Advocacy and Groups

The Toronto Cycling Committee is an advisory committee to the municipal departments and city council.

bikeToronto.ca is a web site by TCC member Martin Koob to keep the cycling public abreast of the latest developments at the Toronto Cycling Committee and to track the progress of its ten year Bike Plan.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists is a group which formalizes the principle of cyclists standing up for each other. ARC was formed in August 1996 as a community response to a particularly brutal two weeks which saw two cyclists killed by trucks and another two arrested on a Critical Mass ride.

Initially formed to lobby for a coroner's inquest and to help in the arrestees' defense, ARC has since expanded to provide support and legal advice to cyclists involved in accidents, to educate on cyclists' rights, and to hold direct actions aimed at changing society's dependence on the automobile.

Groups

Bicycle Commons is busy recycling all of Igor's ill-found bikes, before he was arrested and all his stolen bikes confiscated. It is all organized around a youth drop-in program where the youth earn a bike at the end of X number of hours committed.

Charlie's Freewheels is a youth program and soon a bike shop operated by youth.

BikeSauce is a DIY space in Leslieville at Broadview and Queen.

Bike Pirates is a DIY space at Bloor and Lansdowne, the best established such project in Toronto.

Bike Racks

NOTES:
Some of these bike racks were recommended by the Toronto Cycling Committee.

* These racks are similar to the City of Toronto post-and-ring design

** Distributes “Graber USA” products

*** Wall-mounted racks which park bikes in vertical position

**** I Bike TO readers get a 10% discount if they mention this blog

Bike Repair and Mechanics

Community bike repair and DIY

• Community Bicycle Network - 761 Queen Street West, Suite 101 (Queen and Euclid) - open most days from 12-6pm
• Bike Pirates - 457 Bathurst St. about a block south of College and Bathurst, across from the Beer store. Open Thurs, Sat from 12-5
• Bikechain (University of Toronto) - basement level of the International Student Centre at the Cumberland House, 33 St. George St., just north of College St.

For a list of bike collectives in other cities, check this.

Back alley and mobile repair shops

• Parts Unknown - George is a Toronto institution. You can find him in the alley where Baldwin and Augusta meet in Kensington Market
• Mike the Bike - north of Dundas on Augusta in Kensington Market
• TorontoBike.ca - A mobile bike repair shop that holds repair days at various locations and festivals across the city.

Toronto Bike Shops

Find a map of Toronto bike shops on the Toronto Cyclists Union website.

Laws regarding parking in the bike lane

If you've wondered what are the laws regarding cars parking in the bike lanes there is an interesting Q&A from the Ontario Traffic Council blog:

Posted: Monday August 31, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I understand that it is good practice to restrict parking in bike lanes, but do other jurisdictions combine parking lanes with bike lanes?
Posted: Tuesday September 01, 2009 at 03:02 PM by rhamilto@toronto.ca
Presently, Toronto has two specific on-road bicycle lane designs. 1) Immediately adjacent to the curb. Typically the lane is 1.7m to 2.0 m in width. Our traffic bylaw prohibits stopping/driving at all times in any bicycle lane, the only exception being: for the purpose of crossing the lane to access a driveway/laneway; for making a turn at an intersecting roadway (may enter and drive in the lane within 45 metres of the turn location); for the purpose of picking up/dropping off a disabled person, while actually engaged in doing so; for the purpose of loading/unloading passengers by a school bus; and for the purpose of a taxicab picking up/dropping off a passenger.
2) The bicycle lane is delineated to the roadway side of the parking lane (typically about 2.5 metres out from the curb). In this format the above-noted stipulations apply with respect to activity that may take place in the bicycle lane, with the added provision that a motorist is allowed to cross the bicycle lane to access a curb lane used for parking. This scenario is typically used where there is a high demand for curb lane parking and the road is sufficiently wide enough to support the combination of parking, a bicycle lane(s), and traffic movement. Also, in this scenario parking is allowed on a 24/7 basis. In both bicycle lane scenarios the the restrictions on the use of the bicycle lane do not apply to emergency vehicles, public transit vehicles (TTC, GO, or other transit agency authorized to operate in Toronto), or vehicles engaged in works undertaken on behalf of the City/TTC/Public Utility.

Ron Hamilton, Manager, Traffic Operations, City of Toronto/President, OTC
Posted: Thursday September 03, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Thanks, Ron
Posted: Friday October 30, 2009 at 09:05 AM by bryan.purins@brampton.ca
Ron, could you please provide me with an excerpt from the City of Toronto's by-law regarding the designated parking lanes adjacent to bicycle lanes? I looked for it on the City's website but couldn't find it. Thanks
Posted: Monday November 02, 2009 at 11:33 AM by marco@otc.org
Hello,

Ron is on vacation this week. I will see if there is someone else at the City who can post a reply to your question.

Marco D'Angelo
OTC Executive Director
Posted: Tuesday November 03, 2009 at 01:59 PM by marco@otc.org
§ 886-10. Operation and stopping of vehicles restricted.
A. Subject to § 886-11, no person shall operate a vehicle other than a bicycle in any bicycle lane except for the purpose of:
(1) Ingress to or egress from a private lane or driveway adjacent to the bicycle lane;
(2) Making a turn at a highway intersecting the bicycle lane;
(3) Entering or exiting a curb lane used for parking;
(4) Loading or unloading of a person with a disability, while actively engaged in doing so;
(5) Operating a school bus while actively engaged in picking up or dropping off school children; or
(6) Operating a taxicab while actively engaged in loading or unloading of passengers.
B. Despite § 886-10A, no person operating a vehicle in a bicycle lane for the purposes set out in § 886-10A shall operate a vehicle in the lane for a distance exceeding 45 metres. [Amended 2007-06-22 by By-law No. 665-2007]
C. Subject to § 886-10A(4), (5) and (6), no person shall stop a vehicle other than a bicycle in a bicycle lane.
§ 886-11. Exemptions.
Section 886-10 does not apply to the following vehicles:
A. Ambulances, police or fire service vehicles or any other vehicle actively engaged in responding to an emergency; or
B. Vehicles actually and actively engaged in works undertaken for or on behalf of:
(1) The City, the Toronto Transit Commission or a public transit agency authorized to operate in the City; or
(2) A public utility, including utilities providing telecommunications, energy, water supply or wastewater related services.
ARTICLE VI
Schedules
§ 886-12. Schedules.
The Schedules referred to in this chapter form part of this chapter, and each entry in a column of a Schedule shall be read in conjunction with the entry or entries across from it and not otherwise.

Schedule D to Ch. 886
Designated Lanes for Bicycles

[As amended by By-law Nos.: 1261-2007, 1264-2007, 1265-2007, 1266-2007, 1271-2007, 1354-2007, 1418-2007, 1419-2007, 175-2008, 180-2008, 632-2008, 635-2008, 636-2008, 820-2008, 825-2008, 829-2008, 834-2008, 836-2008, 841-2008, 846-2008, 1026-2008, 1029-2008, 1030-2008, 1114-2008, 1166-2008]

Highway Between Lanes Times or Days

Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] A point 50 metres east of Runnymede Road and Gilmour Avenue
Westbound lane, adjacent to the curb lane used for parking Anytime
Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] Gilmour Avenue and Fairview Avenue
Northerly Westbound Anytime
Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] Fairview Avenue and Evelyn Avenue
Westbound lane, adjacent to the curb lane used for parking Anytime
Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] Evelyn Avenue and Clendenan Avenue
Northerly Westbound Anytime
Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] Clendenan Avenue and High Park Avenue
Westbound lane, adjacent to the curb lane used for parking Anytime
Annette Street [Added 2008-07-17 by By-law No. 841-2008] High Park Avenue and Medland Street
Northerly Westbound Anytime

Recreation

Toronto Bicycling Network is Canada's largest recreational cycling club with over 900 members. They have daily/weekly rides in Toronto and area, by road or dirt.

Routes and Maps

Cycling Map

Produced by the City of Toronto, you can get a map from a local community centre, bike store, City Hall. You can also view the full map online.

You can also buy cycling maps produced by private companies but none of them have kept them up to date since people can always get a free one from the city.

Cycling Routes
You can also check out Bikely for favorite routes of Toronto cyclists - an amazing resource for cyclists.