police

The new bike lanes were just installed this last weekend. The photo above is of pre-bike lane Jarvis Street as taken by Yvonne Bambrick (just before she got two tickets for riding down the centre and taking photos). Luckily, riding in the actual bike lanes, as of today, will not get you a ticket. Photos and analysis to come soon. For now, some tidbits of the no-man's land of Jarvis Street in transition:

National Post

The Jarvis lanes represent a symbolic victory for cycling advocates who have lobbied for a more integrated cycling network, and safer conditions for bike users. But it’s been a polarizing issue, too, that triggered heavy opposition from critics who envisioned traffic chaos.

Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has made it a cornerstone of his campaign, vowing this week to “paint over” the Jarvis lanes if he is elected. He believes lanes are meant for secondary streets, like the ones on neighbouring Sherbourne Street that, he points out, could use some attention.

The lanes on Jarvis will link up to routes on Wellesley and Gerrard streets and get very close to Shuter Street, says Daniel Egan, manager of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure at the City of Toronto. He disputes suggestions that they go nowhere.

Geoff assualted by Police during peaceful Bike rally Photo NOW Magazine, p.14
The following is from Geoffrey Bercarich, a Bike Pirates volunteer:

My name is Geoffrey Bercarich, age 26 and life long resident of Toronto, Canada. I was attacked and held illegally by Toronto Police in the “g20 jail” on Sunday June 27th, 2010.

I was riding in a special critical mass of cyclists, there was 600 cylists riding in group to take the media spotlight away from the property damage done to the city core the day before.

The bike ride was peaceful and no street laws where broken. The mass ride was riding along Yorkville and this is where I was attacked. A police cyclist blocked my path directly in front of me; another police cyclist struck me in the face, hitting my teeth with his fist. Another police cyclist threw his bicycle into mine causing me to fall to the ground. The squad of five police officers threw me onto the fallen police bike, pushing me down onto the bicycle and beat me in the face and the groin. The officer that struck me first held my knees open as another hit me repeatedly in the groin. I was then turned on to my stomach and my face was smashed into the street repeatedly, leaving a pool of blood. This all happened without any notification by the police officers as to what crime I committed or why they were attacking me. As the beatings continued I repeated in a strong voice, “I am not resisting.”

By Tino.

By thewaitingroom

By katalogue

By joerayment

By dgriebeling


By harrychoi

G20 Critical Mass. By Tino.


By nouspique

See more at Treehugger.

Bicycles and cyclists are getting a pretty shitty deal during the G20. As a volunteer photographer for the Alternative Media Centre (AMC) this week I have seen reports about cops giving out tickets to activits for not having bells on their bike and far worse, ring posts are being removed and cyclists in general are being profiled and harrassed. For updates and to share your story check the AMC website 2010.mediacoop.ca or use the #g20report to share you experiences.

Oooooh its Pooooh

In the many years that I have been riding a bicycle in bike lanes, I have had to share them with a lot of things. From rickshaws, to inline skaters, to joggers…oh yeah cars and trucks and those other things, all sorts of things.

I have become pretty tolerant to all forms of these transportations. I still give the stink eye to cars, inline skaters in the bike lane, but for the most part I have made my peace with them. I have discovered that the things I put my hands on turn and I can navigate around most obstacles, except for what I came across this morning.

I have taken to morning rides on my bike before I go to work. It’s about a 20km ride that takes around an hour. Part of the route is over the train tracks on the Sorauren bridge. This morning I almost ran over some horse poo-poo.

This could have been a dangerous and disgusting situation. Nothing worse than wiping out on some manure. Well, I only know one group of people who ride horses in the city and that be the police.

I remember one time asking a cop who cleaned up after their horses when they crapped on the road. He looked down at me from his mount, with disdain in his voice he told me, "that’s what city works is for.” Well, city works is not doing its job and the police are crapping in bike lanes, so isn't it time that we retired these horses?

After Councillor Howard Moscoe's prodding, City Council has released the previously confidential manual which explains who can get their parking tickets cancelled. I am glad that they did this, and it helps make things much more clear to everyone in this city. Many thanks to Councillor Moscoe, and the other councillors, who made this happen.

Before this manual was released, I had though that more enforcement would help to diminish the number of vehicles found parked in bike lanes. I had also thought that on-street separated bike lanes should be used sparingly and strategically.

I now realize how naive I was.

While I expect that some of the excuses to get one's parking ticket cancelled to be removed from the current manual, I have to expect that many, if not most, of them will remain. Because of this, I now find it necessary to add my voice to the many who are already calling for the conversion of existing bike lanes into on-street separated bike lanes.

The passive enforcement of barriers which would deter people from placing their vehicles in bike lanes seems to be the only remedy we have to keep those of us in this city who ride bikes safe from moving cars and trucks, and to keep bike lanes safe from becoming free parking or ad-hoc taxi stands.

And safer infrastructure will only encourage more people to ride.

Four Bike Police Scuttle up the bike lane in the wrong direction

It has been well over two days since Toronto cyclists woke up to a shattered dream: the dream of a pilot bike lane project on University Avenue. No, it wasn't the right-wing bike hating extreme that put it down, but a bike lane loving councilor that blamed it on technology, or lack of sleep, or perhaps it was memories of communist day camps in the wilds of Manitoba, but regardless, Paula "fat fingers" Fletcher was the one to blame.

But if you looked on the Toronto Star website and read the story, or maybe the comments, you would think that Yahweh himself had come down and grabbed her hand and put it on the big red no button.

It was divine intervention, chimed in more than one of the many people who read the Star, comment on how crappy life is in Toronto, but don't really live here (those people who see fit to tell people who actually live here what they are supposed to think and how much Toronto sucks and everything else).

It seemed that every other member of the peanut gallery was going on how ambulances used University to get to the hospitals and how cyclists would slow them down and how putting a bike lane on University would cause the death of millions.

Over the years, I have seen many of these notices on utility poles. There are a timely reminder of how important witnesses are. Hopefully, someone who read this post can help.