We’d like to welcome Lizz to more bike commuting in Toronto!

This is Lizz. That is not her bike.

Lizz wanted to bike to one of her jobs but was unsure of how to do it so she wouldn’t be too scared.  She wanted to avoid big busy streets as much as she could (I’m sure we can all relate and think back to when even biking in bikelanes alongside moving cars was a bit freaky).  Lizz already biked to one job a short distance away, but getting to this second job (and finding a safe route to it) was causing her concern.

Thankfully, Lizz put a request out on Twitter to look for routes from Eglinton and Avenue Rd. to College & University… and BikingToronto was able to help her out.

Lizz has also become a member of BikingToronto – she must like what she sees here.

While we don’t have the resources to help every single cyclist in the city find a safe route to work, we’d like to try:

1) Check out our Maps page – it has links to the bikelanes map, the bikeshop map, plus many others.  We’re always updating this page to make it as useful as possible.

2) Check out Michael Holloway’s NEW BikingToronto Wiki Mapping Project Blog. He’s compiling a bunch of user-submitted maps of good routes in and around Toronto.  Not a lot here yet… but Michael is one dedicated guy… and he’s always thinking about how to get user-generated maps made.

3) Register on BikingToronto (it’s free and easy) and join one of our Ward Groups – useful for finding other cyclists who live in (and/or are interested in things going on in) your neighbourhood.  These other cyclists may know of great ways to bike to where you want to go.

4) Grab yourself a hardcopy of the City’s Cycling Map. It’s available in PDF form online, or printed maps are free and available at Civic Centres, libraries, community centres and bicycle specialty shops. You can also order maps by calling 311 or emailing 311@toronto.ca. (Please specify “Bike Map” in the subject line.)

Bloor and Runnymede

The Clean Air Partnership released a study today (PDF) about the attitudes of shoppers in the upscale Bloor West Village towards altering the street design of Bloor Street to allow for bikelanes and/or wider sidewalks.

As Duncan has already quoted on his blog:

The dominant mode of transportation in the Bloor West Village is walking, followed by public transit. Only 1 in 5 of visitors surveyed reported driving to the neighbourhood and parking there. The visitor survey data indicate that the majority (58%) support changes to the street use allocation. Curiously, cycling is the least frequent mode of transportation in this neighbourhood, and yet nearly 75% of those visitors who preferred a change in street use allocation would prefer the addition of a bike lane.

Visitor survey respondents who reported that they usually drive, were found to visit less frequently and spend significantly less money per month in the neighbourhood than those who did not drive. Visitors who preferred changes in street use allocation spend significantly more in the neighbourhood than those who prefer no change.

In terms of merchant perceptions of the impacts of changes in street use allocation, 54% of merchants in Bloor West Village indicated that they would expect no change or an increase in their number of daily customers as a result of either a bike lane or widened sidewalks, even if half of the on-street parking were to be removed in order to accommodate the changes.

This follows up last year’s study release of the same name “Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business” (PDF) that looked at the same kind of perceptions of shoppers and merchants in Bloor’s Annex neighbourhood.  The results are much the same – that most shoppers get to stores via walking or public transit, and that they tend to shop more often and spend more money than drivers do, and that both shoppers and merchants would like to see bikelanes.

So, what does this tell us?  It says the despite a media generated “war on the car”, what we are seeing from City Hall when they pursue transit-friendly, bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly initiatives, it is a response to the residents and merchants of neighbourhoods who want more livable, breathable, and friendly streets.

After all, Toronto is a “City of Neighbourhoods”, not a “City of Highways”.  Don’t let anyone tell you that should change.

Welcome to the 3rd week of March!  Looks like it’s going to be a warm and sunny one!

Here are the bike events going on this week, to help you plan your next 7 days.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page, or follow our special @BikeTOevents account on twitter!

CBN Workshop – Flat Fix/Intro to Bike Repair

• Tues, March 16
• 7 – 10 PM
• 761 Queen Street West (map)
• Participants will remove their own rear wheel and tire and go through a tube repair and installation.
• more details

CBN Workshop: Wheelbuilding Part I

• Wed, March 17
• 7 – 10 PM
• 761 Queen Street West (map)
• The wheel building workshops will teach with standard wheels in a 3-cross lacing pattern. We will cover spoke calculations, lacing the wheels, truing and tensioning. Participants must take both classes.
• more details

Carol Sebert – Bicycles Art Exhibit Opening

• Thurs, March 18
• 5 – 8 PM
• Crema Coffee, 3079 Dundas St. W. (map)
• ink on paper and oil on canvas)
• more details

Bike Pirates Craft Night

• Fri, March 19
• 7:30 – 9:30 PM
• 1292 Bloor St. West (map)
• Break out your puff paint, bedazzlers, and DIY spirit! BYO Craft supplies and Beverages, Homemade snacks! Tea! Mini-workshop on making jewelry out of bike parts!
• more details

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!  You can also follow @BikeTOevents on Twitter.

Happy Friday!  BikingToronto is growing fast… so here’s all the cool stuff that’s been going on this week!

(if you don’t already get this in your email, but would like to – you can sign up here)

In The News:

• The Share The Road Coalition says Ontario needs to inject at least $20 million into cycling infrastructure to catch up to other provinces and states.

• The Toronto Cyclists Union has won the 2010 Innovation of the Year Award from the Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance) for their new immigrant outreach program they co-ordinated with CultureLink.

• Google launches a “biking” feature on their Google Maps service, showing bikelanes and trails.  It’s only in the U.S. so far.    Hopefully the city can give mapping data to Google to expand it to Toronto.

• The Urban Repair Squad has made Harbord Street action-packed by pointing out pavement hazards.

• Mayoral Candidate George Smitherman (generally assumed to be the frontrunner for the mayor’s job) says he’d “pause” bikelane network implementation.

• The brand new Simcoe Street Bikelanes are unusable, because cabs are using it as a taxi stand.

New on the Main Blog:

• Our First 100 Members!
• Ward 30 Bike Survey
• Cycling Events This Week: Mar. 8 – 14

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

• “If I ride…” People for Bikes.org asks; Why Do You Ride?
• Lower Simcoe Taxi Stand… Wait, That’s A Bike Lane!
• Cruisers, Cargo bikes, Handmades and More – The Toronto International Bicycle Show
• Biomega Commercial By Cycle Chic’s Mikael Colville-Andersen
• Things You Can Do By Bike – Go To IKEA!

New on Joe Bikes:

• My Cyclist Count for Thursday March 11, 2010
• My Cyclist Count for Wednesday March 10, 2010
• Looking Forward to the Commute

New on Fletcher Five (NEW!):

• Is that Karma?
• Repairs and Modifications
• That did not go as planned.
• Highlights from the Bike Show: Pt1
• Day One: 800m

New on Michael Holloway’s Blog (NEW!):

• “Ride the City” Mapper Looks Useful, Easy to use
• Paul said, I need a non-arterial cycling route from Dufferin and Bloor into the Core
• Toronto: Dufferin and Bloor to the Core
• Toronto Bicycle Route Mapping Wiki Project
• RSS Feeds – Stay up to date with the Wiki & this Blog

New on The Hub (Public Members Blog):

• Duncan, Wow, that’s great – good work….
• Hey everyone, I’ve been working on a wa…

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Around A Cab
• Cross-Legged?
• Walk, Bike, Drive, TTC
• Holt Renfrew Bike Race
• Wave Deck Tail Whip
• Bay Bus Terminal

New/Hot on the Forums:

• Anger as cars clog new Simcoe St. bike lane
• Choosing bike components
• So, this is a cycling city?
• Fixer: When is a bike lane not a bike lane?
• Smitherman would pause Toronto’s bike plan
• Trinity Bellwoods Multi-Use Path Plans
• The Action Hazards of Harbord Street
• GoogleMaps likes Bikes!
• Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi
• PST exemption for new gear
• T.O. cyclists ride away U.S. award
• Bike Union getting U.S. Award!
• Millions sought for Ontario cycling
• Bike locks
• Bicycle thief Kenk’s assault charges stayed
• Bryant-cyclist case put over to March 5
• fun/pretty rides in and around Toronto
• holycr@p, they let him out!
• Folks, a rusty steed is a friend indeed – even in winter
• Can this bike lane get more fans than Rocco Rossi?!!
• Ward 29 Bikes 2009 Year (and a bit!) in review

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Easy-Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.  Is that how you spell “Squeezy”?

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to post quickly to let you know that since re-launching BikingToronto in early January we’ve had 100 people register on the site as members!!!

Pretty good for just 2 months, I have to say.  Those were winter months too.

If you are one of those 100 people, then thank you and welcome to the site.  You are posting and discussing and biking and making the site better.

The new “sociable”, interactive and just plain better BikingToronto was planned to take the collection of Toronto Cycling info to the next level – and that level is YOU.   Whether “you” are a commuting, racing, touring or recreational cyclist, or whether you are involved in a bike organization or a bike store or supplier – what you think and how you interact with others is important.

If you’re not a BikingToronto member yet, you can register here (don’t worry, it’s free, quick and easy!).

You can also check out our Site Guide if you’re curious about the features BikingToronto has brought to Toronto cyclists to connect.

At any time, feel free to shoot me an email at joe@bikingtoronto.com if you have any questions (or just want to chat).

The Ward 30 Bike Advocacy Group is looking for your help:

A new Ward-Based Cycling Advocacy Group has formed in the East End! We are currently polling residents and visitors of Ward 30 (Ward Info (PDF)) to find out how we can best represent cyclists in the area.

Please take a few short minutes to fill out the survey and let us know what we can do to make biking better in your neighbourhood!

Obviously, if you live in Ward 30, your opinions are important… but even if you live outside the ward, you opinions are still important, so be sure and take the survey.

The Ward 30 Bike Advocacy Group is also meeting tomorrow night at Athens Pastries near Danforth.  View the event listing for more details.

BikingToronto has a section of the website devoted to Ward 30 to help organize cycling info and discussions about the ward.  You can find sections like this for all city wards by clicking here.

Welcome to the 2nd week of March!  Looks like it’s going to be a warm one!

Here are the bike events going on this week, to help you plan your next 7 days.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page, or follow our special @BikeTOevents account on twitter!

Mon, March 8th

Rathburn Road Bike Lanes Open House

• 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall, Meeting Rooms 1 & 2
• We invite you to attend a Public Open House to learn more about this project, which runs from Kipling Ave.- to Mimico Creek on Rathburn Rd.  Drop by anytime to view information displays, provide your comments and speak one on one with project staff
• more details

Mon, March 8th

Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee Meeting

• 7 – 9 pm, Committee room 3, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
• The Toronto Cycling Committee is designed to advise City Council and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, on the design, development and delivery of bicycle policies, programs and facilities to promote and enhance cycling within the City of Toronto.
• more details

Wed, March 10th

Lawrence Bike Lanes Public Open House

• 7 – 9 pm, Blythwood Junior Public School, 2 Strathgowan Crescent
• The public is invited to attend an open house to learn more about planned bike on Lawrence Avenue East from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue. This bike lane will be part of Toronto’s Bikeway Network.
• more details

Thurs, March 11th

North York Cycling and Pedestrian Committee Meeting

• 7 – 9 pm, North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street
• We will be discussing our plans for Bike Month, as well as current cycling issues. and updating people on recent meetings we have attended.
• more details

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!

Happy Friday!  It looks like it’s going to be a great warm (for March) sunny weekend the next couple of days.  Get out there on two wheels and enjoy it!

Here’s your BikingToronto Wrap-Up for this week:

(if you don’t already get this in your email, but would like to – you can sign up here)

New on the Main Blog:

Are Toronto Police Ticketing Cyclists More?

Bad behaviour by some cyclists make us as a whole look bad. I’d rather take a bit longer to get to work by stopping at red lights and not thinking I’m the most important thing on the road, and really don’t understand any cyclist who thinks differently. (read more)

New on the Toronto BikeShop Map

We have three new additions to the BikeShop Map for you! (read more)

Plan Your BikeMonth Events Now!

The great staff at the City of Toronto recently sent out information about submitting events to be included in the official BikeMonth calendar, so I’m sharing it with all you fine people because you may be thinking about planning an event for BikeMonth this year.  The deadline for event submission is Thursday, March 25th. (read more)

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

• Share the Road Coalition Green Paper
• Eyes on the Road, Hands on the Wheel
• Do Pedestrian Crossings Make for Safer City Cycling?
• 416cyclestyle Toronto Cycle Chic Search – Spring Moments
• Marcus Gee is a Winter Cyclist and Darn Proud of it!
• The Least Expensive Winter Cycling Accessory You Need
• Toronto Spring Bicycle Show – No Commuter Cyclist Options?

New on Joe Bikes:

• March Mornings on the Bloor Viaduct

New on the Hub:

• Here’s an example of Wiki Maps
• User Generated Bicycle Route Maps 2
• User Generated Bicycle Route Maps
• Boston’s Future Lies In Moving Away From The Car

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Summer is Coming
• Blue Skies on Spadina
• Red Ball on King Street
• Massey Hall
• Silver Velomobile
• Red Dress
• Winter on the Toronto Islands

New on the Forums:

• Can this bike lane get more fans than Rocco Rossi?!!
• Choosing bike components
• Ward 29 Bikes 2009 Year (and a bit!) in review
• fun/pretty rides in and around Toronto
• Leslie to the Lake corridor
• Complete Streets Forum 2010
• Folks, a rusty steed is a friend indeed – even in winter
• Non-Arterial Bike Lanes – Where would yours go?
• Rebuilding Dukes Is there a ‘culture war’ looming in this mayoral race?
• Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi
  

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  It’s Easy like a Sunday Morning !

From the Forums:

(top photo by Darren Stehr via Mez Dispenser)

We have three new additions to the BikeShop Map for you:

1. Red Arrow Bikes (facebook page) now has a permanent address at 19 Kensington Avenue.
2. Dan’s Mountain Bike Repair (group page) is now open to the public at 1501 Woodbine.  It services all bikes, not just mountain bikes.
3. Riders Cycle & Board is now open – it’s at 80 Geary St, just north of Dupont on Dovercourt
   

I made the BikeShop Map 4 years ago because whenever I was in a part of the city I wasn’t very familiar with, I never knew if I was near a bikeshop. It’s easy enough to google “Toronto Bikeshops” and see what pops up… but a comprehensive online map did not exist.

To my knowledge, it is still the only map with plots this info, for you, the Toronto cyclist.

If you see any mistakes or omissions, let me know in the comments below, and we’ll get those fixed up!