tanya's blog

The Star's opinion section blasts cyclists for not coming to full stops at stop signs. No mention is made of how many motorists didn't come to a full stop at the same stop sign. As well no differentiation is made between cyclists that don't come to a full stop and cyclists that do not yield to those with the right-of-way.

Elsewhere, Vancouver police warned motorists to avoid Vancouver's downtown during their critical mass ride expected to draw 3000 people in this article -

Police say the ride has grown so large they have given up trying to rein in participants, even those breaking rules, such as riding without a helmet or blocking traffic.

The actually ride was fairly incident free as documented here, despite a negative public opinion from motorists already unhappy that cyclists have been given a lane on the Burrard street bridge. Meanwhile, at July's Toronto critical mass, it was business as usual from the police, calling out red lights, and handing out tickets.

More Toronto news

The CBC reports that the pedestrian committee is working to close a loophole that allows e-bikes on sidewalks. This makes sense, as e-bikers must be adults, and the intention of the bylaw was to allow children to ride on sidewalks.

I find that my perception of e-bikes is influenced by whether the e-bike looks like a bicycle, or looks like a motorcycle/scooter. I recently saw a bicycle-style e-biker motoring her way down the sidewalk on Queen street, and most people didn't seem to care. The other day, I was passed rather closely by a motorcycle-style e-bike in the bike lane, but was glad that he sounded his bell/horn to alert me to his presence. I don't personally have a problem with e-bikes using bike lanes, and am rather dismayed that the Bike Union has taken an opposing position. A 32 km/h top speed e-bike is much nicer to share the roads with than more cars!

However, monkey see = monkey do. It looked like a motorcycle using the bike lane. After this a real motorcycle decided to use the bike lane to pass congestion, which I do have a problem with as their speed is not limited, and can actually pose a danger.

Obviously many motorists are not clued in to the existence of e-bikes yet as I saw an e-bike travelling down the middle of the lane on Eastern Avenue, which would surely evoke honking rage if it was a bicycle travelling the same speed (regardless of the speed of traffic at that time).

Cruising along Dundas East.
Width of bookcase: 84"
Width of a H3 Hummer: 85.1"

I've been fortunate in that although I bike everywhere I go, I've never had a bike stolen (knock on wood!) Only and somewhat inexplicably one rusty bolt-on front wheel. This is probably a combination of good locking techniques, usually locking up an unattractive target, and definitely a dose of good luck. One bike was cosmetically damaged but not stolen when a would-be thief tried to use my bike as leverage to break the lock, where it was locked to the railing of the front porch where I was living. The good luck? Another tenant saw this and scared him away.

After work yesterday I swung by the police warehouse on Strachan Avenue where the bikes are on display. A few people I know have had bikes stolen but could not make it down to look, or didn't think it was worth bothering. "But I like the bike I have now", or "I have no way to identify it" One friend no longer lives in Toronto, but had his beloved bike stolen some years ago here.

Armed with my mental list of makes and models I wandered the aisles of the warehouses arranged by letter by make name. It was so sad to see the whole sea of bicycles, that had obviously been once well loved by someone now sitting battered and alone. Many without wheels and saddles.

While I had no luck finding anything to tell my friends about, I did notice one person who claimed to have found his bike, and an officer was quizzing him on how he knew it was his. Many dejected looking faces having gotten their hopes up but not having found what they were looking for.

It seems like a traditional cyclist's favourite thing to criticize these days are the new e-bikes that are popping up on Toronto's roads, and yes, the bike paths. Not quite bicycles, as they are typically not being pedalled, and not quite scooters, travelling at restricted speeds. More like scooters than bicycles, but importantly for road safety, they sport bright taillights and headlights, turn signals, and dual mirrors.

Here's a letter to make you think about them from the point of view of someone riding them. Maryann King wrote this letter in response to the negative piece about e-bikes recently published in NOW magazine.

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Normally I avoid car-oriented shopping meccas like the bad plague. But I was desperate, laundry was piling up and I was out of detergent. The brand I liked (Method Free + Clear) appeared to no longer be stocked at the two pedestrian-friendly Shoppers Drug Mart stores I checked. I grabbed my trusty shopping bike, an old Raleigh Twenty with a milk crate, and rolled off towards nearby big box hell at Lakeshore and Leslie.
Fresh Paint on Eastern Avenue
Hmm, odd this wasn't here yesterday I thought, of the new white line that has popped up on Eastern Avenue. Sweeeet! My own personal bike lane to big box hell! Despite my own personal excitement, what is this bike lane actually doing here?

Over the weekend, Toronto got hit by the largest snowstorm in recent memory. This made for difficult travel, but peaceful roads and smiling people. (the ones out braving the weather anyway!) The roads were quiet with light slow moving traffic on them - imagine if that could be everyday! Public transit vehicles were delayed, cycling involved slip sliding through the snow, cars were getting stuck. Bicycles locked up overnight were buried under snowdrifts. The best way today was taking to your own two feet and exploring your local neighbourhood.

Biking in the first snowstorm of the year is always a fun experience! I hardly saw another cyclist out there today but perhaps my vision was obscured by the wind pelting the fresh falling snow into my eyes. Here are my tips for a safe and warm commute:

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