Photo by crappy camera phone

On Wednesday February 22nd, a  crowded room met Olivia Chow, MP for Trinity Spadina.  She, who has been tireless in her resolve to make the government apply mandatory side guards to trucks in Canada.

While the meeting began with some confusion as to if the meeting was being streamed on the internet or just video taped to be shown later, it finally got under way.  Oliva was joined on stage by four people.  One was a friend of Jenna Morrison, the other three were what remained of the Hartmann family.

Jenna Morrison was killed when a truck overtook her at Sterling and Dundas West.  Ulrich Hartmann who died when a dump truck passed to close to him while he was riding to work.  Two of the many.

To be fair, these people did not get run over, they were pulled under the trucks, when the vehicles passed to close to them.  Had their been a law in place to have side guards on trucks, there is a good chance that these people and countless more would not be dead.

A friend of Jenna Morrison’s, Michael, spoke first. He thanked some people who had helped with the memorial ride, those others who had been there for the Morrison family during their time of loss.  He told the audience of the emptiness of her passsing, how he misses her every day and how so many others as well.

The Harmann family carried the theme.  Each member giving their own heart wrenching memories Ulrich, a man who seemed so incredibly wonderful.  The Mother, who I am sorry I can’t remember her name as the children each spoke eloquently about the loss of this treasured family member

After, a member of Olive’s office gave a short report on what is being done in that weird place taht seems to put the safety of their people ahead of profits, socialist Europe.  The Euroean Union has what could be done and what had been done in Europe.  Since implimentation of a European Union law that made it mandatory for all trucks to have side guards, cycling and pedestrians deaths have dropped by 31%.

Here in Canada the trucking industry says it would be to price prohibitive to install them, but a report shows that they can pay for themselves by the amount of gas saved in three years.  The cost of the side guards are from $600-$2000.

In 1996, ARC, Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists in conjunction with the Coroner's office had a report commissioned to find ways to save cyclists.  One of the recommendations the Coronor suggested was side guards on trucks.  Had this one recommendation been followed, many cyclists and pedestrian lives would have been saved.

Now as horrible as these stories were to hear, it is worse to know that they could have been avoided.  Back in 1996, ARC Advocacey for Respect for Cyclists, were a force behind a coronor’s report about what to do as there were many cycling deaths.

One of the points made in the report was that side guards for trucks should be made mandatory.  This was 1996, twelve years and how many preventable deaths?

But how liable it is for this to happen.  According to Olivia she has seen a softening in the stance of the Federal Transportation minister who is warming up to the idea if he can be convinced that these actually save lives.  Even the trucking industry seems to be warming up to the idea.

One of the stumbling blocks is what our neighbour to the south thinks of the idea.  The United States would no doubt have to be on side before Canada would consider this.  A visiting American cycling advocate told those who attended that the issue of side guards were not even on the radar of the Transportation industry, government or cycling advocates.

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A tentative date of February 18th has been announced for the annual Icycle 2012 held at Dufferin Grove. The winter favourite has been held onthe I e rinks at Dufferin Grove for the last ten years. The event was moved from Toronto Island when warming temperatures made having the track on the lagoon an impossibility.

Since then the staff and park have welcomed the event with open arms and a warm area to fix flats. Every year the event raises over a thousand dollars for groups or individuals in need.

This years recipient will be Charlie's Freewheels a local group who teach bicycle mechanical skills to youth in Regent Park.

Event organizers see nothing preventing the event going forward except spring like temperatures and or the city locking it's employees out.

One event organizer said that it wouldn't be a good event without some kind of mini crisis looming on the horizon.

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Everyone loves to park in the bike lane

City Hall is back in business after the holiday season, but the gifts keep on coming.  Parking on busy streets during rush hour, or blocking a bike lane any time should has been increased by $150 fine.

Public works and infrastructure voted 3-2 Wednesday to hike the fine from the current $60 for parking in a no stopping or standing zone and $40 for parking in a no parking zone.

The two dissenting votes were cast by councillors Shiner and Parker, who worried the hike is a “feel good” motion when the real problem is enforcement.

Tickets are issued by parking enforcement officers who work for Toronto police.

Shiner said their quota system — called “targets” by police — that sees parking officers expected to issue a certain number of tickets per day means they hit lots of cars at expired meters or on side-streets, rather than one car blocking busy traffic and causing a huge headache.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, the committee's chair, agreed with the dissenters and said city staff will talk to police about better enforcement.

“We are moving forward in trying to address congestion,” said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong chair of the public works committee. “This is a positive step forward.”

The increased fine is one part of attacking the problem, he said, and proper enforcement is another.

The fine hike would need to go to council for approval before coming into effect.

Watchers of how things are done at City Hall have already placed bets on Doug Ford and his puppet mayor brother putting up stiff opposition to the intended by-law change.

The committee is also debating a system that would see courier and delivery companies able to buy annual permits, at a cost of $600 per vehicle or $5,000 for a 10-vehicle fleet, allowing them to park in no-parking zones for up to 30 minutes outside of the morning and afternoon rush hours.

Perhaps they will consider offering this deal to all car drivers, though with the amount of enforcement in bike lanes, car drivers in Toronto are already getting this for free.

Toronto drivers can expect to pay more for stopping illegally on main streets during rush hour under a plan endorsed Wednesday by the city’s public works committee.

Councillor Gord Perks, who voted for the measure, said he was skeptical about the effects.

“This is more about the appearance of action than real action,” he said.

Councillor John Parker, one of two committee members to vote against the increased fines, said hiking fines is unlikely to solve gridlock. “If we are really serious about clearing the street the issue is not the fine, it is what policy we put in place to clear the path,” he said.

The new fines will be debated by council at its next regular meeting.

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Last Month one was found at Queen and Sherbourne or more specifically 242 1/2 Queen Street East.  The space is huge and Charlie’s is excited about bringing the business to the new hood.  It is most appropriate because the neighbourhood is where the participants live and where Charlie also lived

The program is named after Charles Prinsep, a well-loved cyclist, who died while completing a cross country bike tour from California to Toronto.  His friends wanted to pay homage to his life by starting a program that incorporated his love of his neighbourhood and bicycles.

So three years ago, the first Charlie’s Freewheels started class.  The course consisted of two months of three hour classes that taught the participants how to take apart and put together a bike.  At the end of the program they are able to keep the bike that they had been working on.

The hope for the new place is that first Charlie’s has a place to hold their classes.  Secondly to open a successful retail business that is run by the participants and to give them job experience that can be used in their future.

Wednesday was the first night demo as the crew went to work on tearing down walls, ripping up carpet and planning out the space.  Twelve volunteers put in a couple of hours work to make it a good starting night.

Plans for more renovations are in the work and the team will meet up every Wednesday, six to nine and every Saturday 10 to four to make sure the April opening is a reality.

If you have any renovation skills, a little bit of time to volunteer, or able to cook up some snacks, Charlie’s can always use a helping hand.

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Picture stolen from some website about cycling safety in Tel Aviv - http://www.telavivre.com/page/2/

The city of Toronto has been hard at work working on important seasonal issues that are facing the city.  Last Week Toronto's Public Works & Infrastructure Committee passed two cycling related motions.

The first motion, put forward by no friend of cycling Karen “bicycles, bag & bottles” Stintz directed police to enforce sidewalk cycling bylaws and to review ticketing procedures for sidewalk cycling infractions.

The second motion, put forward by Mike “I am one of two city councillors who ride to work” Layton, directed the police develop strategies to enforce illegal parking in bike lanes, as well as to remove snow and accelerate repair of utility cuts in bike lanes.

Toronto cyclists say the main reason they ride on the sidewalk is because the streets are not safe.  Hopefully by removing parked vehicles from the bike lanes, this will induce cyclists to once more take to the street and leave the sidewalks to the pedestrians.

A related note, a collision report put out by the city of Toronto made it quite obvious that riding on the sidewalks is far dangerous then it is to ride on the street.  More collisions happened to cyclists who were passing drive ways and alleyways where drivers were not expecting them.

But who knows if Karen, “Who cares who is effected by TTC cuts” Stintz really knows what she is talking about when it comes to the plague of sidewalk riders.  According to the City of Toronto's 2010 Bicycle Count Report "95% of cyclists rode on the street rather than on the sidewalk".

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1. Toronto Committee to give cyclists late Christmas gift City Hall is back in business after the holiday season,...

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