[M II A II R II K]

This couls be ideal for riding on snow.




[video=vimeo;50972551]http://www.vimeo.com/50972551[/video]

 

[M II A II R II K]

[video=vimeo;50972549]http://www.vimeo.com/50972549[/video]

 

[the lemur]

This couls be ideal for riding on snow.




[video=vimeo;50972551]http://www.vimeo.com/50972551[/video]

That seems ideal if you're riding on nothing but snow, but not on pavement ...

 

[Hipster Duck]

Bicyclists should never lecture motorists on breaking traffic laws because not only are bicyclists more prone to break laws found within the HTA, but existing laws like the HTA make bike riding so difficult in the first place! If anything, bicyclists should be pointing out how silly laws made for motorists are to apply to them.

 

[the lemur]

Bicyclists should never lecture motorists on breaking traffic laws because not only are bicyclists more prone to break laws found within the HTA, but existing laws like the HTA make bike riding so difficult in the first place! If anything, bicyclists should be pointing out how silly laws made for motorists are to apply to them.

I don't buy this. As a driver and a cyclist (more the latter than the former), I know which laws apply to bikes and which to cars, and I don't hesitate to point out when a driver or cyclist does something that is clearly illegal (and most often dangerous as well).

I don't agree that the HTA itself makes cycling difficult in Toronto; it's the culture of driving that does, the 'I don't care, I gotta be somewhere' attitude that sees a driver inching past open streetcar doors and through a crowd of pedestrians just because he thinks he should be allowed to, the 'I don't need to signal if no one's behind me' philosophy.

The only rules I break on a bike are 1) riding on crosswalks - I ride beside the area where pedestrians are supposed to walk, and I yield to them, and 2) the complete stop (every time) at stop signs rule - I apply the brakes, check for traffic, yield as appropriate, move on when it is safe to do so. Does that really mean I don't get to tell a driver to put down the phone/stop eating with both hands/use turn signals/yield to pedestrians, never mind tell a fellow cyclist to get off the sidewalk/obey the one-way signs/stop for reds?

 

[ShonTron]

I only break rule 2) above, re spirit/letter of the law for stop signs. But if I'm at a crosswalk and using it to make an indirect left for example, I'll walk the bike to a point where I can safely move away and hop on then. One thing I like about cycling is that it's so easy to hop off the bike and have all rights and afforded a pedestrian. It's great for going through the scrambles on Bloor.

I will occasionally yell at a cyclist going through a red light or sidewalk, but it never does any good anyhow.

 

[PinkLucy]

I holler at cyclists on busy sidewalks -- particularly when there is a bike lane right there! Or when they seem to expect pedestrians to move for them.

Agreed re rule 2 -- I stop at lights, but not always at signs if it's safe to proceed.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Physicians Call for More Bike Lanes, More Quickly

Read More: http://torontoist.com/2013/01/physicians-call-for-more-bike-lanes-more-quickly/


A group of physicians from St Michael’s Hospital are calling for more progress on the City’s bike plan—and, as part of that push, they’re standing in solidarity with Dr. Tomislav Svoboda, a colleague who was arrested in November for obstructing the now-infamous removal of the Jarvis Street bike lanes.

At a press conference this morning, Svoboda released an open letter signed by 22 physicians. It asks city council to “change lanes and save lives,†by speeding up the installation of bike lanes throughout the city. Svoboda will appear in court tomorrow afternoon to face criminal charges of mischief and obstructing a peace officer for his act of civil disobedience. He’s hoping to avoid a criminal record by offering to perform 50 hours of community service—fittingly, with local advocacy group Cycle Toronto.

Svoboda, at his press conference, scolded city council for falling behind its own targets for bike-lane expansion (set in the 2001 bike plan), and for removing lanes even as major cities like Montreal, New York, and Chicago add dozens of kilometers of new bike thoroughfares each year. Citing the six cycling fatalities and thousands of injuries that have occurred in Toronto in 2012 alone, Svoboda said that what we usually describe as accidents “could also be described as a failure by the City to protect its residents and to build a healthy city.†He urged councillors to consider the preventative benefits of cycling and active living in general. “Cardiovascular health, mental health, insomnia—all these things are treated with exercise…this is a public health issue, and an issue of primary care,†said Svoboda.

Ritika Goel, Svoboda’s colleague at St. Michael’s, echoed his concerns. “We know that when people are asked why they do not cycle, safety is widely cited as the main reason,†she said. She cited a study on cycling accidents in Vancouver and Toronto that found car-on-bike collisions to be less likely on roadways with bike lanes than on those without. “This is not new information,†said Goel, “injuries and deaths could have been prevented if there was more bike infrastructure in the city.†The City is, in fact, planning to build some cycling infrastructure in the near future. Mayor Rob Ford tweeted earlier this week that the 2013 budget contains funding for “100 km of off-street bike trails, 80 km of on-street bike path connections,†and several thousand new bike parking spaces over the next ten years.

.....

 

[M II A II R II K]

How to dress to ride in sub-zero fahrenheit temperatures.



[video=youtube;8i7vcboSje0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i7vcboSje0[/video]

 

[W. K. Lis]

It might help to actually clear ALL the bike paths and lanes of snow and ice, other than a few kilometres (seems more like a few metres) of token paths. If Rob Ford wants a "transportation" city, he should answer the question: "is transit, walking, and bicycling transportation or not?", or are "streets are for cars" his only answer?

 

[TrickyRicky]

With regard to driver aggressiveness or indifference to the rules all I can say is you haven't seen nothin' yet! Toronto drivers are positively old fashion and provincial compared to drivers in most world cities. Driving in Asia is like a blood-bath. Look forward to it getting way worse if you think it's bad now.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Pretty much every cyclist agrees Toronto needs more bike lanes. The question is: Where should we put them?

Read More: http://www.thegridto.com/city/places/the-top-10-streets-that-need-bike-lanes/

.....

10. Royal York Road, from Dixon to the waterfront*

“Royal York basically runs from Dixon right down to the waterfront,†says Keesmaat. “Part of Royal York already has [bike lanes], but you could continue them from Bloor Street northwards.†Keesmaat adds that this plan could be combined with an extension of the Queensway bike lane to service cyclists in that end of the city.

.....

9. Pharmacy Avenue and Birchmount Road, from Eglinton Avenue to Danforth Avenue

If anyone can name what streets in the east end need bike lanes, Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) is the guy to ask. He rides his bike downtown every day from his Scarborough home, weather permitting.

.....

8. Lansdowne Avenue, from Dupont Street to Queen Street

“There’s a real gap in the network right there,†says Jared Kolb, director of membership outreach for Cycle Toronto. “Folks that are coming from the west end and trying to connect to the core come in on Annette. They come to Dupont. The Dupont bike lane ends at Lansdowne, and they have nowhere to go. The Lansdowne bike lane was approved, so let’s get that installed.â€

.....

7. Woodbine-O’Connor, from Kingston Road to Eglinton Avenue

“That could be a great route to connect Scarborough to the core,†says Kolb. “There is already some infrastructure. There are some lanes that have already been painted, and it’s just a matter of connecting that.†De Baeremaeker adds, “It’s relatively close to downtown Toronto, so it would be a good feeder for people from the suburbs. If we can get a bike lane to Woodbine, and Birchmount, and Pharmacy, people will come out of their homes, come out of their shells, and bike all over the place.â€

.....

6. Wellesley-Harbord-Hoskin corridor, from Parliament Street to Ossington Avenue

This stretch already has a bike lane, but it could be better. “I think separated bike lanes for Harbord is a pretty obvious direction to go in,†says Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina). “It doesn’t have a streetcar on it, which is good. It doesn’t have, at least in some sections, as many businesses on it, so the parking demands are less.â€

.....

5. Dupont Street, from Dundas West to Yonge Street (via Davenport Road)

Robert Bateman, owner of Bateman’s Bicycle Company, knows this is a prime east-west connector frequented by many cyclists. “It’s a new development spot—and a terrible spot to bike,†he says. “It’s a good connector, because you can come all the way from the west and zip over to Yonge, so that stretch of Dupont is key.â€

.....

4. University-Avenue corridor, from Eglinton Avenue to Front Street

Keesmaat gave this one high priority. “There’s a gap in the existing infrastructure downtown right now. If that infrastructure could go straight up University, straight up Avenue Road, you could go right up to Eglinton almost,†she says. “In the core of the city, University would be a really important north-south connector that would allow people from adjacent neighbourhoods to cycle over and go down that corridor.â€

.....

3. Eglinton Avenue, from Black Creek Drive to Kingston Road

“There are lots of cyclists in midtown and it’s a key piece for connectivity,†says Kolb. “It’ll get more people riding bikes as well. Give people a good option, and people will choose cycling over other modes of transit.â€

.....

2. Richmond and Adelaide, from Sherbourne Street to Bathurst Street

At the start of the year, the City announced an environmental assessment on Richmond and Adelaide—a study that city council decided to pursue over a year ago. “The environmental assessment is underway now, and that’s critically important because there’s really nothing south of Shuter that connects through there,†says Egan.

.....

1. Bloor-Danforth, from High Park Avenue to Woodbine Avenue

“There’s been a lot of controversy for many years over Bloor Street,†Keesmaat says. “Bloor Street’s another one that runs the length of the city. If there was a way to accommodate [the bike lanes], that would be great. The challenge is: How do you do that?â€

“Let’s make it happen,†says Kolb. “Bloor-Danforth is probably the dream of a lot of cyclists. It’s perfectly suited. There are no streetcar tracks. It connects the west end of the ity to downtown, through the east end, and beyond. That’s a great candidate for bike lanes.â€

.....

 

[Admiral Beez]

I was driving up Sherbourne on the weekend and notice police cars and taxis parked on the bike lane. This is exactly why they need to be totally, completely separated from the road space.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Should cyclists have to ride single-file in Toronto?

Read More: http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/02/should_cyclists_have_to_ride_single-file_in_toronto/


A year-old bylaw still working its way through city hall could force all cyclists in Toronto to ride single-file under threat of a $60 fine if a motion by councillor Karen Stintz fails to win approval at council next week.

The bylaw originates in Etobicoke, where pre-amalgamation cyclists were fined $85 for riding side-by-side or in clusters. As part of on-going efforts to consolidate bylaws across the City of Toronto, the law was tweaked and enacted on Dec. 1 2011 by city council. Though the rules have technically been in place for more than a year, the city has yet to decide when police will start actively handing out tickets to rule-breaking cyclists.

A similar bylaw existed in the days of Metro Toronto when the fine was $3.75 for riding in groups on arterial roads. Current road rules already require cyclists to move right and drivers left "so far as may be necessary to avoid a collision." "Effectively what that law does is prohibit group riding," says Jared Kolb from Cycle Toronto. "That has implications for road riders who are out on Lake Shore, for instance. It has implications for families on side-streets, friends out on Bloor. It's got implications right across the board."

"It's a regressive bylaw and it's something we're keen to see taken off the books." Kolb says he's heard from cycling groups who have been spoken to by police for riding together. According to the official language the fine "will become enforceable the first Thursday following 45 days after set fine approval," though the city says there is actually no set timetable. If Stintz's motion is successful the bylaw will be immediately repealed once the city starts issuing fines.

.....

 

[RC8]

In the past month I've seen 5 people go through a red light in downtown Toronto. Drivers, that is.

I've also seen many not stopping at stop signs, idling on pedestrian crosswalks, etc.

I understand that in Etobicoke or Mississauga, where most people are on car, you would build everything around them. But it's so obvious that in downtown Toronto most people exist as pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders, that we should be doing much more to accommodate them.