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Poor Gordon. He was so happy at the convenience, but at some point in the morning reality dawned. I estimate from the pricing chart that Gordon paid at least $100 for that rental (assuming he kept it at his house for about eight hours).
herb : 13 years 10 months ago
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©Ride For Jarvis
Photo by Tino
The Fixer has been looking out for scofflaw cyclists lately - a media favorite. James Schwartz of The Urban Country had a conversation with The Fixer and thankfully may have convinced him that respect goes two ways. Here are James' points for how drivers can respect cyclists:
- When passing cyclists, slow down and give them a bit more space. A pothole could be enough to cause us to swerve, and if you’re passing too closely, a one-foot swerve could put me right in your path.
- When I’m making a legal left turn, please don’t get mad at me because you have to drive around me. I have every right to be in the left-turn lane, and getting angry at me doesn’t help, it only tempts me to break the law and do an illegal left turn to avoid angry drivers.
- When I’m in the right lane, and a streetcar is in the left lane, please don’t try to squeeze through.
- Help us try to get better cycling infrastructure. As a driver, it’s in your interest to have more bike infrastructure. It helps you to get to your destination without bicycles getting in your way. It also makes my ride more comfortable and encourages more people to use bicycles.
- Please don’t park in the bike lane. It forces me into traffic which creates unnecessary conflict between drivers and cyclists. It’s bad enough that many of our bike lanes are in the ‘door zone’ of drivers. Please don’t make it worse by blocking the small space that we have.
- When turning right, please check your blind spot to make sure I’m not passing you. I’ll do my best to pass you on the left side when it’s safe to do so, but sometimes the bike lane passes on your right. I’ll be cautious when I pass you, but if you could take a look, I’d appreciate it.
- Please be sure to check your mirrors before opening your car door.
herb : 13 years 11 months ago
Why would anyone build a road that abuts a park and links a waterfront trail to a pedestrian / cyclist bridge – and name it after Dan Leckie, to boot – and not put a bike lane on it? Only in Toronto, eh?
Ward 20 Councillor Adam Vaughan amended the PW5.1 Bikeway Network recommendations to redress this judgement lapse, and added several other bike-friendly amendments. But when PW5.1 came to a vote at City Council on July 13, it also included the motion to remove the bike lanes on Jarvis.
So here is Vaughan’s dilemma: if he votes in favour of his own motions to add bike lanes (on Dan Leckie and other roadways), he is simultaneously voting against keeping the lanes on Jarvis. If he votes down the recommendations because of the Jarvis clause, he is voting against the whole cycling infrastructure proposal – and the Fordites can claim there is insufficient support even among downtown representatives to consider additional investment in cycling ever again.
After losing a motion to have the recommendations in PW5.1 considered individually, eight councillors chose Door Number 3 – they boycotted the vote entirely. And here’s the beauty of the vote trap: the Fordites can say, accurately, that only nine councillors voted against the removal of the Jarvis lanes. Councillors who withhold their vote are recorded as “Absent”. There is no category for “Boycotted”, or “Appalled”, or “Principled”. In fact, if every councillor who couldn’t support the recommendations as amended (for whatever reason) withdrew their vote, PW5.1 would have passed unanimously.
Which brings us to the councillors who voted to support the item. Some of them – perhaps most of them – were simply participants in a whipped vote, letting Georgio Mammoliti’s thumb do their thinking for them.
But some of them might have thought they were taking a relatively small hit on Jarvis for the greater good on Sherbourne, the Viaduct, and the Richmond / Adelaide corridor. Some of them might even have been legitimately taken in by Denzil Minnan-Wong’s verbal assurances that the Jarvis lanes would stay until the Sherbourne rebuild – including separated bike lanes – is completed (although the written direction to staff in recommendation 11 explicitly says otherwise).
We need to identify these councillors and engage them in intelligent dialogue. Can’t hurt. Might help.
debra : 13 years 11 months ago
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