New training program for bike mechanics

Aspiring mechanics can now take a bike mechanic training program for at-risk youth. The Learning Enrichment Foundation partnered up with Toronto bike stores, the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada, City of Toronto and industry suppliers give the "BAM" (Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance) course a third try. This time they've got a well-stocked work space at LEF and broad support.

"There's an overall shortage" that's only getting worse as more people switch from four wheels to two, says Pete Lilly, owner of Sweet Pete's Bicycle Shop at Bloor and Dufferin Sts.

Last summer, he said, most bike shops were running three weeks behind on repairs because of the high demand.

A new project aims to fill that gap. The Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance Program will train out-of-work youths to fix and assemble all kinds of bikes so they can tap into a rising market, organizers say.

Many "will walk right into a job," says a project organizer, Rob White, sales vice-president at Outdoor Gear Canada. He estimates there are openings for 50 to 100 bike mechanics each year in the GTA.

Few could argue with more training. But what about paying bike mechanics a bit more so that more people will actually choose it as a career? I know a few bike mechanics that have moved on to more "adult" careers. I can only assume it's because of the pay.

herb : 16 years 5 months ago
Tags: bike mechanics, BTAC

Where you can't park your bike, like in Waterloo!

A strange story out of Waterloo has Susan Fish getting her bike slapped with an extra lock by building management for locking her bike outside coffee shop while she goes in to get a coffee. The full story can be found at the Waterloo Chronicle website and also at Take The Lane.

I've seen the odd warning about bikes not being welcome to lock to a pedestrain railing here in Toronto, and this makes sense as the railing are for the comfort and safety of the pedestrians who need it. But I've not ever heard of something this extreme in Toronto.

Does this kind of thing still happen in Toronto? Where, and by whom?

One of the spokes of Toronto's Bike Plan is bike parking and the city has published guidelines that should eventually become a city wide by-law for developers for new buildings, and for building owners who are renovating buildings in the city. I think mandating bicycle parking is a good idea, and these are good guidelines to be starting with.

anthony : 16 years 5 months ago
Tags: advocacy, bike infrastructure, bike parking, politics, Waterloo

Post & Ring Bike Stand Request

So having put together that image from the Google Maps satellite view of my wife's street, I decided to scrap the hand-drawn form, and paste in (roughly) that same picture before submitting the form.

Post and Ring request form filled, redacted
filled, redacted

So this is roughly the form that will be getting submitted. (Except that the copy going in has her name, address, and other such information on it).

For those of you looking to do something similar, a copy of the form can be easily downloaded from the city (though it helps to read the information page first).

I also took the time beforehand to scan through the Guidelines for the Design and Management of Bicycle Parking Facilities, with a complete reading of section 5 (Bicycle Parking Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way). Worth noting from that section is that:

Any bicycle parking (whether required by the zoning by-
law or not) that is located in the public right-of-way must
comply with City standards and guidelines for all street
furniture and must be installed by City staff.

Also notable is the remarks on what is necessary for developers who wish to install parking in the public right-of-way in order to meet the zoning requirements for their building. In this case (where the parking is clearly their responsibility), it's a matter of proposing a location that is consistent with the city's policies, signing an encroachment agreement, and paying the city $200 for each ring and post rack installed. This is notable because it suggests how these racks could get installed in the event that the city's rack installation quota gets met installing racks in other places that need them more (yes, I am challenging those of you who complained that this series is a self-indulgent waste of municipal resources to saturate the city with requests for more-needed racks).

Finally, Section 5 of the bike parking guidelines refers to three other policy documents which would affect the installation of bike parking:

These are probably worth taking a peek at if you want to get bike parking installed so that when you get a site inspection, you already know which locations for bike parking seem particularly suitable/unsuitable, and can free up the time of city staffers to go and check out other people's potential sites for bike parking.

kiwano : 16 years 5 months ago
Tags: bike infrastructure, bike parking