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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)
- Thread starter rp07
- Start date
M II A II R II K
Senior Member
Urban advocate Gil Peñalosa and councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam are working to bring "open street" periods to Toronto
Read More: http://torontoist.com/2013/02/ciclovias-open-up-streets-and-the-city/
In the future, people will be able to travel around Toronto without the aid of cars and public transportation. They can have brunch in Leslieville, fly over to hike in High Park, and enjoy dinner in Etobicoke without turning on the ignition or even doling out subway fare.
Perhaps you’re envisioning a far-off space age, each of us with a jet pack. But if you are Gil Peñalosa, the executive director of 8-80 Cities, and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale), the future is almost here. And that self-propelled vehicle? It’s you. On a bike. Or maybe roller blades. On foot. Or who knows, maybe on a dog sled or snowshoes in the wintry months. Peñalosa and Wong-Tam are trying to bring ciclovÃas (see-clo-VI-as) to Toronto. Spanish for “bike path,†the original CiclovÃa was created in 1976, and ran through part of Bogotá, Colombia. In the mid-’90s, Peñalosa, then Bogotá’s commissioner of recreation, decided to revive and radically expand the CiclovÃa, to dramatic effect.
The new ciclovÃa is a simple concept: the city opens up certain streets to non-motorized traffic, and people are free to do as they please in the public space. Essentially, it turns long stretches of the city into a paved park. Cars are permitted to move through the city, but they are restricted to certain routes. (When you talk to him about it, Peñalosa is quick to say that the city is opening up to the people instead of being shut down or off to cars.) In Bogotá and other Colombian cities, they do this from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; hundreds of thousands of people come out and take part. Other cities around the world have started introducing them as well.
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Read More: http://torontoist.com/2013/02/ciclovias-open-up-streets-and-the-city/
In the future, people will be able to travel around Toronto without the aid of cars and public transportation. They can have brunch in Leslieville, fly over to hike in High Park, and enjoy dinner in Etobicoke without turning on the ignition or even doling out subway fare.
Perhaps you’re envisioning a far-off space age, each of us with a jet pack. But if you are Gil Peñalosa, the executive director of 8-80 Cities, and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale), the future is almost here. And that self-propelled vehicle? It’s you. On a bike. Or maybe roller blades. On foot. Or who knows, maybe on a dog sled or snowshoes in the wintry months. Peñalosa and Wong-Tam are trying to bring ciclovÃas (see-clo-VI-as) to Toronto. Spanish for “bike path,†the original CiclovÃa was created in 1976, and ran through part of Bogotá, Colombia. In the mid-’90s, Peñalosa, then Bogotá’s commissioner of recreation, decided to revive and radically expand the CiclovÃa, to dramatic effect.
The new ciclovÃa is a simple concept: the city opens up certain streets to non-motorized traffic, and people are free to do as they please in the public space. Essentially, it turns long stretches of the city into a paved park. Cars are permitted to move through the city, but they are restricted to certain routes. (When you talk to him about it, Peñalosa is quick to say that the city is opening up to the people instead of being shut down or off to cars.) In Bogotá and other Colombian cities, they do this from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; hundreds of thousands of people come out and take part. Other cities around the world have started introducing them as well.
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nfitz
Superstar
rbt
Senior Member
I keep meaning to jump onto their hood but I'm always so surprised everytime it happens that I forget to jump and just get pushed a foot or two by the bumper.
rbt
Senior Member
Yeah, I know but I'm literally too surprised to jump.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
From http://www.mybikeadvocate.com/2013/02/a-look-at-why-bicyclists-should-take.html:
A Look At Why Bicyclists Should Take The Lane
To be used on streets like Jarvis Street or on streets where the snow windrows are still blocking the bicycle lanes.
A Look At Why Bicyclists Should Take The Lane
During last week's interview on WGN Radio one caller asked me why bicyclists sometimes ride in the middle of the lane, blocking passage by faster moving vehicles. I explained that in order to make themselves more visible to drivers and discourage attempts to pass dangerously close, bicyclists can and should take the lane. The idea is to encourage motorists to change lanes if they wish to pass reducing the likelihood of a dangerous miscalculation. More and more states are passing laws which prohibit drivers from passing too closely to cyclists. In Illinois, drivers must give them at least three feet of space when passing.
Recently, I came across an excellent graphic produced by iamtraffic.org which effectively demonstrates why is is so important for a cyclist to take the lane when riding on a road where the lane width is insufficient for sharing by bike and car together:
To be used on streets like Jarvis Street or on streets where the snow windrows are still blocking the bicycle lanes.
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
M II A II R II K
Senior Member
The Globe's bicycle data tracker maps 25 years of collision information from Toronto's Traffic Safety Unit. Add your own markers to highlight dangerous intersections, potholes or congested areas. Take the guided tour for more insight.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ped-over-25-years/article543684/?from=4624522
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ped-over-25-years/article543684/?from=4624522
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M II A II R II K
Senior Member
Chief planner wants streets safer for bikes
Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...s-safer-for-bikes/article9254279/?cmpid=rss1\
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City figures show that nearly a third of travel in downtown Toronto is now by bicycle or on foot. On even the worst winter days, cyclists are spotted on streets in the city core.
- Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat is concerned, though, that many people in that growing constituency are pedalling in close proximity to motorists, a situation she said leaves everyone in a bad position. “What we need to move towards is a framework where we see cycling as a legitimate form of transportation, and we are ensuring that drivers have the space they need and we’re ensuring that cyclists have the space that they need,†she said in a recent interview.
- But lurking in the background is a history of acrimony over cycling in Toronto, where reasonable debate has often got lost among polarized viewpoints. Two Toronto councillors sparked a flurry of backlash when they proposed last month to eliminate a bylaw on cyclists riding side by side, a rule made redundant by the Highway Traffic Act. Their motion, which was referred to committee, prompted outbursts typified by the on-line commentator who wrote that “bicycles should always be treated as toys and kept off all major streets.â€
- In Toronto, meanwhile, the debate around commuting has more often been dominated by how the region can pay for massive transit plans that will cost tens of billions and take decades to finish. But Ms. Keesmaat noted at one of the city’s recent series of congestion meetings that cycling infrastructure can be put in place relatively quickly and cheaply but still have a “transformative†effect. The planner believes that there are three groups in the cycling debate: those who will never ride no matter the inducements; those who don’t need any encouraging to ride; and a middle group ready to be swayed. Persuading even some of the latter group can have a big impact, she argued.
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Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...s-safer-for-bikes/article9254279/?cmpid=rss1\
.....
City figures show that nearly a third of travel in downtown Toronto is now by bicycle or on foot. On even the worst winter days, cyclists are spotted on streets in the city core.
- Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat is concerned, though, that many people in that growing constituency are pedalling in close proximity to motorists, a situation she said leaves everyone in a bad position. “What we need to move towards is a framework where we see cycling as a legitimate form of transportation, and we are ensuring that drivers have the space they need and we’re ensuring that cyclists have the space that they need,†she said in a recent interview.
- But lurking in the background is a history of acrimony over cycling in Toronto, where reasonable debate has often got lost among polarized viewpoints. Two Toronto councillors sparked a flurry of backlash when they proposed last month to eliminate a bylaw on cyclists riding side by side, a rule made redundant by the Highway Traffic Act. Their motion, which was referred to committee, prompted outbursts typified by the on-line commentator who wrote that “bicycles should always be treated as toys and kept off all major streets.â€
- In Toronto, meanwhile, the debate around commuting has more often been dominated by how the region can pay for massive transit plans that will cost tens of billions and take decades to finish. But Ms. Keesmaat noted at one of the city’s recent series of congestion meetings that cycling infrastructure can be put in place relatively quickly and cheaply but still have a “transformative†effect. The planner believes that there are three groups in the cycling debate: those who will never ride no matter the inducements; those who don’t need any encouraging to ride; and a middle group ready to be swayed. Persuading even some of the latter group can have a big impact, she argued.
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Towered
Senior Member
^ I'm one of those in the middle group practically begging to be swayed. All the city has to do is build proper segregated lanes and I'll jump at the chance to commute via bicycle. I bet there are thousands more just like me, who can't stand car culture but want safer cycling infrastructure in place before enthusiastically taking the plunge.
RC8
Senior Member
Yeah, it's really quite silly how some people don't see it. A few years ago I wouldn't have thought of cycling downtown. Now I bike everywhere, even in winter.
People go from non-cyclists to cyclists with the same ease with which they go from drinking budweiser to enjoying a craft IPA. It's a transition that's hard to predict for the subject in question but happens very naturally once viable options are provided.
By providing good triggers and making it safer the potential for a city like Toronto to embrace cycling as one of its main forms of transport is immense. Public transit lines downtown would be immensely relieved from it, too.
People go from non-cyclists to cyclists with the same ease with which they go from drinking budweiser to enjoying a craft IPA. It's a transition that's hard to predict for the subject in question but happens very naturally once viable options are provided.
By providing good triggers and making it safer the potential for a city like Toronto to embrace cycling as one of its main forms of transport is immense. Public transit lines downtown would be immensely relieved from it, too.
junctionist
Senior Member
What really surprises me is how poor the city's plan for clearing bike lanes of snow is. A week after a storm, you could still find bike lanes with piles of snow and parked cars. The standard for clearing bike lanes should be no different than for car lanes. Is it that hard to restrict parking for a few hours or tow away cars to plow up to the curb? It amazes me that there are so many cities in Canada and the US where cycling is still seen as an activity for three seasons at most, but in Toronto where we have a strong cycling culture, the city nonetheless operates with the apparent assumption that cycling isn't for winter and that you can therefore dump snow or park cars in bikes lanes in the winter.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
The City of Toronto still considers bicycling as recreational, not transportation. The City does not clear snow from bike paths through the city, except for 13.2 km of the Martin Goodman Trail from Northern Dancer in the east and to the bridge at South Kingsway in the west.
As long as Rob Ford wants bicycles off the streets and separated from when he drives his car, and the bureaucracy considers biking as recreational only, only Mother Nature can help to clear the snow. The mindset at City Hall has to change to consider biking as transportation.
From this link.
As long as Rob Ford wants bicycles off the streets and separated from when he drives his car, and the bureaucracy considers biking as recreational only, only Mother Nature can help to clear the snow. The mindset at City Hall has to change to consider biking as transportation.
junctionist
Senior Member
One has to commend Toronto's cyclists for being some of the hardiest on the planet. They'll keep cycling through white-out storms, when it's -15 and when the bike lanes are filled with dumped snow and cars. But they shouldn't have to "rough it" with the latter. Bike lanes need to be cleared quickly, no matter how much snow we get. It's important in nurturing the city's bike culture and getting more people cycling year round.