a cold CM

That was a good ride. Much better turnout than last month. Good show in the Eaton's Centre too.

Great time, though after I broke away from the group at Bathurst/Bloor I noticed how cold I was. I realize that so much of my winter cycling comfort comes from using lots of energy - the leisurely ride sucked all the warmth out of me.

Mostly I can take or leave our passages through the Eaton Centre. The first time was fun but it got old after a few times. This time, though, the warmth was welcome :-)

Any hassle from the police after Bathurst/Bloor? That crazy motorist in the Prelude that blew by us had stopped by a cop and was complaining loudly to him. I wanted to suggest he tell the officer the way in which he got around us...

At around Bathurst and Bloor, we had a two police officers talk to us, but fortunately no charges or arrests were made.

I'd like to suggest that in the future if the Critical Mass ride has less than 15 riders, we take up one lane only. It felt a little awkward blocking up two lanes with only ten or so riders (not sure of the exact numbers).

I tend to agree with you, Jacob. That last little bit along Bathurst felt a little uncomfortable and more confrontational than I like. At some point, I think, we have to decide that we can't really maintain a second lane. I'd imagine most people agree with you but there may be some difference in opinion where the cutoff is. We can all agree, I think, that a CM of 3-4 people shouldn't take the entire road but when do we pare it down to one lane?

This was my first CM ride and I enjoyed it fully.

I absolutely agree with reducing to one lane when the number of riders gets low - safer, and less negative vibes.

I just received my copy of the bike union newsletter:
- a call for new members
- a feature on giving each other awards, after less than one year in operation
- a feature on the volunteers that brought each other the awards
and
- another list of reasons why we should be a member

Sheeesh...

Don't discourage the optimistic and hard working folks who are trying to build the small biking movement in Toronto. Celebrating each small victory along the way is important.

That's my main reason for being a Bike Union member.

The Toronto Cyclists Union Board has been hard at work trying to figure out who our first Executive Director (ED) will be. I know because I am on the Board. The announcement for who this will be was not ready for the latest issue of the Ring and Post, so expect to see an announcement about this very soon.

The Board opened up this process to the membership by asking for volunteers to be on the hiring committee. We had four volunteers who actively participated through the process, and who were extremely helpful in coming forward with its recommendations to the board.

Volunteers put in a lot of hard work, and hours, for free. And the Bike Union gets a lot from these efforts. As the Bike Union cannot financially reward these volunteers, we reward people efforts with recognition. Recognition is important.

The Bike Union is doing its best to be responsive to member's concerns while also pushing the city to implement its own bike plan. The Bike Union making some headway, like the snow clearing being done on the Martin Goodman trail this year. It was the Bike Union that helped achieve this by pushing for this as it moved through council.

The Bike Union, through its members, have made deputations at many of the city's committees, like the Cycling Committee, the Parks Committee, and of course the Public Works Committee. Again, these are all volunteers taking the time out of their day to be at these meetings, as well as using their own time to prepare for these meetings.

This is a very big city, and lots need to be done. The current volunteers have not yet been able to do everything, and many are not interested and/or available to do the advocacy work required at City Hall, ie making deputations. Fortunately, there are many other jobs that need to be done to keep the Bike Union running, and there have been many volunteers who have stepped up to the plate to help with many of those jobs. It is good for all of us to show our appreciation and thanks to these people in some way.

The membership money that we have collected so far is allowing us to hire our first ED for a period of six months. There will a lot of focus from this ED on Growth and funding in order to sustain this position. The Board will be taking on a more active role in running the Union along side our ED.

The Bike Union's Board has a strong interest in keeping the Toronto Cyclists Union a vibrant voice for cyclists in Toronto. The Board has already held one strategic planning day, and we continue doing more planning. Even though the organization is volunteer run, we have a large organization to oversee. The Board will be putting more focus on some of the programs of the Union in order to increase the effectiveness as well as value from the program on behalf of the membership. We also want to make it easier for people to be able to plug into and volunteer for the Bike Union.

The Union did a survey of our members (as well as many non-members), and we're still in the process the analysis of the collected data.

We started a Bike Union this year, we've got many programs going, and we had a few events already. We have members, and we continue to attract new members; we still need many more. We are learning about what it takes to have an organization like this in Toronto, and we are committed and continuing to make the Bike Union better, and our city a better place for cycling.

Scorekeeper, what would you have liked to see in the ring and Post?
Perhaps you'd be willing to write about what you and your fellow volunteers are doing for the Bike Union, or what you're doing to help the city's cyclists for the next issue? Or perhaps you could persuade one of your fellow volunteers to write that for the next issue?
You can always talk to any of us (on the Board, the Executive, or on the newsletter) with your ideas for an article to go into the Post and Ring. Because with your help, we're only going to get better.

"The Union did a survey of our members (as well as many non-members), and we're still in the process the analysis of the collected data."

Is this because you don't have someone to do the summaries or because the data isn't in a format that's easily imported into a stats program? If the former, I could help.

Numerati are much required.
Helpers should contact Heather McDonald of the Bike Union.

Will do.