accident in sunnybrook park.

Rather than whinge about this to the city why don't you just slow down. I've ridden this bridge countless times with nary a problem.

Please tell me you're not serious? It's probably not a good idea to continue down this path unless you want to be the laughing stock of the city. Instead, consider slowing down, paying attention to your surroundings or maybe just walk. Like Don Watcher I too have ridden this bridge many times and it's absolutely fine!

Few if any off road paved facilities in Canada, meet any national standards set for these types of paths. The CBC did an expose on the problem several years ago. The Don has some of the worst designs going on top of being poorly maintained.

Several thousand people crossed the Burnhamthorpe Bridge in Mississauga before a cyclist was blown over the rail by a truck. He was on a marked bike path. Before the bridge was even built there were issues about the railing being too low. Decided that it was too expensive to put in taller railings.

I just do not get the two previous comments. Why have you assumed that the poster was riding too fast? I have seen people fall off their bikes on the trails, none of them were riding too fast. Most were trying to avoid an unleashed dog or a child that had taken off from their mother and ended up in a rut or an ill placed outcrop.

You were riding on the suspension bridge leading down to the Serena Gundy parking lot? I'm sorry to say I don't think you've got much of a case. First, it's not officially part of Route 26 (it's a multi-use park path), secondly, the bridge is signed with "Cyclists dismount" on both ends (at least the last time I rode it). The path is too narrow for slalom barriers.

My tandem riding friends and I would really appreciate it if the bridge remained obstacle-free. Please let it go. Sorry to hear of your crash - hope you heal up well with no permanent injury.

Yes, as Antony said, there's a sign telling cyclists to dismount and walk the bike across the bridge. Few people do, but I go so slow I might as well be walking, I put my feet down and let them drag along the ground. I fell in that same area two years ago, approaching the bridge from the parking lot. Turned a little too sharply and there was sand/gravel on the road that caused my road bike to skid out (I think one of those boulders stopped my slide across the pavement :) ). Never occurred to me that it was anyone's fault by my own so I approach it more carefully now. You want a barrier preventing you from riding the bridge??? Prevent yourself, man. Don't ask the city to treat us all like babies who have to forcibly stopped from hurting themselves. Geez, be a grown-up.

I've never ridden in the area, so I may be suggesting something silly here - but perhaps you could work on getting better signage. Others have said that the bridge currently has signs instructing cyclists to dismount. Perhaps those should be larger, or more prominently placed?

Also, perhaps a second set of signs placed a few meters before the bridge to warn what is going to happen up ahead - kind of like how you see signs warning you that a stop light is coming up. Extra signage like that can show a cyclist that they're "serious" about what's about to happen.

It's hard to fault you for ignoring the signage - every one does it sometimes, but the fact remains that the signage is there, and you've also found out the difficult way that it's there for a very good reason. There's no reason why we can't communicate the same to other bridge users.

Starting with the city is the best route, I'd think. I've often found any communication I've done through the website has been promptly answered with non-canned responses.

I don't often see "motorists stop, exit car, and push" signs. I guess that's because motor vehicle roads are built to sensible standards, and stupid designs are dealt with soon enough.

I would say that motorists in general could use more exercise than bicyclists, but apparently Harlow UK thinks that they should start with cyclists:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-...

Yes, I agree that "cyclists dismount" is a poor cop-out and pretty insulting.

However, for existing, inadequate infrastructure, I'd rather see lawyer-signage than have routes completely blocked to cyclist traffic.

even the laziest cyclists gain the full health benefits from their activity.

Wow....
I am seriously fucking offended at this moment. Fuck you Essex County, you are so boycotted.

from: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-...

This particularly daunting section, requires seven dismounts within a distance of 380 yards, thus ensuring that even the laziest cyclists gain the full health benefits from their activity.

Wow....
I am seriously fucking offended at this moment. Fuck you Essex County, you are so boycotted.

Calm down & read the other entries. He's British, that's all.

hi guys,
Thanks for the helpful comments. a couple of points to help clarify.

A) I just started a new job in the area and this was my 5th time crossing the bridge. I never noticed the signs that indicate that you should dismount before crossing.

B) in my opinion I wasn't going to fast. I had cruised onto the bridge without cranking my pedals, but it is sloped downwards and I picked up some speed going across. When I applied my brakes to try and slow down, I began to slide.

C) I think there was dew on the bridge that morning because it was a clear sunny day. I suspect that the combination of the shitty bridge design and the moisture on it and my braking was responsible for me taking a spill.

(surely this was a fluke you say ... )

D) Another rider lost it on the bridge 5 min after I went down and also had to take a trip to the hospital in the same ambulance. When he went down, he ended up cutting his face open and needed to get stitches. Similar circumstances for him too. new to the area, never saw the warning signs, applied his breaks on a wet bridge and went down hard.

Glad that some of you have never had an issue on this bridge. However, that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen to you. I agree that the very least they should do is to make the warning signs bigger as they aren't adequate. Perhaps they could resurface the bridge. My goal here it to help prevent this from ever happening to another rider, not to make it harder for bike commuters to get around in this city that already does too little to make it safe.

It's always helpful to discuss the safety of our bike routes and look for ways of improving them. I don't know why some respondents just want to scold before knowing all the facts. I hope you recovered well from your accident.

It's always helpful to discuss the safety of our bike routes and look for ways of improving them. I don't know why some respondents just want to scold before knowing all the facts. I hope you recovered well from your accident.

There is a meeting on April 12 at 6 PM at LAMP Community Health Centre. It is located at
**** 185 Fifth Street Toronto . That is just one block north of Lakeshore and 2 blocks west of Islington.

The purpose of the meeting is to establish a Safe Bike ride to school group. The meeting is co-sponsored by Lakeshore Planning Council and LAMP. There is an opportunity to get a grant for a paid position to start the program. This is a healthy living grant and is possible because of LAMP.

The plan is to begin with schools already on etablished bike lanes and then approach those schools. The schools need to put in bike parking. Some TDSB schools in the area have zero bike parking. Interested students would then be given training so that they and their parents feel confident in riding to school.

I know others have suggested it before, but I believe it a workable project now. City Parent magazine had an ad with a picture of a bike and a cation saying it could lower type 2 diabetes in children. There is widespread recognition of childhood obesity right now. LAMP has instant credibiliy in wanting to help with this problem. It meets many objectives of the Schools on the Move mandate. There is already a walk to school initiative. I believe it can b.
expanded to include cycling. It has been done successfully in he UK.

I think it could be a test project for the rest of the city and believe it is a good place to try it out. Here are my reasons.

1. There is support for it in the local communtiy and people willing to try and do it.
2. There are bike lanes in place that lead to some schools. It gives a physical infrastructure to begin on. If it is successful, there will be pressure for more bike lanes to schools.
3. The Lakeshore Planning Council has political clout in an election year. They think it is good idea and are willing to support it.
4. The partnership with LAMP gives it support as a health issue. It is a direct response to the acknowledged childhood obesity problem by a respected health organization.
5. The local TDSB trustee is Bruce Davis. He is also the Chair of the TDSB. A successful program in his ward will gain a valuable ally to expand the program.
6. For it to work we need to move fast. The grant deadline is May 1. The pieces are in place to try for it.

If anyone is interested, they can call Carole Goyette at 416-252-6471.