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”?

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
  

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Happy snowy Friday to you!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to bombing around my neighbourhood streets in all this fresh powder.

Here is your weekly wrap-up, run-down and scoop on all the new stuff on BikingToronto.

New on the Main Blog

Toronto’s New Bike Sauce Looking for Bike Donations

BikeSauce is a new DIY bike shop in the east end of Toronto (read more)

New on Duncan’s City Ride

Chicago Winter Cyclists Profiled on PBS

I’m about to head out and ride in some fresh Toronto snow. This video is a great inspiration. (watch video)

New on Thumbshift

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

Before I introduce myself properly to the Biking Toronto crowd, I just thought I’d toss something together here, based on something that I wrote previously… (read more)

New on Joe Bikes

Rocco Rossi, Obama-Style

I though I’d do up a quick little Obama-style graphic of what a lot of people will be thinking this fall at municipal election time when they think of Rocco… (read more)

New on the Photo of the Day

Tip Top Riding

Never Too Old, Never Too Cold

Batavus and a Wooden Carrier

Sleek Black on Red Retro

Itty Bitty Bike

Patiently Waiting

College Street Snow

Popular on the Forums this week

Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi

Where are the WORST Bikelanes/Paths

Where are the Best Bike Lanes/Paths ?

Non-Arterial Bike Lanes – Where would yours go?

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Boom Shaka-Laka Boom!

Happy seasonably warm Friday to you!  This morning was a great one for riding to work.  Spring is right around the corner!    Here’s all the news from the world of Toronto cycling from the past week, as well as what’s been active in the forums.

Photos and Video from the Ice Bike Races

On Sat. Feb 13, Dufferin Grove Park was the scene for “Icycle 2010″ – the annual Ice Bike Races put on by Derek Chadbourne of the Bike Joint.   We’ve collected a whole bunch of videos and photo collections of the evening for you.  (check them out)

Toronto’s Bike Sharing Bixi Plans are in Trouble (and how you can help)

Our city’s plans to have an extensive network of cheap rentable bikes all over downtown in 2010 is in danger due to start-up costs.  Putting an estimated $15 million into something that most of the electorate (unfortunately) sees as a “fringe” transportation option has politicians and city staff a little apprehensive during this election year.  Here’s a rundown of the situation as well as how you can help.

Blogs: Duncan’s City Ride

• BikeHugger Huggcast 134 from Vancouver 2010 Olympics
• The Bike-Sharing World Map
• Safety Overkill
• Cycling is an Inspiration for Toronto Author
• Angles Morts – Blind Spots
• The solution to winter snow and slush – a “track” bike
• A few pics from Vancouver 2010 Olympic Tweed Ride
• In Vancouver: More Places to Park Your Bicycle
• The Tyee Looks at MakerCulture and BikeCamp
• Globe Live 1 Review by my girlfriend!

Blogs: Photo of the Day

• Sidewalk Parking
• Overnight Parking
• Trolls Under the Bridge
• Winter Riding on the Don River
• Just Chill
• Plaid Tattoos
• Pretty in Pink

New in the Forums:

• Leslie to the Lake corridor
• Safety Versus Comfort
• Is Toronto Bike-Sharing in Trouble?
• Judge Rules Bike Groups Must Get Parade Permits for Critical Mass
• BikeMonth Event Submissions
• Bikeway Network Downtown 2010 Program
• Bay and Front Intersection Suggestions
• Toronto Man Invents Wind-Resistant “Bra” for Bike Handlebars
• Bicycle thief Kenk’s assault charges stayed
• Leslie Street Meeting Notes

Happy Friday to you.  Here’s all the news stuff from the last week that you can peruse while you are:

• a) sipping cocoa under blankets
• b) biking happily through the snow
• c) doing both at the same time.

(I wonder if those beer helmet things where the beer cans sit on your head and you drink through a long straw would work with cocoa?)

New on the Main Blog:

Focus on Bikes and Complete Streets, Politicians Told

Are you a politician who wants to be an effective municipal and environmental leader?  Here are six things that you should pay attention to… and yeah, bikes are a huge part!

Job: Evergreen.ca Looking for Bike Educator

Evergreen is re-developing the Don Valley Greenworks into a showcase for environmental technologies and practices… and they are rightly focusing on the wonders of bikes for part of the transportation part of things.  If you know bikes, like people, and have experience providing education programming… this may be right for you!

Event Reminder

Tomorrow Night (Saturday the 13th) at 7pm, the annual Ice Bike Races (or “Icycle”) take place at Dufferin Grove Park.  They go for  a couple hours and are very entertaining to watch.

For more details and photos of past races, visit the Event Listing.

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

The Mysterious Mystery of the Bicycle Pile

A pile of bikeparts locked up together?  Did someone run out of room in their apartment, or is it a Bicycle Transformer?  Cycletron Prime!

Cycling Mascots of Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic Games

What Colour Should Toronto’s Bicycle Sharing Program Use?

Toronto’s very own Bike Sharing system is coming this year (currently scheduled for July).  What colour should the bikes be?

A Google Street View Tour of Bike Lane Parking on College Street

One Bikelane, One Day, One Google Streetview Camera… and countless cars parked in the Bikelane

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Lovely in Red
• Come Ride With Me?
• Olympic Team Huddle
• King & Church
• Bovine Sex Club
• Wet Ride, Shiny Streets
• Night Bike Bokeh

New in the Forums:

Leslie Street Meeting Notes

Leslie Street is being reconstructed between Queen & Lakeshore.  Now is the time to help make the new street safer.

Times Square Then and Now

NYC closed down half of Times Square to traffic.  Merchants, tourists and office workers love it.  LOVE IT.

Ice Bike Races Meet-Up

Going to the Races?  Meet some people who love bikes too!

Toronto Man Invents Wind-Resistant “Bra” for Bike Handlebars

Keep your hands a little warmer.

BIXI: Bike Sharing Across Three Continents

Bixi is expanding… all over the world!

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Hi everyone!

It looks like typical Toronto winter weather has descended upon us finally (for at least a few days), so I hope you’re all staying warm if you are biking around (and it seems more people are biking with this mild January we’ve been having).

Here’s your weekly Wrap-Up:

News:

Putting Priority on Cyclists and Pedestrians

Duncan on his City Ride blog delves a little bit into if Adam Giambrone would be a good “Active Transportation” mayor for Toronto.  Giambrone hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet (it’s apparently happening on Monday, Feb. 1st), but everyone kind of *knows* already.  Personally, he is by far the best option (if looking just at cycling advocacy) of the candidates who have a shot of winning. (read more)

Interview:

BikingToronto, Interviewed

If you’ve noticed the changes in the BikingToronto website in 2010, you’re not the only one.  Ben Elling of the site Third Rail Repository had questions about the change and asked me a few questions about where the site has been, where it’s going, and what it means for connecting cyclists in Toronto.  (read more)

Events This Weekend:

Friday, Jan. 29 – Critical Mass Toronto

• 6:00 – 8:00 PM
• Meets at corner of Bloor and Spadina at 6 PM.  Group Ride starts at 6:30
• An event that takes place on the last friday of every month in cities all over the world.  Critical Mass is at different times a rally, a protest, a party, and a community that advocates for a bicycle’s right to use public streets.

Saturday, Jan. 30 – CBN Winter Open House and Bicycle Auction

• 12:00 – 6:00 PM
• 761 Queen Street West
• Check out the home of the Community Bicycle Network and participate in an Auction for one of the Yellow Bikes from the BikeShare program

Saturday, Jan. 30 – Coldest Day of the Year Ride

• 12:00 – 2:00 PM
• Starts at the Grenadier Cafe in High Park
• Run by the City of Toronto, the ride will highlight the Martin-Goodman Waterfront Trail. Start Location is the Grenadier Cafe in High Park. We will then ride along the waterfront to Coronation Park, and discuss some of the challenges and successes of winter snow maintenance for cyclists. Hot Chocolate for riders will be served at the Grenadier Cafe.

Hot in the Forum

How to Be Visible on Your Bike

This topic is on fire.  El fuego caliente!    People are discussing everything from what they wear, what kind of lights they use, what lighting is appropriate in different parts of the city and even if going overboard with lights is helpful or harmful in attracting more people to bike commuting and other utility cycling.  (read more)

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Click here to hook yourself up!

How was your week everyone?  With the mild temperatures did you try out some winter biking?  Get it in while you can… there’s a good chance that February isn’t going to be as nice to us as January has been.

It’s friday, so here’s your wrap-up of the past week:

Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi wants to stop (and tear out) bikelanes

Yeah… this is a little unbelievable.  Rossi, an avid cyclist himself (and former head of the Heart & Stroke foundation, which holds the Ride for Heart every year on Toronto’s highways), thinks that bikelanes have no place on “major arterials” and would not only prevent new bikelanes being installed on major streets but take out ones that already exist.  His compromise is to but bikelanes on quieter sidestreets.  (read more)

Photos of the Mount Pleasant Cemetary Bike Rack Finalists

Mt. Pleasant Cemetary is a big old cemetary in Toronto’s mid-town.  It counts among it’s residents former Canadian Prime Ministers and titans of Toronto industry and business.  It’s also a fantastic place for a leisurely bike ride.  The cemetary recently teamed up with Ryerson’s School of Interior Design to have students compete in designing bike racks for the cemetary’s visitors.  BikingToronto grabbed photos of the finalists’ designs, plus has information on the winning design.  (read more)

City of Toronto Survey shows Cycling is on the Rise!

Did you know that the majority of people in Toronto are cyclists?  A study undertaken in 2009 by the City shows that 54% of Torontonians use bikes.  To qualify as a cyclist for this survey, someone had to either ride for recreation and/or for day-to-day stuff (utility cycling).  Riding to work, going to the store, visiting friends… more and more of it is by bike!  The best news is that the numbers are increasing the most rapidly in the former boroughs of the city… the old suburbs where new bikelanes are being added! (read more)

Recently on the Forums:

• New maps installed on the Railpath
• Freakonomics Tackles Helmet Laws
• Hume: We must find a way to share the road
• Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi wants to stop (and tear out) bikelanes
• Reelight or other frictionless magnetic induction lights?
• Bike-Friendly Workplaces
• City of Toronto Survey shows Cycling is on the Rise!

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Click here to hook yourself up!

How is 2010 going for you so far?  Here’s some of the new stuff on BikingToronto this week!

In the News:

Hard Core Cyclists Do Not Fear Winter

Catherine Porter at the Toronto Star learned a bit about winter cycling from Yvonne Bambrick of the Toronto Cyclists Union… while the article title makes it sound like an article about biking in winter (and a bit of it is), it’s mainly a piece about the need at City Hall for cycling lobbyists (like Yvonne) just like there are lobbyists for drivers, parking lots and many other things.  (read more)

No, Winter Cyclists Are Not Crazy

A lot of people think that cyclists who bike in the winter must be crazy.  But are they?  Are they really?

A BlogTO columnist tried to answer this question earlier this week by posting a story named “Do You Have to Be Crazy to Ride Your Bike In The Winter?” so you’d think they’d actually try winter cycling (like Catherine Porter of the Star did with Yvonne Bambrick of the Bike Union), but instead they just asked a few people at a U of T BikeChainread more) workshop why they bike in the winter.  (read more)

Cycling Commuter Statistics

How Many of Your Neighbours Bike to Work? Perhaps More Than You Think!

Patrick Cain at the Toronto Star loves maps (who doesn’t?). He’s done a couple general commuting maps for the GTA, but has just released one just about Commuter Cyclists, organized by Census Tracts.

The map looks pretty much like you’d expect… higher levels of people using bicycles as their primary mode of getting to work in the downtown core (where car traffic moves slower and there are more bikelanes) and less and less as you move into the old boroughs of Toronto and the suburbs.  (read more)

Happy Birthday to Us!

BikingToronto is 4 Years Old!

That’s right!  4 years have gone by since I made the very first post on BikingToronto on Jan. 12, 2006.  4 years!  If BikingToronto was a kid, it would be starting kindergarten.

What’s happened in 4 years?  Why don’t I tell you? (read more)

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Click here to hook yourself up!

Happy 2010 everyone! Welcome to not only the first Weekly News Wrap-Up of 2010, but the first one on the recently renovated BikingToronto!

We had the site down for a few weeks while we renovated everything… and actually, “renovated” may be an understatement… since we took all the great information on BikingToronto and put it into a great new home… so I guess it’s like totally re-building a house.

We kept what BikingToronto started with – the blog, and also the forum feature, but then we added cool features including:

Membership – people can “join” BikingToronto now. Don’t worry… it’s free, easy and quick to join – and gives you access to all the features that follow:

Friends – make connections on BikingToronto

Groups – so like minded people can talk about topics that interest them. Groups can be created by anyone, so if you have an idea for a group that doesn’t exist yet, you can create one!

Events – we took our popular calendar – easily the most comprehensive cycling events calendar in Toronto – and decide to expand it even more, to make it more useful and interactive for you:

• Anyone can create an event
• Events can have logos/icons
• Invite your friends to any event
• Event Discussions

If you’re one of the many people reading this via the email newsletter, be sure and check out the new site!  If you’re reading this on the site itself… well… um… you’re already checking the site out… so you’re awesome! 

Weekly News:

2009 Bike-Friendly Business Awards

Case Ootes is Retiring from City Politics

Site Discussions:

How Do You Keep Your Bike Clean in the Winter?

Hope everyone had a great holiday season… and all the best for 2010!

Joe.

Happy Friday to you.Here’s all the bikey news fit to view!

• Ghost Bike Memorial in Mississauga
  [via bikelanediary] A little over a week ago, a cyclist was struck and killed in Mississauga, and a “ghost bike” memorial has been set up by the Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists group: via the Biking Toronto Forum Posted via web from bikingtoronto’s posterous

• CultureLink / Bike Union Job Opportunity
  A new job posting for a full time Newcomer Cycling Outreach Coordinator has been posted: [via the Bike Union] We are very excited to announce that the Partnership for Integration and Sustainable Transportation, a joint project of CultureLink and the Toronto Cyclists Union which was recently granted funding by the…