign its streets to support the bike, then so can just about any other city.<br />
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While 'European style' bike lanes have been floated in the media, this past summer, when Toronto was very close to trying a pilot project on University Avenue by installing physically separated bike lanes, they were often described as 'New York style' lanes (like in the photo above).<br />
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<u>Two articles of interest:</u><br />
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Despite the great progress in NYC, there have been some set backs. A friend of mine has sent me a few news stories from the Times: one is about how <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/nyregion/23bicycle.html?_r=2&hp">backlashes to newly installed lanes</a> has resulted in lanes being taken away; the other is about some bike lanes that seem to go <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/a-bicycle-lane-built-for-few/?hp">underutilized by cyclists</a>. <br />
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The first article highlights a common theme that rides across North American cities that are coming to terms with redesigning their streets. Like New York, Toronto has been struggling with it's own backlash to bike lanes (e.g. the recent mayor election campaigns, the redesign of Jarvis St. and Bloor St., etc.). When there is limited public space, the debate unfortunately becomes one of 'my rights versus yours'.<br />
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The second article is perhaps more curious. At a recent <a href="http://bikeunion.to/">Toronto Cyclist Union</a> meeting I heard the following interesting anecdote: more bike lanes were installed when Mel Lastman was mayor than when David Miller was mayor; Miller's retort was that Lastman put all the easy lanes in. This is to say that bike lanes are political and often cycling infrastructure goes in where there is least resistance rather then where it is needed most. For example, there is a shiny new bike lane of sorts on Harbord St. but no bike lane on Bloor despite the fact that Bloor would make a heck of a lot more sense for an East-West biking corridor.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMovCwHUD4_89y8mqy-FSUZu3WWJKUFZkzuBGr1iJNGrQpNxJGjrAT3nOPPpsdQXDW91hQPtneRPE1vxXCj7gCsqtoDWbFwvsiFIq-EhAokSHh3H3k53JCrhQAwaITOWwJMwlHxKe5QBc/s1600/%255Bcph%255D+bike+counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMovCwHUD4_89y8mqy-FSUZu3WWJKUFZkzuBGr1iJNGrQpNxJGjrAT3nOPPpsdQXDW91hQPtneRPE1vxXCj7gCsqtoDWbFwvsiFIq-EhAokSHh3H3k53JCrhQAwaITOWwJMwlHxKe5QBc/s320/%255Bcph%255D+bike+counter.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009_10_01_archive.html">Copenhagenize</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The NY Times article on an underutilized lane begs just this question: are we willing to build a cycling network that addresses the needs of cyclists, or do we prefer to build a patchwork system that is most feasible. While I don't know much about the lane mentioned in the article - whether or not it makes sense in the larger scheme of a NYC network - one way to solve this issue is to have people out on the streets tracking cyclists. Several years ago, Copenhagen employed people to stand at intersections and count the number of cyclists that rode by. Now they have an automated counter.<br />
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With respect to the NYC lane, user comments provided other perspectives to the 'cause' of the lane's underutilization, like it being winter. Here's one example:<br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.083em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><i>"Wow, such a scientific study on bike lane usage. A 2 month old, 19 block long bike lane in winter wasn’t used for the half an hour this reporter stood around. And the conclusion is what, in the headline? Perhaps look at a bike lane that’s built properly, that’s of sufficient length to take people somewhere, when weather is not freezing, and you’ll see something different. The person from the TA is right, bike lanes become useful when you have a whole network of them to take you where you want to go, not just a 19 block stretch. All you have to do is take a look at the east or west side bikeways along the rivers, during the summer, to see how many people want to ride bikes in a safe place. If there were protected bike lines the entire length of Manhattan, they would be used. But you have to start somewhere, which is why you have small stretches of bike lines now, which hopefully in the future will grow into a usable network. - san"</i></span></span></blockquote>For more on cycling in New York, check out the following links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikemain.shtml">NYC Department of Transportation</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bike/cwbm.shtml">NYC Department of City Planning</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.transalt.org/">Transportation Alternatives</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nycbikemaps.com/">NYC Bike Maps</a><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_New_York_City">Cycling in New York Wiki</a>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-70406695161251652432010-11-24T22:32:00.003-05:002010-11-24T22:38:36.937-05:00Think Bike Workshop No. 2<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerTtLVlbpNpwa8MDCbmUZUnL0Afqn1T4bBcX2NnQTKXiuHGxKnwLOxxisYTpwzu8dV6QA7mEOmXxVEe7GC_uGIhXf-pq_iQl649XqurkDLT4Fon6S1mJFDcpM_QBjhgBED4gvx7GJPQs/s1600/Think+Bike+Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerTtLVlbpNpwa8MDCbmUZUnL0Afqn1T4bBcX2NnQTKXiuHGxKnwLOxxisYTpwzu8dV6QA7mEOmXxVEe7GC_uGIhXf-pq_iQl649XqurkDLT4Fon6S1mJFDcpM_QBjhgBED4gvx7GJPQs/s200/Think+Bike+Logo.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks City of Toronto <br />
Think Bike website!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Way back in September I attended the Think Bike workshop at the El Mocambo and <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2010/09/think-bike-workshop.html">posted a blog entry</a> about all the great ideas that our friends from the Netherlands had for our fair city.<br />
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The Dutch bicycle/city planners teamed up with Torontonians and city hall folk to create plans for redesigning Sherbourne St. and setting out a plan for a downtown bike lane network.<br />
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I was so captivated by the discussions that I failed to take good photos of the designs. Much to my good fortune, the City of Toronto has updated its Think Bike website and has posted the presentations from that night. You can <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/thinkbike/index.htm">visit the site</a> and download the PDF presentations as well as other presentations from the Netherlands.<br />
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In particular, I liked the illustrations of different ways to design a street with a separated bike lane. Here are some examples from the Blue team's presentation:<br />
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<u>Protected 2-way bike path with central blvd</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrr7_0ubUZJ0bLx7fmAGW3Qm_jHgxMQsauJv2o_N49P4Zol0ajt9M6Zg9-SlAD_iVTuQyaCYk5TUhkd78SWBBjvKgmSDR1b-WJj2CQfvq8c1tJiH1Dd9lS7M4sYgnFvCG2bS5NpD8FfM/s1600/ThinkBike1a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrr7_0ubUZJ0bLx7fmAGW3Qm_jHgxMQsauJv2o_N49P4Zol0ajt9M6Zg9-SlAD_iVTuQyaCYk5TUhkd78SWBBjvKgmSDR1b-WJj2CQfvq8c1tJiH1Dd9lS7M4sYgnFvCG2bS5NpD8FfM/s400/ThinkBike1a.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg140tsl62fTpSB_buhiiGSIc4LSlDMhWXQOvcKakFKjBtNE9_HeKLs5pwWLbTzLQKcLVJAux635EJc4rxRvP1vhmxt-kQ7z_RVEXVDUIw-qD8zuJTA797jm31ct8M0BgTgPNl8UNZYYEc/s1600/ThinkBike1b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg140tsl62fTpSB_buhiiGSIc4LSlDMhWXQOvcKakFKjBtNE9_HeKLs5pwWLbTzLQKcLVJAux635EJc4rxRvP1vhmxt-kQ7z_RVEXVDUIw-qD8zuJTA797jm31ct8M0BgTgPNl8UNZYYEc/s400/ThinkBike1b.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Protected 2-way bike path with small dividing curb</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0BE_n6eIKTJqgbVlA1ANyuQCqw_7-n-2qFjpNDKCXTvRy1wa-kuynlV8UTUg-mnQL0FaCtQBz_QjlZ5Z6lT8zOhvhK_r9X7iOMRoiVe8S7OSeJKy11lgPMP7Y4EQ2HsCX16ekwTblZI/s1600/ThinkBike2a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0BE_n6eIKTJqgbVlA1ANyuQCqw_7-n-2qFjpNDKCXTvRy1wa-kuynlV8UTUg-mnQL0FaCtQBz_QjlZ5Z6lT8zOhvhK_r9X7iOMRoiVe8S7OSeJKy11lgPMP7Y4EQ2HsCX16ekwTblZI/s400/ThinkBike2a.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivaubxBdY19SpcOLKFW1OhHTUAbgCBgzjsdSLsFBCRkqG6eKq2wxGOHccP6-wg-1M3jB1rsoYvtjSsGNsnONZ3NrAIe6BSwHAbzkF_jdodL7d_ypxH7jP4K1syS0a6RyTsMLEoBJfKOo/s1600/ThinkBike2b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivaubxBdY19SpcOLKFW1OhHTUAbgCBgzjsdSLsFBCRkqG6eKq2wxGOHccP6-wg-1M3jB1rsoYvtjSsGNsnONZ3NrAIe6BSwHAbzkF_jdodL7d_ypxH7jP4K1syS0a6RyTsMLEoBJfKOo/s400/ThinkBike2b.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Low flow shared space</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUYm90sa0LBIe6hyeYgFVHcvCvP1C84BneQyaFsdLCFgbRmeI8do_NGhxPf6srCO07lhvTihgHRwtXiuQhe6jMgJZ28cXuPeZ7TnF4GQIKnQMkEKYZHa2jKQf0gRqw0Uz8EWf_0r0-Yw/s1600/ThinkBike3a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUYm90sa0LBIe6hyeYgFVHcvCvP1C84BneQyaFsdLCFgbRmeI8do_NGhxPf6srCO07lhvTihgHRwtXiuQhe6jMgJZ28cXuPeZ7TnF4GQIKnQMkEKYZHa2jKQf0gRqw0Uz8EWf_0r0-Yw/s400/ThinkBike3a.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzP-QbiisA-KPFAf7oU94sn2TF39-zU4DapEln1zCKs2lnEP48Ow8U2n2CQ-Pn-cfg2DK1tFM2jvL9EojkKAA1i8AtgWU8cSGWNS5q7ru73rfN3_FgOZyD8BEIK-5W4MumAxc-fGw-7TA/s1600/ThinkBike3b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzP-QbiisA-KPFAf7oU94sn2TF39-zU4DapEln1zCKs2lnEP48Ow8U2n2CQ-Pn-cfg2DK1tFM2jvL9EojkKAA1i8AtgWU8cSGWNS5q7ru73rfN3_FgOZyD8BEIK-5W4MumAxc-fGw-7TA/s400/ThinkBike3b.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Traditional separated bike lanes on either side of car traffic</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C25wDK0biXn8J5nlO6N3PK3-dmv5maxucaBttSi6jrStWpkdbDZNpS_hUvYrETB4-TwaCj2d6vIVp5YIux-YGLLau9EylifHkDbdXvCuTNI430spaeLa498V5QpV5oXSjhHBtEcyosY/s1600/ThinkBike4a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C25wDK0biXn8J5nlO6N3PK3-dmv5maxucaBttSi6jrStWpkdbDZNpS_hUvYrETB4-TwaCj2d6vIVp5YIux-YGLLau9EylifHkDbdXvCuTNI430spaeLa498V5QpV5oXSjhHBtEcyosY/s400/ThinkBike4a.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
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</u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_E7y86DJcg6xbak0ZRCXW1BnHL_4K2LswHFdun5WlNqizFUJlaVFrQw9JHqbUnFfvF5t7CaEMwMfniWCUKP0XMGNgbiiPU416FoDYD1c3WNE2a2EuNdo3CXwOxpVpXPG1NH4zdTQOME/s1600/ThinkBike4b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_E7y86DJcg6xbak0ZRCXW1BnHL_4K2LswHFdun5WlNqizFUJlaVFrQw9JHqbUnFfvF5t7CaEMwMfniWCUKP0XMGNgbiiPU416FoDYD1c3WNE2a2EuNdo3CXwOxpVpXPG1NH4zdTQOME/s400/ThinkBike4b.png" width="400" /></a></span></u></div><u> </u><br />
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Be sure to check out the presentations in full. Vive le vélo!Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-21444220642344458392010-11-23T21:25:00.000-05:002010-11-23T21:25:02.013-05:00Short history of bike lanes in the NetherlandsMy unofficial hiatus is officially over! Cycle Toronto is back.<br />
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</div><div>I've been keeping a list of all the things I plan to blog about in the coming days and weeks, but before I get to that, we'll ease back into things with a short video about the history of bike lanes in the Netherlands. I first saw this video on <a href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/11/104-years-of-separated-bicycle.html">Copenhagenize.com</a>.<br />
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Here it is. Enjoy!<br />
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</div>Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-34439947982427081512010-09-25T10:33:00.001-04:002010-09-25T10:35:45.469-04:00Bike lanes in MontrealA while ago I <a href="http://cycletoronto.wordpress.com/category/montreal/">wrote a post</a> on separated bike lanes, bike specific traffic lights, and BIXI bikes in Montreal. Recently, a friend of mine visited Montreal for a weekend and snapped a nice photo of a separated bike lane running along Avenue du Parc:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6v9urPQf0HMk9XwAHIeEeC6yzx7lgm9x1XJcZgI9eexMBn_2ONpQDF_SNxIgw5UchY1Cp2Fl3y0_ukZcHgusF3eD5gj9IzI2nunMKuMhMxR7-QoosxKMmX5DcabsOhPZEOkeeOFNRPI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6v9urPQf0HMk9XwAHIeEeC6yzx7lgm9x1XJcZgI9eexMBn_2ONpQDF_SNxIgw5UchY1Cp2Fl3y0_ukZcHgusF3eD5gj9IzI2nunMKuMhMxR7-QoosxKMmX5DcabsOhPZEOkeeOFNRPI/s400/photo.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Montreal has been building these types of separated bike lanes for a few years now. Already installed is a bi-directional, physically separated bike lane on the downtown street Boulevard de Maisonneuve:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetMg1-ou8LIBJUVyHvNHQ20VpHupx_22ywJ8mUlgeEgF_2tTjdcrlVejblq3m-Qm8S7d3lR7yXxd6jniK101z2GDJlrWvw1hjOKrs4hyphenhyphenDdyl7uBdR3xQhmC1O5iBNSoxAOYPgpHbPD8o/s1600/Boul+de+Maisonneuve.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetMg1-ou8LIBJUVyHvNHQ20VpHupx_22ywJ8mUlgeEgF_2tTjdcrlVejblq3m-Qm8S7d3lR7yXxd6jniK101z2GDJlrWvw1hjOKrs4hyphenhyphenDdyl7uBdR3xQhmC1O5iBNSoxAOYPgpHbPD8o/s400/Boul+de+Maisonneuve.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For those who may remember, the intersection of Parc and Pins used to be a total disaster with many roads converging into or passing one another. Recently this intersection was flattened and now there is a nice bike lane that follows it along. Below is an aerial view of the way the intersection looks now with a handy blue line to indicate the bike lane.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTYsnl6wulqKZ1n7HXFLe4Y50GwXWzUBPWrLFmJUVOhnIDtUPTBoJJb7UtSHzxUwTiPPY1fT3uNfbkkdlnX4DGXQ7RMBqTrlV119Bu9LDN_iMbzTuDrsykmBfKz5aNISL2rX_1pB9cpE/s1600/Parc+and+Pins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTYsnl6wulqKZ1n7HXFLe4Y50GwXWzUBPWrLFmJUVOhnIDtUPTBoJJb7UtSHzxUwTiPPY1fT3uNfbkkdlnX4DGXQ7RMBqTrlV119Bu9LDN_iMbzTuDrsykmBfKz5aNISL2rX_1pB9cpE/s400/Parc+and+Pins.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Of biking in Montreal, my friend said: "The BIXI program as well as ample and safe bike lanes makes cycling much more accessible for residents and visitors to the city." Below is a picture of the Montreal Bikeway Network:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu7oswsv3MrJXIXFCtYQgGfnPReYCliYagzGylMx0ybz6niZw4vXZXr0TuCVW22dZesM3zlmruxQpb0xVVGpz6hd-TOtrv_8rwrscZ7XvcZv3eyWP9Ua_CFvwWUK_PjptF5wxY4_dhrU/s1600/Montreal+Bikeway+network+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu7oswsv3MrJXIXFCtYQgGfnPReYCliYagzGylMx0ybz6niZw4vXZXr0TuCVW22dZesM3zlmruxQpb0xVVGpz6hd-TOtrv_8rwrscZ7XvcZv3eyWP9Ua_CFvwWUK_PjptF5wxY4_dhrU/s400/Montreal+Bikeway+network+map.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.velo.qc.ca/english/bikewaysdesign.php">Vélo Quebec</a>, a non-profit organization, has put together a planning and design manual focusing on pedestrians and cyclists.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4Etz5rJayQtxNdizTxslFSuUaIUbf3mOAEZvujGBxfWiHXQGZzUxSnJi0Qr2NCTBCUBGE7uZCBwhDcpsYzbv5fQLJME5ubusYMlzVknIcl-6Qxx-0HKRtCWLSIyq258lHJOfhRO3xOs/s1600/Planning+and+design+for+pedestrians+and+cyclists.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4Etz5rJayQtxNdizTxslFSuUaIUbf3mOAEZvujGBxfWiHXQGZzUxSnJi0Qr2NCTBCUBGE7uZCBwhDcpsYzbv5fQLJME5ubusYMlzVknIcl-6Qxx-0HKRtCWLSIyq258lHJOfhRO3xOs/s400/Planning+and+design+for+pedestrians+and+cyclists.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I haven't had the chance to look through it, but I may just go ahead and order a copy.<br />
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At the recent <a href="http://cycletoronto.blogspot.com/2010/09/think-bike-workshop.html">Think Bike workshop</a> in Toronto, Dutch bicycle planners addressed a number of design possibilities for Toronto, including bi-directional and buffered bike lanes as they have in Montreal, and illustrated several streets in Toronto's downtown core, such as Simcoe and Blue Jays Way, that could easily accommodate a redesign with physically separated bike lanes.<br />
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Montreal remains a great example for Toronto in how it's possible to integrate safe bike lanes into street reconstruction and redesign. Montreal is also a great example for Toronto because of the similarities in physical geography of the city and climate. If they can bike in the winter so can we.Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-58031236309758174522010-09-22T21:00:00.008-04:002010-09-22T21:08:29.788-04:00BIXI coming to Toronto?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQQJT9ZiAWqeOIIT-rdnTAozw2WdG6RCBsmFjExX6eybCt83c6JGluS6vYhNIl4gIDM-h30PMjHTes5ToEnlkXzeqv_SVsx2jb0VNecUpJHHhakfwU5xEQBf0hkvRNde1LZxTRUwE-xg/s1600/IMG_5890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQQJT9ZiAWqeOIIT-rdnTAozw2WdG6RCBsmFjExX6eybCt83c6JGluS6vYhNIl4gIDM-h30PMjHTes5ToEnlkXzeqv_SVsx2jb0VNecUpJHHhakfwU5xEQBf0hkvRNde1LZxTRUwE-xg/s400/IMG_5890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As you may already know, the City of Toronto is considering investing in and bringing BIXI bikes to Toronto. Last night outside the Think Bike workshop the Toronto BIXI team set up a booth in their bid to sign up 1000 members before the November 30, 2010 deadline. The City requires that 1000 people sign up by this date in order to show a minimum level of interest to make the investment worthwhile. To get the official scoop, check out the <a href="http://toronto.bixi.com/">Toronto BIXI website</a>. It costs $95 to become a member for a year and additional charges depending on your usage of the bikes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOb35XnYRpH4egE88brGkYZGsDiI-ZAavrvpniY8NA_SG72NhPq6hKhLO3IXyv92Rk-_L1Oik5giXQJpZ__vLl1EhPfSDWn2qqw5LyIB5tHjLJ5lWP7VcQ8ctLbjsIV0V4rcCOoSJAdY/s1600/IMG_5888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOb35XnYRpH4egE88brGkYZGsDiI-ZAavrvpniY8NA_SG72NhPq6hKhLO3IXyv92Rk-_L1Oik5giXQJpZ__vLl1EhPfSDWn2qqw5LyIB5tHjLJ5lWP7VcQ8ctLbjsIV0V4rcCOoSJAdY/s400/IMG_5888.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b><u>Behind the Bike</u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixi">BIXI</a>, which stands for Bike Taxi, is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_sharing_system">public bike sharing</a> program. There are many different companies that manufacture public bikes and operate such systems around the world. BIXI is owned and operated by a private, not-for-profit firm called <a href="http://www.bixisystem.com/">Public Bike System Company</a> (PBSC) which is based in Quebec. <br />
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To design, engineer, operate and source raw materials, PBSC works with several other individuals and companies. <a href="http://www.dallairedesign.com/flash/index.html">Michel Dallaire</a>, an industrial designer, designed the component parts; <a href="http://www.devinci.com/home.html">Cycle Devinci</a>, a firm of mechanical engineers, manufacture the bikes; <a href="http://www.morrow.ca/#">Morrow Communications</a> takes on marketing; and <a href="http://www.8d.com/">8D Technologies</a> builds the automated machines and parking systems. In addition to this, PBSC gets its aluminum from its title sponsor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Tinto_Alcan">Rio Tinto Alcan</a>, the world's largest aluminum/aluminium company. Depending on your politics, this last partner may not be much of a selling point.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxnpqx2LnG_5ChWI-6776iClNmWw3CBNmaleBLNsCRXF5d0VPqrSZ01xFb2LEJvi6wIQSEeDxjUS-t1LByhbTCk3xWZx1bAQiAv45mbI1CLY0X5FGW8GPWEF39KxFbcbfxi2bqiVU1RA/s1600/BIXI+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxnpqx2LnG_5ChWI-6776iClNmWw3CBNmaleBLNsCRXF5d0VPqrSZ01xFb2LEJvi6wIQSEeDxjUS-t1LByhbTCk3xWZx1bAQiAv45mbI1CLY0X5FGW8GPWEF39KxFbcbfxi2bqiVU1RA/s400/BIXI+front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The BIXI system is brought to municipalities around the world by PBSC who enters into a cost sharing arrangement with the municipality to launch and operate the program. In Canada, BIXI was first <a href="http://montreal.bixi.com/home">launched in Montreal</a> in the spring of 2009. The City of Toronto started looking into BIXI in 2010 and plans to enter into a 10-year agreement with PBSC to be launched May 1, 2011. In a <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/pw/agendas/2010-04-20-pw32-ar.htm">document</a> from the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee of a meeting held on April 20, 2010, the proposed financial arrangements and obligations are detailed. A summary is quoted below:<br />
<blockquote>City staff and PBSC have negotiated the draft terms of an agreement whereby PBSC would enter into a 10-year agreement with the City to be launched May 1, 2011. When the program is deployed, Torontonians and visitors would have access to 1,000 bicycles via 80 fully automated and conveniently located “bicycle parking stations” in the downtown area during the first year of operation with the potential to expand the system to other areas in the future. PBSC would be responsible for the $4.8 million capital investment to manufacture and install the public bicycle infrastructure and for the operation of the program, and the estimated $1.3 million average annual operating cost. In return, the City would provide a loan guarantee to assist PBSC in securing favourable financing. The City would be responsible for the cost of replacing the bicycles and stations due to vandalism and theft in excess of a six percent threshold.</blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 3px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 3px; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span>All of this, apparently, is conditional upon signing up 1000 members before the November 30, 2010 deadline.<br />
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<b><u>Support Public Bikes</u></b><br />
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Public bike sharing programs have been a great success in many cities around the world. It makes cycling an easy option for those who may not own a bike or who are only interested in short cycling trips around the city. Public bikes come in handy for filling the gap between public transportation and the remainder of your journey, visitors and tourists, and even those of us who have bikes but might find ourselves without it from time to time. In fact, yesterday I asked the Toronto BIXI rep why I or someone else who already has a bike would become a member. Two main situations, she answered: First, I may be out without my bike - for example if it is raining in the morning and I decide to take the TTC but it clears up at the end of the day; Second, I may have a visitor in from out of town who wants to ride along with me. Pretty good scenarios.<br />
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There are potential problems with BIXI and any public bike sharing program though. Vandalism and system failures of the automated machines and parking systems have been noted in some situations. In these cases, the City and BIXI would be responsible, respectively. <br />
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Either way, having more bikes on the road is a good thing. There is power in numbers both in terms of creating a critical mass of cyclists for presence and safety on the road and for improving the political will for other cycling needs like infrastructure and education. It will allow people who don't usually ride a bike to pick one up from time to time and experience how the city opens up and becomes a far easier and enjoyable place in which to get around. (Not everyone has to be a yearly member.)<br />
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While I don't expect to ride BIXI bikes all that often (granted I was told that the yearly membership pays for itself if you ride two times a month), I am thinking seriously of becoming a member just to help achieve the 1000 member mark and make the project a reality. So should you!<br />
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(Disclaimer: I don't work for, nor am I being compensated by, PBSC or the City of Toronto.)Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-82268303131338552662010-09-21T22:27:00.000-04:002010-09-21T22:27:52.278-04:00Think Bike Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrC_l_ZgYcwE4G2E3LBK2qT2PZq3RrmbhaP12xF5Q4a3xcEzcjEtT0WQVVUC0Qy6LABX-2hwGeKKEy8Zgqm4fitUIV74MXe-EjuJN3y_Xymb_bLCRHxNYoQ5xRsvpob6ZRnJb9S_hbvM/s1600/IMG_5892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrC_l_ZgYcwE4G2E3LBK2qT2PZq3RrmbhaP12xF5Q4a3xcEzcjEtT0WQVVUC0Qy6LABX-2hwGeKKEy8Zgqm4fitUIV74MXe-EjuJN3y_Xymb_bLCRHxNYoQ5xRsvpob6ZRnJb9S_hbvM/s400/IMG_5892.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Earlier this evening I had the opportunity to attend the Think Bike Workshop at El Mocambo. The City of Toronto and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands played host to Dutch bicycle planners yesterday and today. <br />
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Yesterday and earlier today these Dutch bicycle planners worked closely with city planners and community cyclists to tackle two main projects. The Blue team (blue being the official corporate colour of Toronto) was tasked with developing a cycling network in the downtown core. The Orange team (orange apparently is the colour of the Netherlands) took on the project of redesigning the Sherbourne street corridor. To find out more about this you can visit the <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/thinkbike/index.htm">Think Bike page</a> on the City of Toronto website.<br />
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The purpose of this event was to showcase the results of these two workshop projects. Representatives from each team took the stage to report back their conclusions, designs, observations, and recommendations. Before the official speaking began, audience members had an opportunity to view the workshop results which were tapped up on the walls. These included pictures of proposed changes; charts and bullet lists of strengths, potential problems, strategies, etc.<br />
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Each group went up in turn and, for the most part, we were given presentations by the Dutch bicycle planners. The blue team envisioned a downtown bike network that filled in the present gaps in bike lanes, created several north-south and east-west cycling corridors, and, best of all, displayed four different ways to re-imagine/create complete streets in Toronto. Most of these involved some set up of separated bike lanes, green space, sidewalks, and car lanes/car parking. In particular, the planners spoke of the need to create "safe cycle routes" which would be these types of separated bike lanes. These lanes are particularly important for getting new cyclists on the road who may otherwise feel unsafe riding in current conditions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KXQlNtF-O3o7yMDbDnXEn8nwNYXOe7saQI3po7RYRWHjVn1lfwAddmzSykiySHq-wR9mwFsQ_Xzc0ingULRsFEAI6NPj1XYM7n-kHNtr-rLKUJnLbuvTMcB0f1gmHJXBd5F8tInFOec/s1600/IMG_5893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KXQlNtF-O3o7yMDbDnXEn8nwNYXOe7saQI3po7RYRWHjVn1lfwAddmzSykiySHq-wR9mwFsQ_Xzc0ingULRsFEAI6NPj1XYM7n-kHNtr-rLKUJnLbuvTMcB0f1gmHJXBd5F8tInFOec/s400/IMG_5893.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome desk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The blue team completely redesigned Sherbourne street with separated and painted bike lanes, bike boxes at each intersection, accommodations for pedestrians getting on and off busses, etc. It was an excellent attempt at providing a detailed plan for a complete street design.<br />
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Questions from the audience touched on the issues of giving cyclists a unique legal status (i.e. different from both pedestrians and cars), cycling in Toronto's winter climate, politicians in the upcoming municipal elections who may bring with them strong political vision for cycling in Toronto, etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Meq8kq9tTQS377BBph0ke0pQM24iQ0_zqnHRsfp75XZJsbxmLkiZ3ch3fh4z1MGlkN8szrXN9nwNtJiMQhgZuTyhiJO3LGCK8do98-ao3Rgz_EGBcDnIO7RRdVsZCh-OtO3rJetYZw8/s1600/IMG_5894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Meq8kq9tTQS377BBph0ke0pQM24iQ0_zqnHRsfp75XZJsbxmLkiZ3ch3fh4z1MGlkN8szrXN9nwNtJiMQhgZuTyhiJO3LGCK8do98-ao3Rgz_EGBcDnIO7RRdVsZCh-OtO3rJetYZw8/s400/IMG_5894.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage before start of presentations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The evening and workshop was a success in terms of taking in the expertise and recommendations of the Dutch bike planners. They made many great points for us to incorporate in our next bike plan including: integrating transportation planning with city planning, re-conceiving of possible street designs, connecting up public transportation with cycling, marketing cycling to the public, integrating cycling education into primary schools, etc.<br />
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At the end of the evening, one of two hosts, who is the head of cycling infrastructure (or something like that) at City Hall put it well: it's not for a lack of ideas, the question is one of money and political will.<br />
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(Sorry for the lack of photographs; I'm still getting used to whole reporting/blogging thing.)Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524798173278960170.post-9731034914430332642010-09-20T19:37:00.002-04:002010-09-20T19:38:48.467-04:00Early morning bike ride along the Martin Goodman TrailA few weekends ago I went for a lovely early morning bike ride with my good friend Sam. We met up in the west end and biked down to the water so that we could go along the <a href="http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/the_wider_waterfront/martin_goodman_trail">Martin Goodman Trail</a>. The MGT is one of Toronto's best cycling paths primarily because it is separated from car traffic and affords the cyclist, inline skater, or jogger a stress free way to commute across town and take in the beautiful water front. Below is a map of our ride:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=107894436190794241552.00048f708e1e9df51539f&ie=UTF8&ll=43.644588,-79.441588&spn=0.02709,0.036054&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=107894436190794241552.00048f708e1e9df51539f&ie=UTF8&ll=43.644588,-79.441588&spn=0.02709,0.036054&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Robby And Sam Cycle</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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We started up around College and Dufferin and made our way south to the lake.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGybLVOC6we0J35G6uDwwuX5aUorFQl_jTxRi0bA1bW_9Oym-LM-3wfDTIG2170G5U_0lprWz32P3-W5GXHXCYm6V1fq9dPMTUhVHVX5JxgaRlOS9CTZs7vaQ-8XGG5Ikl_OXwR8ONh0E/s1600/IMG_5869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGybLVOC6we0J35G6uDwwuX5aUorFQl_jTxRi0bA1bW_9Oym-LM-3wfDTIG2170G5U_0lprWz32P3-W5GXHXCYm6V1fq9dPMTUhVHVX5JxgaRlOS9CTZs7vaQ-8XGG5Ikl_OXwR8ONh0E/s400/IMG_5869.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We rode east along the MGT and found a nice beach and dock to sit on and have our delicious chocolate croissants.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV1Ibum6bLmZt_TE2Xo9uhyfb4ef17SDyt4LibON6h4N4xIuMjV0u7bvTN87BNVCFBGZwUduPne9ODhyxuwHDu0IAmK4k5IwISycFdgZAxPNfqR8Hr67OhoqNGSxtnOpvNme20b2LKZU/s1600/IMG_5875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV1Ibum6bLmZt_TE2Xo9uhyfb4ef17SDyt4LibON6h4N4xIuMjV0u7bvTN87BNVCFBGZwUduPne9ODhyxuwHDu0IAmK4k5IwISycFdgZAxPNfqR8Hr67OhoqNGSxtnOpvNme20b2LKZU/s400/IMG_5875.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There was a pretty strong head wind that day, and so after the beach we headed back up through High Park. Along the way we stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.highparktoronto.com/playground.php">magical playground</a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-SUrd6GRgIZO_-pAMmHLsrPOmRjqUOZveQYERyzcFGmfoZ7HaO-qyF0lGCBerQqZDmhWzFysxep07btG5AlLZbFNjoAUlB71xizehAb-UQTxZ5_jvWCdRVokVvPPOQZNjNT58vCxB0s/s1600/IMG_5881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-SUrd6GRgIZO_-pAMmHLsrPOmRjqUOZveQYERyzcFGmfoZ7HaO-qyF0lGCBerQqZDmhWzFysxep07btG5AlLZbFNjoAUlB71xizehAb-UQTxZ5_jvWCdRVokVvPPOQZNjNT58vCxB0s/s400/IMG_5881.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
We ended up at a delicious breakfast place on Roncesvalles called Brads.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82PZZoveOLGI1-iJBH3covQ4Q761V3uic7lYyhIdBfVoJ5l052XE9Mhx28HVGZxVSFyEN-sCH0ibANXaExcc-IlQkffR6ZAHsv7lO7OoAbgA5uJ7_JaO1UDnNR0qaBXwHGOMEHxDn1-w/s1600/IMG_5885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82PZZoveOLGI1-iJBH3covQ4Q761V3uic7lYyhIdBfVoJ5l052XE9Mhx28HVGZxVSFyEN-sCH0ibANXaExcc-IlQkffR6ZAHsv7lO7OoAbgA5uJ7_JaO1UDnNR0qaBXwHGOMEHxDn1-w/s400/IMG_5885.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As it turns out, we were having so much fun that I neglected to take any photos of the actual bike trail. Whoops! Thanks for the ride, Sam!Cycle Torontohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14781829228202255211noreply@blogger.com0