General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[Towered]

Looks like rookie councillor Holyday is now firmly entrenched in the "idiotic asshole" councillor list along with fellow luminaries Karygiannis and Mammoliti.

 

[the lemur]

Wtf does that even mean? Bikes are traffic.

I guess when I'm riding somewhere that doesn't have bike lanes (still about 90% of roads in the entire city), I'm still not traffic.

 

[bobbob911]

As much as I loathe DMW, the *idea* of removable bike lanes does have some appeal to me. If it were cost effective and robust, I don't have a problem with building out a robust bike lane network that is only available for 8-10 months of the year. I realize that some people do bike in the winter but if demand warranted it a removable bike lane can trivially become a non-removable one.

The question is, are there any examples of such a design? When the bike lanes are removed, does that now become a lane of traffic, or parking?

 

[the lemur]

Parking on one side of Roncesvalles could easily be removed to accommodate a proper bike lane, but I doubt that's an option that would be very popular.

Removing parking was the third rail of the entire Ronces reconfiguration discussion a few years back, since apparently there are people who drive to Ronces every week, park right outside the store they patronize and then completely fill the trunk with purchases and they are unable to park elsewhere or walk or do anything differently.

 

[ShonTron]

As much as I loathe DMW, the *idea* of removable bike lanes does have some appeal to me. If it were cost effective and robust, I don't have a problem with building out a robust bike lane network that is only available for 8-10 months of the year. I realize that some people do bike in the winter but if demand warranted it a removable bike lane can trivially become a non-removable one.

The question is, are there any examples of such a design? When the bike lanes are removed, does that now become a lane of traffic, or parking?

Montreal does this. The knock-down bollards on many residential streets (to allow two-way cycling on one-way streets) are removed during the winter, but that's for snow clearance and maintaining permit parking when streets are cleared.

If we're talking about this in Toronto, seasonal cycletracks would be helpful for contraflow lanes on residential streets when from March 15 to December 15, snowfalls with accumulation don't generally happen but in January and February the accumulated snow narrows the street anyway, making the protected bike lane unfeasible.

 

[the lemur]

He will ask you for your correct name and address not ask you to produce a government issued license which has your real particulars.

Aka you can be Art Vandelay to the cop

There's the law, and then there's actual police practice. Sure, the HTA says stating your name and address is enough if you are stopped on a bike. And you can offer photo ID of some kind if asked for ID. But a cop will insist on seeing a licence if he thinks you might have one, just to be able to pull up your info.

If you're stopped at the wheel of a car, you're required to show registration (to see whose car it is) and licence (to see if you're supposed to be behind the wheel at all).

 

[the lemur]

Bike lanes usually don't cost that much.

How much DO they usually cost? Per km. Depending on the configuration (what kind of separation, rearranging parking if necessary, etc.).

 

[steveintoronto]

There's the law, and then there's actual police practice. Sure, the HTA says stating your name and address is enough if you are stopped on a bike. And you can offer photo ID of some kind if asked for ID. But a cop will insist on seeing a licence if he thinks you might have one, just to be able to pull up your info.

If you're stopped at the wheel of a car, you're required to show registration (to see whose car it is) and licence (to see if you're supposed to be behind the wheel at all).

Yeah, I've tried sticking to the law, and the cop immediately goes on the radio for "an un-cooperative suspect". God only knows where that leads...even if I'd have them cold in court.

 

[steveintoronto]

PL1 said: ↑

In another entirely different issue, the Lower Don bike path will be closed for the next few weeks as of tomorrow (Thursday, June 9) at 7 am. This is for more work on the realignment of the tunnel under the Metrolinx-owned Don Branch of the CPR Belleville Sub.

It's no biggie. Any orange fencing can be pushed down, which will probably happen within hours of it being erected. To avoid the specific area in question is pretty simple. When going N/B from the south one can follow the dirt trail just to the west of the pedestrian bridge north of Riverdale, go through the hole in the fence on the left and up the embankment, walk their bike across the rail bridge and continue along the old trackbed, then climb back down the embankment to the trail. When going S/B simply reverse the procedure. Adds a few mins, but few are actually going to stop using this important pathway, especially at this time of year.

Edit: and I guess if you don't want to walk across the old rail bridge you can take the pedestrian bridge, but just north of it there's another dirt path on the left that will still lead to the trackbed.

Well I checked it out just a few hours ago...lol...and it's a lot more than just the Don flowing through there. There's *pieces* of an orange fence...the other end of the tunnel, nothing. But just out of interest, I figured I'd do a by-pass via the old rail bridge. If they block the culvert underpass with howitzers, tanks and atomic kumquats come next week, you can take the path from the north side *where the fence begins on the west side* (don't try climbing the fence, with a bike, it's foolish) and follow the dirt track around to the rail bridge, which has ties so close it's remarkably easy to roll your bike across as well as step. On the south side, follow the path around to the trail, there's two spots through the chain-link fence to get back on the trail.

To be honest, I checked it out more to see if they'd posted a detour. Absolutely no sign. Inconsiderate bazzztards. Try doing that with the Don Valley Parkway....

I was careful to watch out for poison ivy, ticks, and strangers with bad breath...and in the end, I got stung with nettles. Nettles! Oh the shame....

Ticks, btw...are becoming a very real problem. It's not just Lyme's to worry about, there's a number of serious maladies they carry, and very easy to catch. I may have had an infection last year, albeit my GP did check for Lymes, but came back negative. The test isn't fool-proof, and it says nothing about the other infections.

Spray your socks on the outside with insect repellent. Soak them outside, but don't let it soak through to your skin. Roll the socks a few layers thick over the ankles, both for mechanical and insect protection before spraying. I had a tick buried in my beard at the time, when I shaved, I had a 'mole' that shouldn't have been there. It was what was left buried in my skin when the body was shaved off.

 

[Armour]

Have ticks been spotted west of Morningside Park? I know they've been found there and eastward, I believe, towards the Rouge.

I always give myself a thorough pat down while walking on natural trails, just to be safe; such as this evening, when I went hiking through the Anewen Greenbelt with my brother.

 

[nfitz]

I'd assume they are everywhere at this point.

 

[steveintoronto]

I'd assume they are everywhere at this point.

I never took the threat seriously, not least because I didn't recognize what they were, and there is some denial from some government agencies, while others are warning of a serious threat.

Here's the thing, besides my supposition that I got very ill from something, and tick borne diseases fit the symptoms (albeit there's hundreds of afflictions that do)...Vets have been warning on pets being very prone to them, and they're seeing many engorged ticks in their practices, and tick-borne diseases....so the logic is clear: If they're susceptible, so are we. Quite often you'll get them from your animals. My GP had to treat the symptoms rather than the cause. Tests are not definitive, and there's a slew of diseases you can catch from insect bites.

I don't like insecticide, but cyclists are especially prone to picking them up, and especially on your ankles if you're cycling or hiking with bike through bush (which I do, since I do a lot of back lane cross-country). So use insecticide folks, but be careful with it. Not on your skin, except for the back of your head and neck, wash that off later, but make sure your socks and shoes are sprayed. You're a magnet otherwise.

Confirmed cases of Lyme disease in Ontario more than doubled this year as blacklegged ticks officially make Greater Toronto home, new public health data obtained by the Star show.

The National Microbiology Lab confirmed this week that for the second season in a row, a blacklegged tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferi — the bacterium that can cause potentially disabling disease in humans and pets alike — was found in Rouge Valley, which spans Durham, York and Toronto.

“Once the ticks are established in the location... they don’t ever leave,” said Curtis Russell, an expert in vector-borne diseases at Public Health Ontario. “Now we just have to make sure to see where they’re expanding to.”

Public health data released to the Star show 304 confirmed cases and 54 probable cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Ontario between January and November this year. In 2014, 149 cases were confirmed and 71 were probable.

Typical symptoms of infection can include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue and skin rash. Untreated, the disease can last for years and cause neurological and musculoskeletal damage. In some cases, it can lead to heart infection and death.

“Over the last few years, Lyme disease in Canada has evolved from an unusual and focal issue, to an emergent and expanding problem,” Health Canada warned in a recent report.

What’s especially concerning is the spread of ticks from relatively isolated forests to more densely populated areas. [...]

https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2015/11/27/cases-of-lyme-disease-surge-in-ontario.html

Don't get hysterical, get safe. Use insecticide wisely and Google on best application. Oddly, most GPs are still in the dark on this. They'll lecture you to "wear a helmet and sunblock" and completely overlook the very real threat from ticks.

Btw: There may be better brands out there, I started using a very well-known name brand (won't mention it here, but you're all familiar with it) and it migrates into your mouth, even if you're careful, and numbs your mouth for a week after application. Don't bother with the citronella ones, they' also leave a taste, don't work that well (for mosquitoes and deer flies) and has to be applied every couple of hours max.

The best I've found is the aerosol can, house brand, at Home Hardware. It contains DEET like the most common brand, but it's the *vehicle* you test, not the DEET, and Home Hdwr uses a less volatile and migratory vehicle. And it's cheaper! Be very careful not to spray it on the front of your face, or breathe the spray, hold your breath and close your eyes when applying to your back and back of head. Do your backpacks and clothes too, try to avoid skin contact, but exposed skin needs protection, so use sparingly there. If you can see it on your skin, you're using too much. Better to re-apply when needed than overdo it. You have to use it on your head due to Deer Flies, which can be a real danger swarming you when cycling.

Insecticide is awful stuff, but a hell of a lot better than getting bitten by bugs and ticks.

Enter "Ontario ticks" into Google, click on the "news" link at the top of page. Here's the first four hits, but read the rest too:

Search Results

Record number of ticks expected in northwestern Ontario this summer
CBC.ca-May 24, 2016
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit will be actively searching for ticks in and around Thunder Bay this summer as they work to get the ...

'Bumper crop' of ticks on way
The Chronicle Journal-May 15, 2016
It's estimated that about 20 per cent of deer ticks in the Thunder Bay district ... Click Health Ontario link for more on ticks and Lyme disease.

Ticks carrying Lyme disease sought by Windsor health unit
CBC.ca-May 18, 2016
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit was looking for ticks to make sure ... Saunders is manager of the Ontario Early Years Centre Drouillard ...
Tick dragging begins today in Windsor-Essex
CTV News-May 18, 2016
Explore in depth (100 more articles)
Easton Courier
New Tick Kit Can Help Prevent Lyme Disease Caused By Infected ...
GuelphNow-May 28, 2016
Blacklegged ticks are the only type of tick in Ontario that can consistently transmit Lyme disease. Even with a bite from an infected blacklegged ...

Just digging more, and I've got to add this one on:

By Gregory A. Cummins, D.O., M.S. American Board Internal Medicine Fellow Candidate, American Academy of Wilderness Medicine

Ever notice that your biking game just isn’t up to your usual pub crawl bar-to-bar speed? Been achy, run down, sick? And you only had four microbrews for breakfast? It could be that you’re more of a lightweight than in your younger days. Or, it could be that you picked up a little friend while biking.

Ticks cause more disease in the U.S. than mosquitoes or any other critter you can see with the naked eye. If you mountain bike, you will interact with ticks. Just because you’re bigger, and hopefully smarter, does not mean you will win. Ticks transmit diseases that can kill you. More often, they simply maim and drag you down for a bit. Several friends and fellow mountain bikers I know have been sick from tickborne diseases, including a recent master’s MTB Champion. In fact, I picked up a case of Lyme disease at a family reunion four years ago.
[...continues at length...]

http://dirtragmag.com/ticks-suck/

Read this, and read it all!

 

[nfitz]

There are different type of ticks; it's the Deer Tick that's the issue. Deer ticks though are quite large, and easy to spot if you look. But you have to look, as you might not be aware they are attached to you.

I don't think you'd not know you've been bitten, from the markings on your skin afterwards.

I've certainly seen them - though not in Ontario. But there are increasing reports they are moving north. The two cold winters we had might have helped that, but the last one was very mild.

 

[steveintoronto]

Ticks and the diseases they transmit are found in all 50 U.S. states.
Do you know which are in your area?
Throughout the United States and Canada, there are a number of ticks that carry a number of serious diseases. And some ticks are known to carry more than one of these diseases, which can lead to multiple infections, or coinfection, that can complicate treatment and lead to greater health risks.

Also, risk of exposure to vector-borne disease has increased as more and more people and pets move into areas that were previously wild and perfect tick habitats. Other factors, including the growth of white-tailed deer and wild turkey populations, have resulted in expanded populations and geographic distribution of ticks.

Get to know the ticks and diseases in your community. Are the deer, western black-legged, brown dog, lone star, American dog or Gulf Coast tick living among you?

Click a tick to find out more.

• 
  
  Deer Tick
• 
  
  Western Black-Legged Tick
• 
  
  Brown Dog Tick
• 
  
  American Dog Tick
• 
  
  Lone Star Tick
• 
  
  Gulf Coast Tick

• http://www.dogsandticks.com/ticks/

 

[steveintoronto]

I don't think you'd not know you've been bitten, from the markings on your skin afterwards.

The markings only show in some cases and the 'bullseye' description applies mostly to Lymes, there's ten other major infections, which is why they were listed prior.

it's the Deer Tick that's the issue.

It's all ticks, which is exactly why the list of them was posted prior. Some ticks are more problematic than others.

And folks, be aware:

1. How do ticks bite without you feeling it?

TERC Answer: Because ticks stay attached to hosts, blood feeding for several days, they secrete novel pain killers, called kininases, in their saliva which help them go unnoticed. If you have been bitten previously, you may notice a small red bite mark, which can be itchy. If there is no tick at such a site, you may have already scratched it off without knowing it.

http://www.tickencounter.org/faq/tick_bites#tickbites_question_01