Caught in the headlights A voice for those who don't have gas

Bike Bike Volunteer Call Out

Hello Bike Friendly folks!

If you'd like to help out with Bike!Bike!2010, an annual conference organized by and for community bicycle projects. Hosted in a different city in North America each year, this year's conference will be held in Toronto and hosted by the Bike Pirates, running from August 12-15.

We're looking for folks to help out in preparation for the conference, as well as for the duration of the weekend. We're expecting about 150 cool folks from community bike shops to attend, coming from all over the world.

What we need to hear from you is;

Can you house any of these people for the duration of the conference? You don't need to fit all 150, but even knowing about your empty floor space or room in your yard to camp is helpful. Beds and couches are nice, but everything helps.

Can you lend a vehicle? Bikes are awesome (as we all know), as are trailers, but motorized things are good too! Even if you don't want to hand over the keys, being available to help ferry supplies and people would be super helpful.

We also need loaner bikes for the duration of the conference, as many attendees will be coming from far away without their own bikes. If you have an old bike that you have been thinking about donating to a good cause, or if you have an extra bike that you can lend us for a few days, we can pick them up and lend them out to folks coming from out of town.

Can you lend your body and mind? We'll need help registering folks when they arrive, directing them to where they stay, helping to cook meals, picking up and dropping off conference supplies and more!

Can you spare a something? We'll need a variety of supplies and materials to run the conference, so if you think you've got something that would help us out, let us know! We're happy for the help.

If you are able to commit to any of the above, fill out a registration form at:

http://www.bikebike.org/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=2

You can also find this form at the bikebike2010 website. Check out bikebike.org for complete details, or if you have questions you can write to us at bikebike2010@gmail.com

Every bit helps. With the support of the Toronto cycling community we hope to make Bike!Bike! a great success.
Thank you,

Ainsley Naylor

Bike!Bike! 2010 Organizing Committee

647-238-4975

bikebike2010@gmail.com

MECfest

Dave Robinson, the nicest person you would ever want to meet, called and asked if I wanted to be involved with Bikefest. Bikefest is a Mountain Equipment Coop idea that would bring a whole bunch of like minded people to the same location and we could all have fun with bikes, or learn about bikes, watch people do tricks on bikes...you get the idea.

Bikefest was held on Saturday July 3rd of this week-end. The area effected was a lone strip that ran between King and Liberty on Fraser street. The street was lined with booths of bike paraphernalia like modrobes, Ride for Life Bike rally and The Bike Train
I was there to teach a bunch of people the basics fixing a bike.  Fifteen people showed up.  I was told that all of the people attending had to pay $5 and the money was being donated to TCAT.  I took them through the basic parts of a bicycle, how to adjust brakes, gears and other starter maintenance that you can do on your bike.  Some of the most important things you can do to make your bike riding experience that much better are the simple things like pumping up your tires and oiling your chain.

My lesson was constantly interrupted by the cheering coming from the bar at the end of the street.  Germany was in the midst of trouncing Argentina.  It was fun and we knew what the score was without watching the game.

I was booked in for another time for passing on the knowledge, this time it was flats and tires.  Basically what kind of tires you would need, depending on what kind of riding you do and how to fix a flat when you get there.  Three people showed up, two of them a couple.   I ended up truing one couple people's wheels cause the spokes were like spaghetti.  I taught the other guy how to change a tire.

I saw Dave Robinson on the way out and asked him how things had turned out.  He was very positive and happy about the amount of people who turned up on a long week-end.  This was the first of what would be an annual event.

I rode home the long way and ended up on St. Clair at Lansdowne and found myself  in the midst of another street festival.  This one was about latin culture, shoes and cheap carnival rides.  People were milling around the street and things were just starting to get going.

I personally love when the streets are closed and people are on them having fun.  It fills me with hope that we can reclaim these streets from the automobile once and for all.

Oh yes, this post needs a title!!

All I can say is thank goodness for the email that drops like gentle rain on a parched desert or I would have to come up with my own posts.  I was scrambling around for anything of interest when I remembered that TCAT, Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation had sent out their news letter.  As always there is tons of stuff to see and read, smell and taste and really cram your feet into.  So without further padding of words for whatever ungodly reason, the February 9th TCAT report.

February 9, 2010

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If you are having trouble reading this message please click here]

Recent TCAT activities and news items:

1. Pedestrian Media Attention Continues
2. TCAT at #voteTOin416: Feb 11
3. Trinity Bellwoods Multi-use Path Upgrade Open House: Feb 24
4. TCAT participates in York-Bay-Yonge Urban Design Workshop
5. Bike Summit 2009 appreciated stateside
6. Save the Date for TCAT's Complete Streets Forum: Apr 22-23
7. Recent Research Reports

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1. Pedestrian Media Attention Continues

In the last TCAT News we noted that the bulk of the Toronto media coverage of January's pedestrian fatalities was unbalanced by concentrating more on pedestrian behaviour than on street design. We are happy to report that there has been some excellent coverage in recent weeks. Follow the links below for some of the best we've seen or heard.

• Design Flaws: An audio interview with Paul Hess, professor of urban planning at the University of Toronto, on CBC's Metro Morning.
• Anatomy of a Toronto street corner. Christopher Hume, Toronto Star, examines how poorly pedestrians are being served at Bay and Front.
• Car-friendly suburban streets can be deadly for pedestrians. Toronto Star opinion piece written by Dylan Reid, Co-Chair of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, and associate editor of Spacing magazine.
• Who's to blame: jaywalkers or drivers? Jane Farrow, Executive Director of Jane's Walk is interviewed in a Globe and Mail video. (Jane's interview starts at 0.48)
• Why did the police take aim at pedestrians? Dylan Reid, Spacing, provides an analysis of the police's pedestrian ticketing blitz.
• Maybe we'd all be safer jaywalking. Christopher Hume, Toronto Star, critiques the crackdown on "jaywalking" and points out that in the majority of the recent fatalities, the pedestrians were crossing legally.

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2. TCAT at #voteTOin416: Feb 11

#voteTOin416 is an innovative event featuring fourteen speakers who have been selected to pitch their alternative visions of a better City of Toronto in four minutes and 16 seconds or less. Nancy Smith Lea, TCAT's Program Director, will talk about the need for a complete streets policy that ensures that streets are designed for the safety and comfort of all road users.

Date: Thursday, February 11

Time: Doors: 6:00 p.m., Presentations and performances: 6:30pm-8:30pm

Location: The Annex Live, 296 Brunswick Avenue (at Bloor), about mid-way between Bathurst and Spadina stations

Cost: Free

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3. Trinity Bellwoods Multi-use Path Upgrade Open House: Feb 24

The City of Toronto's Cycling Infrastructure and Programs unit is hosting a Public Open House on proposed upgrades to the existing multi-use paths in Trinity Bellwoods Park. It will be important for cyclists and pedestrians to attend and share their feedback on the proposed realignment and resurfacing, both with City staff and fellow park users.

Date: Wednesday, February 24

Time: 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Location: Trinity C.R.C., 155 Crawford St., Assembly Hall

Background
In the fall and winter of 2008-09, the City of Toronto worked with local cyclists to identify ways to improve cycling conditions in the west end of downtown. Two routes identified through this process (10 Argyle-Robinson, and 29A Strachan-Shaw) require connections through Trinity Bellwoods Park.

To provide these connections through the park, the City is proposing to upgrade the existing multi-use path through realignment and resurfacing. The purpose of the proposed changes is to improve bikeway connections while making the paths safer and more comfortable for all path users, including pedestrians. Detailed drawings will be on display at the Open House.

For more information click here. If you are unable to attend the open house and would like to provide feedback, a comment form will be posted online during the week of the Open House.

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4. TCAT participates in York-Bay-Yonge Urban Design Workshop

TCAT was invited to participate in an urban design workshop as part of the York-Bay-Yonge Interchange Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment. Participants explored design strategies and community building opportunities made possible by the proposed reconfiguration of the Gardiner Expressway interchange.

Michelle St-Amour, TCAT steering committee member co-chair, attended and provided input into preferred design options from a cyclist and pedestrian perspective. One of Michelle's photos from the day can be seen here. Also, Michelle is posting this and other updates on a regular basis to TCAT's Facebook page. Click here and become a TCAT fan today!

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5. Bike Summit 2009 appreciated stateside

In a recent blog entry, the Alliance for Biking and Walking based in Washington, D.C. had some kind words to say about TCAT's Bike Summit 2009 videos and summary report.

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6. Save the Date for TCAT's Complete Streets Forum: Apr 22-23

Don't forget to save the date for TCAT's upcoming Complete Streets Forum taking place on April 22-23, 2010. Building on the success of TCAT's Bike Summit 2008 and 2009, the Complete Streets Forum will expand the mandate and scope of TCAT's annual active transportation policy conference. Registration opening soon!

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7. Recent Research Reports

Two recent research reports that may be of interest:

1. In January 2010, respected researchers John Pucher, Jennifer Dill, and Susan Handy released a comprehensive review of 139 studies to assess the effects of various interventions on levels of bicycling. The researchers found that it was difficult to generalize about which bicycle-friendly policies and programs are the most effective since so few existing research studies contain evaluation both before and after a change is made and "control" groups are rarely used. "Without an experimental design, it is difficult or impossible to control for other relevant factors such as cost and convenience of car use, income levels, urban form, and other factors that might be more important in affecting bicycling levels than explicitly pro-bicycle policies." The report, titled "Infrastructure, Programs and Policies to Increase Bicycling: An International Review," was published in the Preventive Medicine journal and can be downloaded for free "here.

2. A recent technical report by the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin provides an excellent in-depth look at the effects of on-street parking on cyclists. Over 6,400 observations of motorists and/or cyclists adjacent to on-street parking revealed some interesting findings: that "on-street parking has a significant impact on motorist and cyclist position; a bike lane combined with a buffer space is the only way to completely remove cyclists from the door zone, and operationally, a bicycle lane is more effective than a wide outside lane". The researchers also developed a web-based survey completed by 1,863 respondents that found that bicyclists prefer routes without on-street parking. As a result of the study, the Texas Department of Transportation updated its bike facilities guide. Download a PDF version of the report here. Thanks to Active Transportation Canada for posting this report and many more valuable resources.

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Cycling events:

• Bikechain events calendar
• Bike Events T.O., a joint project of Toronto Cyclists Union, Community Bicycle Network, and I Bike T.O.
• Biking Toronto events calendar
• City of Toronto cycling events

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Walking events:

• Heritage Toronto Walks
• High Park Nature Centre
• Jane's Walk
• A Stroll in the Park
• Toronto Bruce Trail Club
• Toronto Field Naturalists
• Toronto Ornithological Club

If you know of other cycling or pedestrian related calendars to include, please let us know by e-mailing info@torontocat.ca

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TCAT News - Help spread the word!

TCAT is continually looking to increase its list of supporters. It helps to be able to say how many people and organizations support the work we do when we speak with City Councillors, City staff, and the media, or put out a publication. Please send this message to any groups or individuals you think would be interested in learning more about TCAT, receiving our weekly e-Bulletin, or volunteering with TCAT.

To learn more about TCAT, visit our web site at www.torontocat.ca, e-mail info@torontocat.ca or call 416.392.0290

To subscribe to TCAT News, click here

To join TCAT on Facebook click here and become a fan today!

Please consider making a financial contribution to support TCAT's work. To find out how to make a charitable donation, click here.

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Things we found on youtube

Well its another snowy day at the Bike Joint so we were searching the Internet for things to watch.  So after watching a couple of good shorts about how to build a chemical bomb from kitchen supplies we came across a couple of interesting films on people putting jet engines on bicycles.  Here they are.

and this one.....

and finally the one that I want to put on the course at the ice race

and in case your interested here is a film about making bombs with kitchen chemicals

Bikeway Network Event Public Notice

An email was sent to our super secret email that is so secret that we didn't even know we had one.  Below is the information.  Read it, memorize it and then come out and have your say.  The city of Toronto is not going to do anything for you, so you better do it yourself.

The City's Transportation Services Cycling staff are hosting an important public consultation session regarding the Bikeway Network.  Many of the ideas being presented are things the city's cycling advocates have been pushing for - these are long overdue, and most welcome improvements!

You are invited to join us on Feb 1st to give your feedback and to hear about some of the plans for 2010 - event details are below.

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Bikeway Network Event Public Notice

Date: Monday February 1, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Metro Hall, 55 John St. Room 308-309

The objective of this meeting is to get community input on proposed new downtown bikeways that the Transportation Services Cycling Infrastructure and Programs group is working on for 2010.

Topics will discuss concepts and criteria for new projects, including:
•    2010 bicy cle lanes
•    Rush hour sharrow bicycle markings on streetcar routes
•    New bicycle lane intersection treatments at signalized intersections
•    Locations for bicycle boxes at intersections
•    Updates on the West-End bikeways project

Participants are invited to attend for a brief presentation and question period with City Staff from 6:30 – 7:00 p.m.   From 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. the floor will be open for the public to view maps, talk to staff about projects, and submit comments and suggestions.

Visit the city's website at www.toronto.ca/cycling