Just spent 2 hours at “StudioCentre” Open House. (www.studiocentre.com)

Behind the table as I walked in sat a smiling PR receptionist who welcomed me and asked me if I would like to fill out the sign-in form.

The first thing you see when you take in the windowless 1,000 square foot rectangular studio space are 12 easels supporting large architects’ top-elevation drawings and artists’ landscape perspectives. In the middle of the room was a table full of really sweet treats and single serving bottles of spring water and coloured ones that look like they might have fruit in them. Situated on the opposite wall from the easels is a table with feedback forms to fill out after your tour.

This was the Open House at Revival 629 – a public pre-presentation of a proposed ‘mixed-use facility’ development dubbbed “StudioCentre” — brought to you by “SmartCentres”, the same corporation that tried unsuccessfully 5 years back to develop this parcel of land into a Big Box Store / Big Parking Lot retail extravaganza anchored by a Wall Mart.

Top Elevation SmartCentres StudioCentre drawing from Open House presentation 2013-05-16 via blogto – http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/05/massive_retail_development_and_hotel_planned_for_old_toronto_
film_studios_site/

I was guided through the easels by Ornella Richichi, Senior Vice President of Land Development for SmartCentres, the person in charge of this entire development, who told us that the entire plan – as far as land use and building heights – falls completely with-in City of Toronto planning guidelines for this area – which is – it is important to note, with-in ‘The Port Lands Development’, being overseen by WaterFront Toronto.

Later on – in the company of Health Promoter at South Riverdale CHC, landscape architect and urban designer, Paul Young – had a good listen to – and discussion with – City of Toronto Senior Planner Kyle Knoeck – who was there to give City Planning’s perspective.

The last time around the developers plan for this site created a broad based public backlash that changed City of Toronto development law and planning criteria – and created a strong community movement that has lead to much good development in the neighbourhood, and in the city in the years hence.

This Open House was a ‘pre-submission, community feedback presentation’; in other words, this development plan has not yet been submitted to the City of Toronto Planning Department. If SmartCentres does submit this plan to the City, the regular public consultation process will then kick in. It seems this pre-submission public consolation is part of an extra-careful process being pursued this time by SmartCentres.

Good news is:

By the incorporation into this plan of many of the ideas central to Jane Jacobs’ and the New Urbanism Architects’ ‘Living City’ model (much of which, I should note, is also official City of Toronto Policy) – I believe SmartCentres has started this conversation from a fundamentally different starting point than that of their last attempt at developing this site.

Of coarse the journey from drawings to community rarely reflects even the most un-utopian, architects’ vision.

Not-so-good news:

The 9 story Office Tower, the adjacent Hotel, and a Loblaws sized building proposed for the South and South-East of the site will pull customers in cars from Lake Shore Blvd.

Three streets cross the Lower Don Recreation Trail now along this development. 15,235 square metres retail space, plus 44,795 square metres (of existing) studio and (new) office space – means 60,030 square metres of leases will pull a lot more car traffic across the Lower Don Recreation Trail. The plan does have a Bike Track inked in along the east side of the development – that connects the Eastern Avenue Bike Lanes to the Lower Don Recreation Trail – but with the East West usability of the Trail being so impacted by increased flows across it … one wonders if anyone will be taking the track down to the Lower Don Recreation Trail anyway.

The wider picture has to be taken into account as we continue forth in the Port Lands Development.

• How does the Bike Lane in these drawings fit into the grander vision for a sustainable transportation network for the entire Portlands?
• How will that network connect to the rest of the city – East North and West?
• How do we move people North and South from where they live, down to the Port Lands where they may play or work or connect?
• How are we going to move people on their East / West commutes to work and back?

I like this development proposal over-all —as a pixel in the picture — but the North / South bicycle network is not made much better in this early vision; and the East / West bicycle network is considerably harmed by it.

mh

(Primary Position is, far enough from the curb that a car must change lanes to make a 1 metre (legal) pass on my left – and close enough to the curb that a car cannot pass safely to my right [amazing to me, this overtake on the right is a legal move! Ontario Highway Traffic Act - S.150.1 allows the driver of a motor vehicle to "pass to the right of another vehicle only where the movement can be made in safety..."])

In practice riding in the primary position such that it “..does not hinder the speed of traffic at that time and place…” – means – when there is enough space between cars and the speed of traffic is such that a driver behind me can: come to the realization that I’m taking the lane; look behind them to see if is safe to make a lane change; make the lane change; and pass me – without appreciably slowing their speed.

So there is a metric that every cyclist who wishes to ride like this will have to come to understand through experience. That metric pivots around traffic volumes (which determines average traffic speed) – combined with that individual cyclists’ normal average speed.

I’ve found that only during a brief period at the beginning and at the end of the rush hours is there a combination of too much volume and too high an average car speed that a cyclist cannot safely – and legally – take the primary position.

For example: In the morning rush (7am-8am) along Queen Street East – between Leslie Street and Jimmy Simpson Park (the CN train tracks overpass) cars usually maintain speeds of around 40km/h and traffic volumes are almost bumper to bumper (drivers aren’t leaving a safe distance between themselves and the car ahead). With conditions like this you CANNOT take the primary position – you will slow traffic and likely end up either getting hit, or getting into a raging fist-fight with a motorist at a stop light.

But at a certain point in the morning rush the volume of cars on Queen reaches a point where average speeds plummet – it’s stop and go – waves of slow moving traffic ‘pulse’ down the street towards the core – in these conditions it is advisable to take the primary position. It’s the safeest way to ride in this kind of congested traffic.

To be clear, I’m not doing this to spite anyone – or to ‘war against the car’ — I’m simply trying to keep myself as safe as possible within the law. I’m sharing the road in a way that is safe for me and also at the same time not producing an intolerable hindrance to other road users progress..

Once you try it you’ll realize it’s just logical, it is a natural form – it ‘feels’ right.

One problem with it is that many drivers have neurotic knee jerk reaction as part of their driving style that can lead to horn blasting – that if they simply changed lanes – they wouldn’t have time for. I began to ride like this in the spring of 2012 – my first horn from behind came four weeks later! It worked very well. I felt very safe out there in the middle-left of the lane – and surprisingly to me, the vast majority of drivers understood the metric right away – they saw me as a slower moving vehicle and did the natural thing – they simply changed lanes and passed me.

Early adopters of this style will bear a brunt of ignorance as motorists get used to seeing us in the middle of the lane (your welcome). That means those amoung us who are dark and negative to begin with, with use the inovative cyclists’ aberrant behaviour as a medium to get the twisted blackness out of themselves – and try to ruin your day with lots of horn blasting and animated rage (let it flow off your back – it is of no concern to you).

So now two years in, I’ve come up with just one ‘best practice’ for this style of riding – beyond what I’ve described above:

Now that you are a vehicle – just like any other vehicle driving in your lane – you must Que up at stop-lights behind the last car in the right lane. Stay in the primary position and put your foot down. Sneaking up the side of stopped cars defeats everything you’ve accomplished by taking the primary position – and it causes a great deal of confusion when you try to merge with the traffic flow after the light changes to green.

By the deafening silence at the Facebook thread where I published a version of this yesterday – I assume that most cycling advocates think I’m absolutely nuts … and that if they just ignore the post I’ll realize that I was in error – out on the radical edges of transportation theory – and recant my position.

But as I wrote above – once you start this style of riding you’ll realize it is the most natural form. It’s logical – and it ‘feels’ right.

I know I’m right on this and will continue to practice this form and advocate for it’s adoption by others.

If we continue to allow ourselves to be cowed over to the edge of the road we will never get the safe, separated infrastructure we need – especially for the less aplomb riders who are the vast majority of commuters too afraid to commute by bike on our streets.

Take your lane! And perhaps this will lead to separated infrastructure.

——

Sighted sections of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act via Andrew Cap in a Facebook thread about an overtake and cut-off incident that left a cyclist on the pavement a week ago (https://www.facebook.com/groups/140997182582942/permalink/652666638082658/?comment_id=655410921141563&offset=0&total_comments=34)

Thread on Facebook at “City of Toronto Cycling” by Jessica Kelly “Last Tuesday morning…”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140997182582942/permalink/652666638082658/

mh

New York Cities, “Transportation Alternatives, the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group, is bracing for a new administration less friendly to the agenda it has pushed for decades.”

New York Times | For Bike Advocates, Delayed Gratification

Commissioner of NYC Transportation on Sustainable Transportation implementation

Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, in not an architect (B.A. in Political Science from Occidental College, and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law) – but she is implementing transportation infrastructure changes that are part of a New Urbanist inspired vision of what cities are at their essence:  people and neighbourhoods.

Jane Jacobs began thinking about cities as neighbourhoods of people in the 1950′s – when most urban planners were allowing latest technology to drive the planning process — rather than as Jane Jacobs postulated: create infrastructure, and apply technology to support what people who live and work in neighbourhoods are doing. Communities of People as ‘drivers’ of planning.

“[Jane Jacobs] .. was instrumental in the eventual cancellation of the Lower Manhattan Expressway, and after moving to Canada in 1968, equally influential in cancelling the Spadina Expressway and the associated network of expressways in Toronto planned and under construction.

Wikipedia | Jane Jacobs

Janette Sadik-Khan gave the Eighth Annual Lewis Mumford Lecture on Urbanism this spring (April 5, 2012) at The City College of New York at the The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. Janette Sadik-Khan’s lecture marks a full circle, the administrator applying an ‘outsider’ theory. The person who gave the first Lewis Mumford Lecture on Urbanism was Jane Jacobs – in 2004 – who when she wrote her great work, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” (1961) was a radical to say the least.

The Eighth Annual Lewis Mumford Lecture on Urbanism
“Janette Sadik-Khan: It’s Not Impossible To Change A City”
April 5, 2012,  City College of New York
http://www.totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=ccnyssa - begins at 11:40 
(best experience: click ‘Menu’ Tab, click “2012 Mumford…”; then on ‘Slide’ tab – to see the slide presentation that goes with Ms. Sadik-Khan‘s talk)

Great question in the Q and A section, where an individuaal asks if she has ant ideas about creating safe spces for political protest – referencing with out saying it, Occupy Wall Street. The way she side steps the question, while not being antagonistic to the idea, was to say essentially, ‘ it’s not my department’. The question and the answer for me, brought to the fore the idea that what is needed is an Infrastructure Czar (currently the Mayor) – to institute a comprehensive plan – a mirror of the Sustainable Cities meme itself.

Janette Sadik-Khan on Sustainability:

Janette Sadik-Khan, New York’s Sustainable Streets – Part 1
(at “The City of New York. reSITE conference” – 5/24/2012 – Prague Czech Republic)

reSITE Festival on Vimeo.

The City of New York.reSITE conference 2012 | Prague Czech Republic |
New York’s Sustainable Streets
Part 1 vimeo.com/43595493
Part 2 vimeo.com/43652754
Part 3 vimeo.com/43758270

Reference:

New York Times | N.Y. / Region | August 10, 2012 | For Bike Advocates, Delayed Gratification | by J. David Goodman | http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/nyregion/for-new-york-bike-advocates-delayed-gratification.html

mh

See VIDEO below, “TEDxCarlton – Gil Penalosa – Creating 8-80 Cities, from thinking to doing” – in this writers opinion, the point of the recommendations in this Coroner’s Report is to arrive at something close to what Gil Penalosa lays out in this Ted^XCarlton Talk.

The motto of the Coroner is to ‘Speak for the Dead to Protect the Living’.

It is difficult therefore to pick out the positive elements in this report – that is by necessity – about 129 deaths of cyclists over the period – it’s a statistical break down of those who died: children out playing; adults riding casually; groups of cyclists hit by a car; commuters dying on the way to work – what time of day they died, what caused their deaths… .

So of coarse the second part of the coroners motto, ‘to protect the living‘, is where the hope is – and the hope is a vision that the recommendations try to capsulize – and in this cycling advocate’s opinion, they are very good recommendations; and a very good vision. It’s not new; it’s the New Urbanism school; it’s the Complete Streets meme; it’s Sustainable Transportation; it’s Livable Cities.

Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario: 

Cycling Death Review
A Review of All Accidental Cycling Deaths in Ontario from January 1st, 2006 to December 31st, 2010

Dan Cass BSc, MD, FRCPC
Deputy Chief Coroner – Investigations
Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario
Chair, Cycling Death Review
Team: Dr. Dan Cass as Chair, Dr. Bert Lauwers, Dr. Nav Persaud, Ms. Dorothy Zwolakowski and Ms. Emily Coleman
Published: June 2012

Recommendations:

• Adoption of a “complete streets” approach – focused on the safety of all road users – to guide the redevelopment of existing communities and the design of new communities throughout Ontario.

• Development of an Ontario Cycling Plan to guide the development of policy, legislation and regulations and the commitment of infrastructure funding to support cycling in Ontario.

• A comprehensive cycling safety public awareness and education strategy, starting in public schools, and continuing through the purchase of every new and used bicycle and through driver’s license testing.

• Legislative change (Highway Traffic Act (HTA); Municipal Act; relevant Municipal By-Laws) aimed at ensuring clarity and consistency regarding interactions between cyclists and other road users.

• Strategies to promote and support helmet use for cyclists of all ages.

• Implementation of mandatory helmet legislation for cyclists of all ages, within the context of an evaluation of the impact of this legislation on cycling activity.

• Establishment of a “one-meter” rule for vehicles when passing cyclists.

• Prioritizing the development of paved shoulders on provincial highways.

• Mandatory side-guards for heavy trucks.

• Enforcement, education and public safety activities targeted to the specific issues of cycling safety identified in a given community.

The mass media a glommed onto the 6th of the recommendations, “Implementation of mandatory helmet legislation for cyclists of all ages…” to the exclusion of all the others – the others that are key to preventing death and injury, preventing 1,500 car / bike collisions per year in Toronto – and the key to increasing cycling numbers that will go a long way to solving traffic congestion crisis, the global warming crisis, the obesity crisis and … the economic crisis!

In a few words it is Dialectical Urban Planning.

The mass media’s distillation of the report is an old metric of easy answers at a time when the car – as the geopolitical centre of an economic universe, the basis of the post World War II economy – is over-represented in every aspect of our culture – where in, the oppressor culture fixates on a mandatory helmet law – that when taken separate from the whole of the list of recommendations – serves not to reduce death and injury – but rather, to blame victims for their lot.

Here’s a great essay on these things from the editors of the Kitchener Waterloo Record, from Friday June 22, 2012:

Helmets not the only answer

Humans naturally crave quick and easy fixes for tough problems, and this holds true whether the human is pedalling a bicycle or driving a car.

No surprise, then, that this week’s release of a report on bicycling deaths by the office of Ontario’s chief coroner sparked heated demands for a new law forcing every cyclist in the province — regardless of age — to wear a helmet.

The coroner’s report recommends precisely this change and a public debate on such legislation would surely be timely. Yet the report’s call to action includes so much more than just a mandatory helmet law that it would be wrong, in fact needlessly distracting, to focus on this issue alone. Too many people are doing this.

The public deludes itself if it thinks a tough new helmet law will suddenly end all the dangers cyclists face on the road or that the passage of such a new rule will free us to move onto other matters, confident our roads are safer. Not so. It might be quick and easy. But it would hardly confer the armour of invincibility on those who mount a bicycle for fun, recreation or a commute.

In fact, to read the Cycling Death Review of 129 fatal accidents involving cyclists in Ontario over a five-year period ending in 2010 is to reach a far different conclusion. Major changes, extensive changes, very expensive changes are needed in how this province builds its transportation networks.

…

Read the rest at – http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/747763–helmets-not-the-only-answer

One of the contributors to this Coroners Report was “8-80 Cities”.

8-80 Cities is a non-profit organization based in Toronto. 8-80 references the idea that (from the website), “If you create a city that’s good for an 8 year old and good for an 80 year old, you will create a successful city for everyone.” (http://www.8-80cities.org/about-us/the-8-80-philosophy.html)

In this video below the idea is laid out beautifully by Gil Penalosa of 8-80 Cities, at TED^XCarlton – Melbourne Australia, Feb 16, 2011 (http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/1240).

TEDxCarlton – Gil Penalosa – Creating 8-80 Cities, from thinking to doing

References:

Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario: Cycling Death Review | (pdf) http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/stellent/groups/public/@mcscs/@www/@com/documents/webasset/ec159773.pdf

The Record (Kitchener/Waterloo) | Helmets not the only answer | http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/747763–helmets-not-the-only-answer

Youtube Channel, TEDxTalks | TEDxCarlton – Gil Penalosa – Creating 8-80 Cities, from thinking to doing (Feb 21, 2011) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQWWhnjNUtc

8-80 Cities | http://www.8-80cities.org/

New Urbanism | www.newurbanism.org/

Sources:

Share the Road (Canada) | Alan Medcalf | Linked-in discussion: “Coroner’s report is out” | http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Coroners-report-is-out-3788901.S.125701038?qid=21041fba-3950-431d-97c3-41821964b0a6&trk=group_most_popular-0-b-cmr&goback=.npv_121244946_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1.gmp_3788901

..via Linked-in Profile, Christina Bouchard – Assistant Planner – Communications at City of Toronto | Groups and Associations | http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=121244946&trk=EML-inv-acc-prof&ut=3J_Pug-ODxW5k1

City of Toronto Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Collision Study, 2003 | Works and Emergency Services Department – Transportation Services Division – Transportation Infrastructure Management Section | Executive Summary (page 6) | http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/publications/bicycle_motor-vehicle/pdf/car-bike_collision_report.pdf

mh

Google Maps’ crowd sourcing of preferred bicycle routes indicates that East-West bicycle commuters are using the Queens Park’s North Lawn walking trails to connect Harbord/Hoskin to Wellesley. At a minimum – painted lines are needed to indicate a cycle-way in order prevent collisions with pedestrians, and encourage more bicycle commuting.  As well, Hoskin Av and Queen’s Park Crescent West intersection needs separated bicycle crossing ways and signals – and automobile traffic signals set so cyclists have right of way over turning traffic on both East and West bound routes.

Google Maps Toronto, ‘Bicycling directions’ has been sourcing user’s opinions about best cycling routes in Toronto for about a year and a half (since 29 Nov 2010).

To test the quality of Google Map’s Bicycling Directions today, I clicked on “Get Directions” and typed in a destination I wanted to get to yesterday; I then rode the suggested route.

Starting at my default Google Map start point, 43.666°n, 79.3345°w (118 Jones Av. Jones Branch, Toronto Public Library), I typed in my destination: “Centre for Social Innovation 720 Bathurst St Toronto, ON M5S 2R4″, and clicked the Bicycle Icon.

This top map here is the route Google chose. It’s a really nice route! I’m very impressed!

View Google’s Route: Leslieville to Annex in a larger map

To illustrate just how well Google Maps’ crowd sourcing is working; the other day I took a Wellesley Street route over to St. George for a meeting at OISIE (at Bedford Road and Bloor) at 4:30pm. On the way I noticed that the North Lawn walking path that angles from Harbord down to Wellesley was very busy with East / West bicycle commuters. Google Maps’ Bicycling directions includes it.

This even though, anyone who has been to the Hoskin Av and Queen’s Park Crescent West on a bicycle knows cyclists have to dismount and use the crosswalks to cross Queen’s Park Crescent West, and then the ‘off ramp’ exit onto Hoskin Av West bound. East bound commuters must also dismount at the corner, cross with the lights onto the raised median and then wait for crosswalk signal lights to change across Queen’s Park Crescent West. (Attention: City of Toronto, City Planning Office, and the Toronto Cycling Committee) This intersection needs bicycle lanes and crossing signals separate from the pedestrian infrastructure. This needs to be accomplished for both East bound, and West bound routes.

Google crowd sources better cycling routes in ‘Bicycling directions’ by allowing users to drag and drop points along a searched Google route.

Below is my drag and drop edited Google ‘Bicycle directions’ route; I only had to make two changes.

View Cycle Route: Leslieville to The Annex – Bathurst South of Bloor in a larger map

Google’s Bicycle directions for this route has a neat detail that I would only use as a recreational option – not a commute route. Google’s crowd sourced route (top map) suggests, from River Street and Gerrard, a jog West on Gerrard to Dyer Lane, up to Spruce Street, and a jog East to a series of trails and alley ways along the western rim of Riverdale Park West – then along a walking trail in the park to the West of Riverdale Farm that shoots diagonally across the park to Sumach at Winchester Street, two blocks south of Wellesley.

On a commute west, I suggest West on Gerrard to Sumach, and straight up Sumach to Wellesley.

The second change that Google allowed me (Google won’t let you change cycling routes that contravene One Way traffic laws),  I choose Borden north off Harbord, up to Lennox, over to Bathurst —  to avoid Bathurst up from Harbord – Bathurst is a death trap, from the Lake to North York.

(Attention: City of Toronto, City Planning Office, and the Toronto Cycling Committee) -  Actually, I take St. Huron Street North off Harbord, Westbound on Sussex all the way West to Borden.

At Spadina and Sussex the light only changes via a weight pad at the intersection that senses a car is stopped and that commits the signals to begin a change cycle. The weight of a bicycle and rider does not cause the change cycle.

West of Spadina this perfect bicycle route is ruined by a reverse One Way between Robert and Major (*for traffic calming!*).

At the end of Sussex, I jog North up Borden to Lennox, then take Lennox West to Bathurst – 720 Bathurst is 50 metres South of Lennox.

Below is My map, with all the wrong-way-one-ways that City Planning Office should be aware, encorage cyclists onto busy arterial roads – where people in cars with road-rage problems can expand on their cyclist murder fantasies twice a day.

These alternating One Ways, so called Traffic Calming Zones should be signed ‘Two Way Cycle Route’ and a two way bicycle lane should be painted on one side of the road. The 4-way stops common along these routes should be signed ‘Yield to Cyclists’.

View My Cycle Route: Leslieville to The Annex – Bathurst South of Bloor in a larger map

Google is also making adjustments to suggested cycle routes through a user feedback Form. Under the “Get Directions” widget in all routes searches there is a short blurb in a yellow background:

In Google Maps, click “here” to use the Form.
( for details about what you can report about with the Form see image below).

Image of Google Maps Form: "Report a problem with the directions"

mh

In the early 1970′s the formation of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) caused a spike in oil prices. In the Netherlands, that lead to a government policy that encouraged cycling transportation. 40 years later the result is an extrodinary decrease in traffic death and injury, shorter average commute distances, and a rise in the quality of life an entire nation.

Today “Peak Oil” and/or the rise of Finance as an dominant sector of the economy, has lead to increased speculation in oil – and has again caused a spike in the price of energy. The same problems as the Netherlands solved through diversifying their transportation planning approach, now offers an example for North America today.

Along with this excellent lesson from a very recent implementation, are the understandings amoungst Urban Planners of the “New Urbanism” school – that cities have reached their peak holding capacity for automobile traffic; and a understanding by climate scientists – that we must reduce carbon emissions going froward or face extreme economic and political hardship in the near future … all pointing that progress lays in this direction.

Some great lessons also in the video for political tactics that might work today – towards beginning a great  project to create separated bicycling infrastructure that is key to reaching the critical mass of commuters that do not use the automobile — in order to result in the quality of live improvement we all – including Mayor Ford – desire.

The project to create connected, separated cycling infrastructure from the suburbs to the cities core would be a generational project that will require an investment of Billions. It would be an investment in the future; a way to jump start the economy today; and a way to pull away from the dead-end economic policies that are leading to less public spending at a time when we must re-new our countries aging, great cities.

Here’s the description – with links intact – from under the video:

Uploaded by markenlei - Oct 9, 2011

“How the Dutch got their cycle paths”

mh

Hey!!! Wake up! Your doing something stupid (poor stressed out commuter).

Samui Air Zound Cycling Horn Image via M.E.C. (link below)

Check out this Bicycle Video Cam Youtube Uploader from the UK – the cyclist uses it to prevent a collision with a delivery van.

It’s loud!!

Airzound To The Rescue

Available at Mountain Equipment Co-op - http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BellsMirrorsReflectors/PRD~4013-597/samui-air-zound-cycling-horn.jsp

mh

The Bikes won hands down.

One problem – the bike representatives didn’t seem to be aware that they had to follow traffic laws during the trials!

Still, I’d bet that a test of this here in Toronto would show that the bicycle IS faster than a car in rush hour traffic. Different distances from different areas of the city might reveal some interesting metrics.

Next year during Bike Month we should try this here in Toronto.

mh

I don’t ride like I do is this video very often any more, it’s illegal, it’s dangerous for other road users, it’s bad for the discussion Toronto is currently having about sustainable transportation, it’s bad for advocacy towards more bicycle infrastructure — and it’s bad for my health.

Towards a common sense discussion about bicycle transportation, I ride according all the traffic laws (except streets posted One Way to calm traffic, and 4-way stop signs along quiet streets I think should be cycle-ways – should be posted ‘Yield to Bicycles’).

View Bad Messenger, Bad! in a larger map

I uploaded this because it is important that we have a discussion about how messengers are forced to ride in the core doing their jobs – it is a fact of life – and I think the discussion should begin with a better understanding of the much vilified, underpaid, over-worked, unrepresented, professional Bicycle Messenger – who’s working conditions are the most dangerous of any job in this economy.

This is how Messengers ride for example, as the end of the day approaches and they need to get packages off before receptionists leave for home at 5pm. At this time of day in the Core, traffic is extremely heavy and frantic – or grid locked. So Kamikaze riding usually includes massive numbers of pedestrians jay walking while the cyclist races between lanes of stopped cars, personally risking door prize injuries – and risking the safety of others (usually pedestrians) – while going 25 kph.

Some riders love this style of riding – they are addicted to it. It’s a Master of the Universe feeling doing this – and in heavy traffic, well,  you can imagine the adrenaline rush.

On the ride in this video I had to get from Woodbine and Danforth to Carlaw and Queen in 10 minutes because I promised someone I would be at a free Bike Clinic on time (especially this week because we were short mechanics). So I reverted to a ‘before time’ style of riding to do it – Kamikaze Courier.  While I was at it, I thought I’d show you a Messenger’s ‘POV’.

In this video I never stop – I slow at a couple of major intersections – but I never stop. When a courier has packages on that are time sensitive, this is how they get them there on time.

Do not try this at home. I had one full year under by belt as a messenger before I rode like this – and I know this particular route like the back of my hand.

Ride Time:  14:35
Total Distance: 5.09 km
Average Speed: 20.94 kph

I could have taken 2 minutes off the run with more Kamikaze riding on this route. I stopped riding Kamikaze at the top of Jones Av and took a leisurely pace south off Gerrard down Galt to Dagmar,  to Dundas and down to Queen via Boston Av.

But I was still less than 5 minutes late for the start of the  South Riverdale Community Health Centre Bike Clinic.

South Riverdale Community Health Centre Bike Clinic is every Thursday (year ’round) from 1pm until 3pm – at 955 Queen Street East – through the front doors, on your right in the main lobby.

I made a map of this route at Sport Distance Calculator as well – it has all kinds of neat topography and speed and distance calculation widgets - http://www.sportdistancecalculator.com/index.php?id=6447#map

There are lots more of these ‘Video Bicycle Rides’ up at my Youtube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/michaelholloway111/videos

mh

On Monday I recorded a ride along the Dundas Bike Lanes from Leslieville to Lockwood Av near Woodbine, with my Samsung ES25 Digital Camera.

Didn’t think much of it while it was happening – I messengered for three years – this stuff happens all the time in the core … but in Leslieville, and in the Beaches, this stuff happens at a far lower frequency …

But not today.

Here it is, edited from a 9 minute ride down to 60 consecutive seconds of Cyclist’s Hell.

On another Video Bicycle Ride that I posted today, I sum up this ride,

“..and look’n back on it – there was no indication then – but look’n back on it, I was going too fast. And I didn’t pick up on that cue until after the 5th incident. That’s how you get killed. “

Live and learn.

I should note – that these video’s are about educating cyclists through the benefit of my virtual experiences – but they are also for other road users, so they have the benefit of seeing the experience of a cyclist, from the cyclist’s point of view.

Incident 1

So for example, in incident 1 – as a automobile driver, when you poke the nose of your car out into the bike lane, AND, don’t ever come to a complete stop – you force the cyclist to make a choice.  In incident 1 I never saw the driver come to a stop, so I had to choose: change lanes or stop. If a car was coming up on my left I’d be down to one choice, stop.

I might have been able to to that before hitting the ‘creeping noser’. If not, we would have then had a pleasant conversation about replacing my bike; and you later, with your insurance agent about replacing your front left quarter panel, and increasing your insurance rate.

Incident 2

This is the case of the pedestrian who walks out onto the Crosswalk, lights flashing – but the view of the Crosswalk is partially obstructed by a car parked too close to the Crosswalk.

In this case the Pedestrian is acting in a completely correct manner. I should have seen the lights and slowed. I did not so that set up the following: neither I or the car in front of me sees the flashing lights; I don’t get the benefit of seeing the car in front brake (because he goes straight through at speed) and, I don’t see the pedestrian until it to late for braking. So I look behind to my lsft and change lanes immediately. If a car was coming on my left my ‘bail out’ was towards the curb – behind the pedestrian – (hopefully there are no other pedestrians there).

Incident 3

In incident 3, making a three point turn on a major thoroughfare, just past a busy intersection with the light green on the street your using – that is a dangerous move and an inconvenience for all road users.

To the mini-van driver just past Coxwell who made the 3-point turn – thanks for stopping on the right side after your turn – and I noticed (while I was editing the video), you also signaled right turn at the end - indicating you were staying put over there – thank you – that showed you were aware of everything that was going on around you.

Except for the timing of the 3-point turn, excellent driving.

Incident 4

In incident 4 – same as incident 1 – the car coming out of the allyway nosing into the Bike Lane, AND not coming to a complete stop – same as above. With a car coming from behind – my ‘bail out’ was into your left front quarter panel.

See alot more of these Video Bicycle Rides at my Youtube Chaennel - http://www.youtube.com/user/michaelholloway111/videos

mh

Overtake, Brake and Turn – it’s an all too common practice, and a recipe for a car/bike collision – and in one recent case a cyclist’s death.  (see @Blog_FreeWheel –  http://bikingtoronto.com/michaelhollowayblog/2012/02/11/separated-cycling-infrastructure-taking-over-transportation-thinking-in-london-uk-election/)

In this short clip it’s noon rush hour, about half past 12 – just west of the Beaches, Toronto – 07 March 2012.

I’m cycling westbound on Queen Street just east of Woodbine – approaching Elmer Av.  A Car driver over takes me, cuts me off, brakes, and then makes a right hand turn at speed, up Elmer.

If I had not been breaking to also take the same corner, I likely would have had to bail into the curb.  If a pedestrian had stepped out to cross Elmer -(with right of way) this driver would have had a hard time avoiding hitting them – and I would have ended up on his roof.

This is a perfect example of a very common dangerous maneuver - having to get in front of the ‘perception’ that the cyclist is slowing you down.

Yes – ‘Perception’ – this road-rage-causing competitive driving is a neurosis.  His identity is based in this by-the-seat-of-your-pants-driving – with no thought given (until the unthinkable happens) to the consequences if this ‘Master of the Universe’ strategy fails.

If he had slowed and let me lead in my lane he would have parked his car maybe 5 seconds later than he did.

I created the video using a Samsung ES25 Digital Camera in Video Mode strapped to my head with a sweat band – and edited it with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

See more (and soon more, more) video in this ‘Video Bicycle Ride’ series, at my Youtube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/michaelholloway111/videos

mh

Convenience parking in Bike Lanes, just past busy intersections, is extremely dangerous for cyclists.

This short clip of me cycling the Dundas Bike Lanes at Coxwell on 05March2012, shows pretty well the experience of the cyclist when dealing with a parked van in the bike lane just past a busy intersection.

I’m a veteran cyclist – and I bike this route regularly – so I wasn’t surprised to see a car parked in this dangerous situation. As you can see in the video, I see it half a block before I get to the intersection – so I have time to decide what I’m going to do. (I decide to make a movie

What to Do?

Cyclist:
The best thing to do in this situation – if your lucky enough to notice it soon enough – is to change lanes well before the intersection, and take the middle of the centre lane through the intersection. If cars start honking at you use your left hand to signal a stop sign and continue calmly. Once they see the parked car in the bike lane they’ll wish they hadn’t done that.

Convenience Stopper / Parker:
For automobile drivers – if you can, if it’s not too far to walk for you, could you please pull your car as far up as you can from the corner – it gives unsuspecting cyclists time to change lanes or stop before they hit your car – or die in a collision.

Civil Society:
For the Toronto Police Services Board – could you please see to it that Officers enforce the Bike Lane no parking laws?

See more (and soon more) ‘Video Bicycle Rides’ at my Youtube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/michaelholloway111/videos

mh

Back on December 12, 2010 I published, City of Toronto Transportation Grid: “Graph Paper” layout vs “Squiggly Grid”. I’m seeing in the WordPress Site Stats widget that the article has been getting a lot of views – and on an ongoing basis.

People in Toronto are talking about transportation issues. This article generated a great discussion when I first published it, perhaps we can talk some more about the way the 905 and the 416 are completely different cities – from a transportation infrastructure point of view at any rate.

Enjoy…  (A link to the original is at the bottom)

City of Toronto Transportation Grid: “Graph Paper” layout vs “Squiggly Grid”

City of Toronto Transportation Grid: “Graph Paper” layout is roughly the area inside the black border.

 

Over at Cat B’s VeloT.O. Blog, Cat put up an interesting article, “Nice jacket Mr. Cherry“, about the ranting Mayor and a hockey coach.

‘Nodders’ posted on this idea just after the October 25th 2010 election, “3,000 kms and Positioning the Toronto Cycling Community in a Non-Bike Friendly Environment“.

The cycle community needs to project a united and coherent message out to the voters of the city – to get what we all need; a city that moves, and moves safely.

It is important that we cyclists have the ears of the thoughtful voters of the city right now; a united, effective message.

Towards a better understanding here’s something I’ve been thinking about recently:

Unfortunately for cycling infrastructure planning there is not just one Toronto, there are two – the old and the new: The “Graph Paper” grid – the black box on the map – and the “Squiggly Grid”, which is everywhere else.

As such, planning a cycling infrastructure that works needs to first understand what we’re dealing with so cyclists aren’t talking at cross purposes. The conversation needs to be based on the infrastructure as it is; and going forward how to make changes that are possible as per how cyclists and cars use these two very different kinds of traffic grids – differently.

In the core of the city the road grid is like a page of graph paper; it’s easy to find off-arterial streets that work as direct, convenient, safe Bikeways.

In my opinion, these side streets that can be chosen to be Bikeways need to be “Enabled” to attract cyclists off the main streets, which are extremely dangerous, and to make driving a car on them a pain in the ass (sort of exactly opposite to the way things are now). These Bikeways on the old grid need lights where they cross main streets (and timed for bikes where possible) bike centric governance like Yield signs instead of 4-Way stops, no speed bumps in the shoulders, and painted solid bikeway lanes – to name a few ideas.

Then there’s the newer transportation infrastructure that is characterized by a grid of wide, highway type roads, about 2 kilometres apart, lined with boxes of separated neighbourhoods with roads that are full of curly-cues, circles and culdesacs – and that exit onto the arterial roads only at a few places. Here in my opinion and off the top of my head, Bikeways need to be two-way separated bike only roads *beside* the sidewalk and separated from arterial traffic by a physical barrier. People who actually live in these areas may have different and better ideas on this.

What do you think?

Read the original post, with a great discussion underneath – 16 comments:
City of Toronto Transportation Grid: “Graph Paper” layout vs “Squiggly Grid”

mh

Leslie Street is one of of four access points that is available to cyclists and pedestrians for crossing Lake Shore Boulevard in order that they may visit the Water Front of Toronto – and the about to open, “Tommy Thompson Park” – which is just a little further south on the reclaimed Leslie Spit. (Leslie St and Unwin Av – Google Map: http://g.co/maps/q4xcz)

From a cyclist’s point of view, these videos attempt to tell the story of how dangerous Leslie Street is for bike riders and pedestrians – and I expect, how harrowing it is to drive it – having to share the road with slower moving things with so much else going on at the same time.

Video:  ”If everyday was a Sunday in February – we wouldn’t need Bike Lanes on Leslie Street“

Leslie Street along this short section has four traffic lights and intersects three major transportation corridors: Queen Street, Eastern Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard. The forth set of stop lights is for the il-conceived exits onto Leslie for the Loblaws and Price Choppers parking lots.

The ‘chicane’ on Eastern, just as it approaches Leslie from the West, makes that intersection dangerous because all road users, from any direction – can’t see what’s coming. Add to that the fact that the Eastern Avenue East-bound Bike Lanes end at the intersection, and we have a confluence of use-vectors that add up to Information Overload.

The street as it is now configured is a death trap.

The reconstruction of Leslie because of the TTC construction starting next month (March 2012) is an opportunity for the people of the neighbourhood and our representatives (and staff) at City Hall to imagine a better street.

The Leslie Street Complete Streets Working Group is meeting periodically and has lobbied all concerned about this issue. We are now at the end of the City of Toronto mandated, ‘Pubic Consultation Process’ – with no ground given on bike infrastructure. Now I think, we enter a phase of political organizing – we have to get a ground swell of popular support for cycling infrastructure on Leslie Street.

For more more information, or to get involved – Contact me at, michaelholloway111(at)gmail(dot)com

—————-

This is Part 2 of an ongoing Series.

See it at my Youtube Channel - http://youtu.be/jLBqSykGn2Y

See Part 1 @Blog_FreeWheel – “Leslieville, a Grand Gateway to the green and wild places on the Great Lake Ontario” –  http://bikingtoronto.com/michaelhollowayblog/2012/02/25/leslieville-a-grand-gateway-to-the-green-and-wild-places-on-the-great-lake-ontario/

Or at my Youtube Channel: “Just your typical Bike Ride in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon in February” - http://youtu.be/NzU9Gk78Cck

—————-

mh

Some residents of Toronto’s downtown east side neighbourhood known as Leslieville, want the City of Toronto to install cycling infrastructure along Leslie Street when it is redeveloped this year.

This video goes a measure to explain why, it’s dangerous for bicyclists on Leslie – that’s why you don’t see very many of them. But soon, with all the parks opening to the south and a gentrification ongoing in the neighbourhood – this street will be teaming with cyclists… because it is one of only a few Gateways across the Great Wall – Lake Shore Boulevard!

This is a pretty slow Saturday afternoon in February, no snow, no snow banks – just a hellish westerly gusting to about 60 km/hr..

“Just your typical Bike Ride in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon in February“

The TTC is building a ‘Car House’ (the Ashbridges Bay Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Maintenance and Storage Facility – ) on a plot of land on the South-East corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard – and to connect this cleaning a maintenance facility to the Toronto Transit Authority’s street car grid they are putting in street car tracks on Leslie Street from Queen Street, South down to approximately Commissioners Road.

Building a Grand Union at Bathurst Street and Queen Street West - 1997 (?)

The project is a major construction job:

1) A ‘three-quarter Grand Union’ at Queen Street and Leslie Street – so the new LRT cars travelling north can turn east or west – and so cars on Queen Street, traveling in either direction, can turn south to get back to the Car House;

2) Leslie street will need a new foundation to support the new LRT vehicles, each of which weighs in at 48,200 kg. The new vehicles are 30.2 metres, or 99 feet long – 25% longer than the longest street cars Toronto has now (the ‘articulated’, ALRV) which is 23 m or 75 feet. The TTC ssays they are ripping up the entire width of the street, sidewalks included.

3) The intersection of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard has all kinds of infrastructure under it. I’m not privy to the details, but I’m assuming water and sewer, electrical, fiber-optic… . Apparently many of the conduit for these elements will not stand up to the stresses that a street car right of way over top of them will create. That means they’re going to have to dig deep and build steel re-enforced concrete conduits for all these various elements – and make sure all are accessible by maintenance crews from a variety of city departments.

So after all this – can we get separated bike lanes on Leslie Street so folks can cycle safely to:

-the Waterfront Cycling Trail (formerly Martin Goodman Trail);
-the new Port Lands Parks; and,
-the new Tommy Thompson Park on Leslie Spit

The Transportation Department says the road is too narrow for Bike Lanes. The City of Toronto agrees – there is no way to make the street wider, and besides the road will be a TTC right of way in 10-15 years as Leslie becomes a service route. And the TTC says no, we can’t make the street wider – not in this project – the 2 year environmental study is already done – There’ No Time!!!

And they’re all correct … but we still need separated cycling infrastructure in order to help get parents and their children south of the great barrier, the Great Wall – Lake Shore Boulevard.

What to do?

We need your in-put.

The Leslie Street Complete Streets Working Group is meeting periodically and has lobbied all concerned about this issue. We are now at the end of the City of Toronto mandated, ‘Pubic Consultation Process’ – with no ground given on bike infrastructure. Now I think, we enter a phase of political organizing – we have to get a ground swell of popular support for cycling infrastructure on Leslie Street.

One suggestion, for the short term – just paint on bike lanes, or sharrows – for now, then…

Please help – us, all together, we can create a better Leslie Street. Perhaps, as I have dreamt – a Grand Gateway to the green and wild paces along the Great Lake Ontario – just 850 metres to the south.

And a new identity for Leslieville and South Riverdale – place names that will be known by tourists around the world.

For more more information, or to get involved – Contact me at, michaelholloway111(at)gmail(dot)com

——————

See specifications for the new (LRT) street cars: TTC - http://lrv.ttc.ca/

Also at the TTC:  http://lrv.ttc.ca/Meet_Your_New_Ride.aspx

See the old ones:  Wikipedia:  ”Toronto streetcar system” —> 3.0 “Rolling Stock” —> 3.1 “Streetcars purchased by the TTC” (click on the links in the “Type” column to see the different vintages) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_streetcar_system#Streetcars_purchased_by_the_TTC.

This article was written under the video while it was up-loading – to see it there click on the video, or this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzU9Gk78Cck&feature=youtu.be

mh

In this amateur Urban Designer’s opinion, higher density building standards along mass transit corridors in Toronto’s suburbs – that mirror Toronto’s Core densities, with a large number of 3 story walk-up apartment buildings on single or double lots, and zoning changes to permit ‘alleyway Grand Parent Flats’ over top of/instead of garages – can  produce the necessary tax revenue needed to fund a Subway network in Toronto like those of London, Moscow and Paris.

Once outside the Circle Line subway, most of these Moscow Subway routes are above ground, separated train lines. The Circle Line is key to the Moscow Subway network – it allows most to avoid the core of the city – instead you use the Circle Line to get to the appropriate spoke in the wheel – and then transfer. Toronto needs a Circle Line to direct LRT volumes that are coming. Just $50Billion – an investment we should undertake now.

When Rob Ford was elected Mayor of Toronto in October 2010 he immediately proposed stopping construction of 3 of 4 Light Rapid Transit (LRT) lines in favour of redirecting the Provincial funding for them to subway construction. Subway construction costs a lot more than street level separated rail – so the bang for the buck fell well short of what residents perceived was needed. The number of kilometres of subway Toronto was going to get under Mayor Ford’s plan – and his inability to get private funding to augment the Provincial 8.4 Billion dollars already in the funding package – paled in light of the public transit commute experience that many Torontonians face each day.

The need for new mass transit in key areas of the city where population numbers are mushrooming - North Etobicoke, North York and North Scarborough - is making public transit – and the highway type roads there – next to useless at rush hour (now 3 hours long, morning and night). Grid lock and the perception that the Mayor didn’t really have a plan, caused a political backlash for the Mayor’s Office on transit. The result was that the Mayor’s public transit plan was effectively killed in favour of the existing LRT plan in a vote at Toronto City Council on February 8, 2012.

People are giving up on public transit and switching to back to cars –  which is leading to more expressway grid lock in a city that already has the longest automobile commute times in North America – or citizens are just leaving the labour force, because their commute time and compensation didn’t jive with the erosion of their quality of life – 3 hour commutes combined with the ‘new normal’ 12 hour work day.

The solution so far, for cash strapped cities with-in the neo-liberal schema of extremely low corporate tax rates, has been to invest in low cost surface rail separated from automobile traffic by transit right of ways. This LRT solution is the last option standing, mainly because of the low population densities in a suburban development model that was built based on the car.

We now understand that the model is unsustainable and that higher density development, walking and cycling infrastructure improvement, and more public transit is the long term answer.

Zoning increases needed to make Sheppard subway a reality: Chong A rendering supplied by the Tridel development group to city planners. It shows what the intersection of Victoria Park Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East might look like after it were redeveloped using density rights allocated from the subway station. (Image and Text courtesy of Inside Toronto – from the article sighted)

When Rob Ford asked private developers to come up with a workable subway funding strategy based on private borrowing that was financed over time by increases in tax revenues that would arrive through increased development along proposed subway routes – the developers came back with a plan for high towers at major intersections all across suburbia.

See, Inside Toronto:
“Zoning increases needed to make Sheppard subway a reality: Chong
– Highrises at major intersections required to get support of developers”
 - http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/cityhall/article/1018260–zoning-increases-needed-to-make-sheppard-subway-a-reality-chong

They like to build condo’s apparently, and I guess they thought if their banks were going to foot the bill for public infrastructure – at a moment in time when the Mayor was over a barrel – they figured they could ask for the moon – and get it.

Silly, greedy capitalists – by doing so they pretty much killed the privatization of Public Transit in Toronto (likely Mayor Ford’s neo-con, hidden agenda for all public inheritances).

In this amateur Urban Designer’s opinion a less neighbourhood invasive option would make this kind of Subway financing do-able. Higher density building standards along mass transit corridors  in Toronto’s suburbs (extending one bus stop width on either side of the corridor) – that mirror Toronto’s Core densities, with a large number of 3 story walk-up apartment buildings on single or double lots, and zoning changes to permit ‘alleyway Grand Parent Flats’ over top of/instead of garages – can  produce the necessary tax revenue needed to fund a world class subway network in Toronto.

See more on Subway Financing – Ford Style – at SteveMunro.ca:

“Subway Financing Falling Apart? (Update 3)” – June 4, 2011 – http://stevemunro.ca/?p=5238

mh

Yeah, definitely a new camera.

See more xkcd – http://www.xkcd.com/

mh

Staff is recommending what the Mayor’s Office has likely told them to recommend.

Toronto City Council should stick with the long term plan for transportation and reduce grid lock through encouraging sustainable alternative forms though applicable infrastructure improvements – like cycle lanes, and better walking environments.

Please support the “Alternative B” recommendation by City Staff as presented in “John Street Corridor Improvements Environmental Assessment Study” – in keeping with the City of Toronto’s ‘Complete Streets’ Policy.

To:

City of Toronto Public Works and Infrastructure Committee,

(councillor_grimes@toronto.ca, councillor_layton@toronto.ca,
councillor_parker@toronto.ca, councillor_perks@toronto.ca,
councillor_shiner@toronto.ca, councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca, pwic@toronto.ca
- and -

cc: councillor_vaughan@toronto.ca, info@bikeunion.to, councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca)

 

(Councillor Paula Fletcher is councillor in the ward where I live; find your councillor’s address - http://app.toronto.ca/wards/jsp/wards.jsp

Re: “John Street Corridor Improvements Environmental Assessment Study” – City of Toronto reference number: P:\2012\Cluster B\TRA\TIM\pw12002tim
(Web: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-44944.pdf?)

City of Toronto Public Works and Infrastructure Committee,

Please support the “Alternative B” recommendation by City Staff as presented in “John Street Corridor Improvements Environmental Assessment Study” – in keeping with the City of Toronto’s ‘Complete Streets’ Policy.

The Alternatives in Redeveloping John Street

Alternative A: Narrow Lanes with a flexible boulevard

• 3.2 m wide travel lanes to maximize road narrowing and calm vehicular speeds;

• Cyclists move in tandem with vehicles;

• A continuous ‘flexible boulevard’ along the east side that maintains an expanded sidewalk while accommodating occasional deliveries & other programming;

• Narrow 3-lane section south of Wellington Street to accommodate turning movements; and

• Mountable curbs for flexible boulevards and to accommodate truck turns

 

Alternative B: Conventional Lane widths

• 4.2 m wide travel lanes to accommodate cyclists beside vehicles;

• Deliveries at curbside as currently permitted;

• Roadway width maintained and not widened north of Queen;

• Northbound right turn lane provided at Adelaide Street;

• Lay-by provided in front of Metro Hall; and

• Typical 3-lane section south of Wellington to accommodate turning movements.

(Via City of Toronto action document – reference number: P:\2012\Cluster B\TRA\TIM\pw12002tim - http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-44944.pdf? - page 10)

City of Toronto Sustainable Development Policy

City of Toronto’s sustainable development policy – also known as the “Complete Streets Policy” – is described at the City of Toronto website under “City Planning” which is linked to a page titled, “Transportation Planning“, which states, in part:

“Transportation Planning oversees policies and projects with the goal of improving transit, discouraging automobile dependence and encouraging alternative forms of transportation such as walking, cycling, subways and streetcars.

“Transportation Planning delivers a number of services including identifying strategic improvement opportunities, assessing transportation needs that focus on implementing the Official Plan, and developing leading-edge policies on major transportation initiatives in the City and the Greater Toronto Area. We research and analyze transportation and travel trends in the City and surrounding Regions and provide travel demand forecasting services city-wide. We work closely with the TTC, GO Transit and other transportation agencies in the many areas of mutual interest.”

(via http://www.toronto.ca/planning/tp_index.htm)

And as well, directly from the City of Toronto Official Plan - (December 2010) in chapter two of which under the title “Shaping the City“, and in a section titled “Policies“ (page 2-26, 2-27 and 2-28) states:

(Item 1 and item 7 of 14 items)

1.  Travel demand management (TDM) measures will be introduced to reduce car depndancy and rush hour congestion by:

a) increasing the proportion of trips made by transit, walking and cycling;

b) increasing the average car occupancy rate;

c) reducing the demand for vehicular travel; and

d) shifting travel times from peak to off-peak periods.

…

7.  Policies, programs and infrastructure will be introduced to create a safe comfortable and bicycle friendly environment that encourages people of all ages to cycle for everyday transportation and enjoyment including:

a) an expanded bikeways network;

b) provision of bicycle parking facilities in new developments;

c) provision of adequate and secure bicycle parking at rapid transit stations;

and

d) measures to improve the safety of cyclists through the design and operation of streets and through education and promotion programs

…

(via (http://www.toronto.ca/planning/official_plan/pdf_chapter1-5/chapters1_5_dec2010.pdf)

In support of the Toronto Cyclists Union  ‘Action Alert’ of February 14, 2012

“In June 2011, the short-listed design concepts for John Street were released. Alternative A recommended 3.2m travel lanes where cyclists would ride in the centre of the lane in tandem with vehicles. Alternative B recommended 4.2m travel lanes which would provide an extra 1m of space to cyclists to ride beside vehicles. The extra space would also allow for sharrows or a different pavement pattern to delineate the space for cyclists. In June, the bike union expressed support for the project and Alternative B for these reasons. Now, city staff are recommending to the Public Works Committee that Alternative A be adopted instead.”

(no web address)

Sincerely,

Michael Holloway
Resident Ward 30,
Jones Av. and Dundas St

END
——————————–

Find your councillor’s email address via the toronto.ca ward map page; and inform them you want John Street redeveloped as a Complete Street:
City of Toronto: Ward Profiles - http://app.toronto.ca/wards/jsp/wards.jsp

mh

Henry Warwick Cycle Courier

One of the most experienced bicycle messengers in London UK, Henry Warwick, 61, died in a collision with a bus last Friday – in what witnesses are calling a classic example of the, “.. ‘half over take the cyclist, forget they are there and then swing left’ manoeuvre.” (‘swing right’ here in Canada). The driver has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.
(See “Tributes paid after ‘brilliant’ cycle courier dies in crash with coach” - http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24033836-tributes-paid-after-brilliant-cycle-co)

The tragedy is playing into a City of London Mayoral race, which is already focused on cycle safety. Candidates are positioning themselves to be the one most concerned about making London streets safer for cycling. The Times of London has played a part in making the issue central in the campaign with their “Cities fit for Cycling” campaign.

From www.thetimes.co.uk…

‘Give cyclists a head-start at traffic lights’

Rhoda Buchanan and Kaya Burgess
Last updated February 10 2012 12:01AM

Cyclists would have a five-second head-start on other traffic at dangerous junctions and all cycle lanes would be reviewed for safety if Ken Livingstone is re-elected as Mayor of London.
Mr Livingstone made his pledge as the Times campaign for safer cycling amassed a total of 25,000 written pledges of support, and more than 1,300 letters were written to MPs urging them to support the campaign and attend a parliamentary debate.

Greater Manchester Police also gave their backing to the campaign, joining a growing list of politicians, celebrities and businesses who support the call for “Cities fit for cycling”.
A debate in the House of Lords this week also suggested that ministers consider mimicking a new scheme in Paris that would allow cyclists in Britain to run through red lights if they are turning left at a T-junction.

.. read the rest… – http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3315346.ece

And from www.britishcycling.org.uk

“London Mayoral candidates under pressure to make radical changes for safer cycling”
Posted: 10 February 2012
Report: Eddie Allen
As momentum builds on road safety issues, yesterday the focus moved to London as the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) added its voice to recent demands for radical improvements to cycling infrastructure, with the launch of its ‘Love London, Go Dutch’ campaign, asking Londoners to petition mayoral candidates to deliver radically different, continental-style cycling infrastructure in the capital.

The LCC campaign has three main demands: Implementing three flagship ‘Go Dutch’ developments; making sure all planned developments on main roads that they control are redesigned to Go Dutch key principles and ensuring that the current Cycle Superhighway programme is completed to Go Dutch standards.

This is very much in line with British Cycling’s road safety strategy and it is clear that cycling will be a prominent issue in the London mayoral elections with Boris Johnson having invested in flagship projects including the cycle hire scheme and cycling super highways whilst Ken Livingstone, having pledged to improve conditions for London cyclists announcing yesterday that if he is elected cyclists would be given a five-second priority at busy junctions.

 

..read the rest… - http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/travel/article/trav20120210-London-Cycling-Campaign-launches-petition-for-radical-new-Dutch-style-cycle-routes-0

This “Dutch Style” meme marks a sea-change in philosophy around cycling issues. A great divide has always existed between cycling advocates – one element advocating for rules and regulations that will enable cyclists and automobiles to coexist on the same infrastructure – and those who believe the two cannot mix, and that separated infrastructure is the only way to achieve that elusive ‘critical mass’ that will take cycling from being viewed as a children’s recreational form to a serious urban transportation alternative.

Of coarse, one candidate is on the one side and his interlocutor, on the other – we’ll see who wins – and if ‘Dutch Style’ infrastructure actually get built.

But the discussion embraced is a qualitative change.

Hallelujah!

mh

—————————-

Safe Trucks Town Hall

“Join us for an event with MP Olivia Chow and many other advocates for cycling safety on February 22nd from 7pm to 9pm. Testimonials by friends of loved ones who have died at the wheel of their bikes by collision with a truck will also be a part of the event. Lets implement this simple and effective tool for bike safety now, come out and discover how to make it happen!”

—————————–

I don’t know if anyone noticed… in the image, the “guard” is inside the wheels!!! I’m no expert, but I thought the idea is to prevent the cyclist from ending up under those wheels.

Sign up for the Toronto Cyclists Union’s “Ring and Post” newsletter – https://bikeunion.to/stay-connected/sign-up-newsletter.

mh

Reducing traffic on Leslie Street via merge lanes on Lake Shore and left turn lanes on Eastern to new Entrances to both Box Stores

(click on image for larger)

In an article entitled “Cycling To The Port Lands: creating a ‘Gateway’ at Leslie Street through the ‘Great Wall’ – Lake Shore Boulevard” – I tried to shine a light on all the problems that cyclists and pedestrians face in trying to access the new park, walking and cycling infrastructure that the City is developing to the south of Lake Shore Boulevard as part of the Water Front Toronto project, and the Leslie Spit Urban Wilderness innovation, Tommy Thompson Park.

It turns out my vision of Leslie Street as one of the key “Sentry Gateways” to the new infrastructure is not a new idea. Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto has been planning around this idea for years.

Making Waves: Central Waterfront Plan Part II -http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/waterfront_part2.htm(pdf)

c) Promoting a Clean and Green Environment

( to see it full size click on image – or go to the toronto.ca link under the image)

City of Toronto CENTRAL WATERFRONT PART II PLAN Map "D" - http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/pdf/waterfrontplansec4_c.pdf

In this plan from 2002 Leslie Street is marked as a key pedestrian, cycling and public transit access point to the proposed Lake Ontario Park.

And more recently at Water Front Toronto, under the tab “Portlands Greening” this:

“In April 2005, Waterfront Toronto along with the three orders of government announced a $10.5 million investment and plans for greening the Port Lands and improving public access to the area’s lakefront. This project includes work to improve the key gateways in the area such as Unwin Avenue, Leslie, Cherry and Commissioners streets, all of which are the major corridors that connect the city with the Port Lands and the primary routes that lead to a future Lake Ontario Park.”

(http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/port_lands/port_lands_greening)

A major redevelopment of Leslie Street is set for this spring (2012). The TTC has recieved the appropriate approvals to build an Ashbridges Bay Maintenance and Storage Facility for the new fleet of LRT vehicles on an empty parcel of land at the SE corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Blvd.. In order to connect it to the TTC’s track grid they need to lay rail on Leslie from Queen Street to Commissioners. The project will require a complete rip out of the street – sidewalk to sidewalk – black top right down to the street’s footings — and some major underground infrastructure re-jigging as well.

For some reason the TTC has tried to minimize the extent of the construction to come – they have said in planning documents (“Ashbridges Bay TTC Maintenance and Storage Facility – September 8, 2010″ - http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/pdf/epr/appendix-c-8.pdf) that the street will not be changed. In saying this they have signaled to the relevant City departments that required changes as part of the City’s Long Term Plan) need not now be actioned upon. These changes not now being acted upon include improvements in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

(Part of the City’s long term transportation plan is known as the “Complete Streets” framework, where it is understood that the city’s transportation foot print, especially in the older parts of the city, is at capacity and that thus car pooling, mass transit, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure needs to be accented when major public infrastructure redevelopments provide an opportunity).

So because the TTC has signalled this is a minor alteration to Leslie Street – for example - the City of Toronto Transportation Services has not done traffic counts towards making Leslie Street a better traffic corridor – even though several major land-use changes have, and are happening all around Leslie Street right now. Included are the new Box Stores: Canadian Tire, Loblaws and Price Choppers – and a gentrification of the residential population of the community – caused by the housing price boom which is ramping up house prices, especially in Leslieville, but also in South Riverdale and the West Beaches. A more prosperous population is more likely to have access to a car and thus drive to their shopping destinations – and thus increase traffic volumes in the neighbourhood in general, but especially along Leslie Street which is the route the city is enabling to service the Box Store Row that is developing there.

The TTC’s ‘nothing-to-see here’ attitude also puts planning blinkers on the City as the massive Water Front Toronto Development is just announcing a speed-ed up scheduling of development on the Port Lands - not to mention the imminent opening, 7 days a week, of Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit.

The Park Lands developments to the south of Lake Shore and Leslie Street and the idea that Leslie Street is one of the Great Gateways to these new public places – places that the World will visit – and the entire population of the GTA will use periodically over their lifetimes – is anathema to the Box Store Corridor tha Leslie Street has recently started to become.

In a great article in SpacingToronto  (24 Jan 2012) ”Leslie Street – Gateway or Gate to the Waterfront?” Dylan Reid points out the crux of the problem is four lanes on Leslie Street – or two?

“The key question is, could Leslie Street lose a lane of traffic in order to create bike lanes and more pedestrian space? Currently, Leslie from Queen to Lake Shore is four lanes. Outside of rush hour, two lanes are used for parking and only two lanes are used for traffic, but during rush hour parking is prohibited to allow two lanes of traffic in the rush hour direction.”

But I think I sussed a way to have our cake and eat it too!

The problem is there is near capacity of traffic volume on Lelie Street – yet more and different typs of traffic is projected. We have to somehow reduce the volume of traffic on Leslie Street.

The biggest soarce of traffic – outside the rush hour commutes – is the Big Box Malls. 90% of the traffic in and out of these Malls happens via an intersection built just for them – and it funnels traffic onto Leslie Street – it must go – but how?

(click on image to see larger)

Leslie Street looking North - Mall Exit Intersection

Below is a mashup I made over a map of the Leslie Lake Shore area.  I have added new infrastructure that entices traffic away from Leslie Street by adding on and off merge lanes to Lake Shore Boulevard that feed a new Enterance/Exit for the Loblaws parking lot and Price Choppers lot respectively. Also, left turn lanes on Eastern Avenue will feed new bigger and more direct Enterance/Exits on the Northern flanks of these two Malls as well.

(click on image to see larger)

Map of Leslie Street as Gateway to Water Front

The Lights Leslie Street at the Malls Exits should be taken out, and the Exits reduced to one lane in and out (instead of three, with a left turn advanced green).

This should speed up traffic flow as well as remove 500 vehicles per hour from Leslie. With more room on Leslie infrastructure for cyclists and pedstrians should increase those types of traffic and eventually, as the TTC impliments their planned service route along Leslie, volumes into these malls should increase significantly with out coincident increase in car traffic on Leslie Street itself!

At the same time this new vision will open up Leslie Street for separted Bike Lanes, wider sidewalks a greener more inviting streetscape – that will connect the Waterfront Trail (formerly Martin Goodman Trail) and create a truly World Class Gateway to the new and innovative park lands to the south of Lake Shore Boulevard.

mh

I Love this, it’s brilliant – and it makes the over-all streetscape beautiful at the same time, perfect for these two ‘canyon’ streets.

‘Floating Parking’ & Bike-Buffer Zones in Separated Cycletracks

by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. – March 6, 2011 – http://www.streetfilms.org/floating-parking-bike-buffer-zones-in-separated-cycletracks/

“Floating Parking” & Bike Buffer Zone in Separated Bike Lanes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

For more info see:

“One Step Closer to Separated Bikelanes on Adelaide and Richmond Streets”
November 7, 2011 By Joe T. – http://bikingtoronto.com/blog/2011/11/one-step-closer-to-separated-bikelanes-on-adelaide-and-richmond-streets/

“Protect Richmond & Adelaide!” The Bike Union – http://bikeunion.to/protected-bike-lanes/richmond

mh

Update: 25 January 2012  - Lito Romano – TTC Community Liaison Officer (lito.romano@ttc.ca) has sent out a notification about the next meeting of the “Leslie Street Streetscape Working Group – it’s:

January 31, 2012
6:30 pm-8:30 pm
South Riverdale Community Health Centre
955 Queen Street East

They’d like people to RSVP to make sure there’s enough chairs and such, by January 27th 2012 – via lito.romano@ttc.ca

December 8, 2011

Lake Shore Boulevard defines the northern extent of Toronto’s “Port Lands”. The East/West automobile corridor is a ‘Great Wall’ to cyclists and pedestrians. Highways are wonderful for moving cars and trucks from point A to point B quickly – but in doing so they create barriers for everything else. These ‘Great Walls’ also have the effect of funneling traffic towards ‘Gateways’ that breach them periodically.

In the mashup below I’ve attempted to illustrate how Leslie Street and Cherry Street are the ‘sentry tower’ Gateways to Toronto’s Port Lands and Tommy Thompson Park.

(click on image for larger view)

Gateways to Toronto's Water Front

Leslie Street and Cherry Street are Gateways to the Portlands because they both connect to The Martin Goodman Trail, which circles the Port Lands and connects the City to the new Tommy Thompson Park Cycling and Walking Trails at Unwin Avenue and Leslie Street.

Carlaw Avenue, Logan Avenue and the Don Roadway do get cyclists and walkers across the Great Wall, but they only connect to Commissioners Street – then you have to travel East or West along Commissioners to access the Martin Goodman Trail.

Below is the embed of the map in the image.

View The Gateways to Toronto’s Water Front in a larger map

One of the big issues in Leslieville has been ( and is ) the way this neighbourhood is cut off from the Water Front – namely The Port Lands, Tommy Thompson Park and the Martin Goodman Trail – ironically, by transportation infrastructure ( designed solely for automobile traffic ).

On Tuesday I rode my bike from Jones Ave. and Dundas St. E. across the Great Wall that is Lake Shore Blvd. through the Leslie Street ‘Gateway’ to the Tommy Thompson Park Bicycle Trail.

Below is my safe route that avoids the murderous hell that is Leslie Street from Queen Street East to Lake Shore Boulevard.

View Leslieville to Leslie Spit via the Tommy Thompson Park Biking Trail in a larger map

Opportunity knocks!

Because the TTC is building a street car barn at Lake Shore and Leslie to house part of the fleet of new Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) street cars - Leslie Street between Queen and Commissioners is about to be completely torn up in order to install street car tracks. The construction is to be so extensive that a re-visioning of the entire streetscape is in the works.

Cycling advocates see an opportunity to better connect cycling and walking infrastructure to the Portlands and the new Tommy Thompson Park Cycling and walking trails. The enabling of transportation infrastructure for more than just cars will not only connect this neighbourhood to the new parkland infrastructure – but it will connect the entire City of Toronto to it.

Several consultation meetings between residents and stake holders and the city have already taken place; they are on-going.
( New Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Maintenance & Storage Facility/Public Consultation – http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/index.htm#pc )

On November 9th I attended one such meeting. Architects presented a landscape proposal for Leslie Street below Lake Shore; and Lake Shore Boulivard itself between Leslie Street and Ashbridges Bay. In the proposal the Martin Goodman Trail remains pretty well where it is and a walking trail is added that weaves through a hedgerow shrubby, bulrushes and deciduous tree planted landscape contoured with lowlands and berms, and including seating. Councilor Mary Margaret McMahon ( http://www.councillormcmahon.com/ ) suggested bike lock-up hoops and someone else, drinking fountains.
( Perimeter Landscape – Ashbridges Bay Maintenance & Storage Facility – http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/pdf/2011-11-09_perimeter_present.pdf )

A further consultation meeting about Leslie Street north to Queen Street is in the works. A planned meeting for September 28, 2011 was postponed. It was re-schedualed for this week, Tuesday December 6th 2011, but that meeting was also postponed – to give architects more time to work through proposals made at other meetings.
( To get on the email list to be informed when this meeting is re-schedualed see the bottom of this article. )

So for cyclists and pedestrians – the issue is not how the proposed landscape architecture will look through the windscreen of an idling car stuck in grid lock on Lake Shore Boulevard – but rather how to get to the cycling and walking infrastructure that is being proposed to be a part of it.

Paul Young, Cycling Advocate and Health Promotor at the South Riverdale Community Health Centre petitioned the City to instal Bike Lanes along Leslie Street at a Public Consultation Meeting on September 14, 2011 at the Toronto Fire Academy – 895 Eastern Avenue. The City has so far replied that the Street’s foot print is too narrow for 2 lanes North and South, plus Bike Lanes. They suggest alternate Cycling Routes be found.

From the minutes (Item 4 – http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/pdf/2011-09-14_minutes.pdf – my emphasis):

“TTC provided the following comments:
-$750,000 is the allocated budget for streetscaping of the study
area.
-Landscaping for the perimeter of the facility will be funded
separately
-Traffic Study indicates 4 lanes must be maintained in roadway
thus limiting the amount of space we have for streetscaping.
-Traffic lanes on Leslie should not be narrower than 3.3 metres.
-Pedestrian and cyclist safety should be considered in any re-design
of Leslie Street, including intersections and mid-block entrances to
the commercial plazas.
-TTC will use multi-use poles where feasible in order to reduce
sidewalk clutter.
-The poles on the east side of Leslie St. do not have the required
bearing capacity- (ie limited use).
-City of Toronto Transportation have been asked to participate in all
future working group meetings, and public meetings associated
with Streetscaping, Construction Staging and Traffic Management.
-City of Toronto Transportation has commented on the traffic
counts and is of the opinion that the numbers being used are
satisfactory for this exercise.”

I find cycling on Leslie Street between Queen and Lake Shore to be hell on two wheels, so I’ve been doing just as they suggest.

Imagine an area, a semi-circle extending north to Queen Street and centred by the intersection of Lake Shore and Leslie. This area is full of danger points of for cyclists and pedestrians.

Here’s a map I made that high-lights several problems areas I have noticed cycling and walking in the area – and some solutions I’ve imagined.

View Problems & Solutions: Leslie St. Gateway area in a larger map

List of Danger Points on Approch to the Leslie Gateway

1. The north/South Bike Lanes, Jones Avenue and Greenwood Avenue, end at Queen Street which, is a busy and dangerous route. Queen Street does not have Bike Lanes.

To connect the Greenwood Bike Lane to the Lower Don Recreation Trail, Knox Avenue is the obvious choice for a new Separated Bike Lane – it is a mere 20 metre jog West of the end of the Greenwood Bike Lane and the street already connects to the Lower Don Recreational Trail. ( The Bike Lane must be Separated along here because Knox is a through-way for Canada Post trucks, I suggest the western boulevard of 895 Eastern Avenue with planters separating the Bike Lane from the street – to replace the loss of green along the boulevard. )

Because there is no room for cyclists through the Leslie Street Gateway, I suggest a Cyclist’s Bridge over Lake Shore Boulevard at Knox Avenue.

2. Next is the problem of how to connect the Jones Avenue Bike Lane to the Lower Don Recreation Trail, which in turn, connects to my proposed cyclists bridge at Knox Ave..

Again, just a 20 metre jog to the West of the end of the Jones Avenue Bike Lane is a lovely, quiet neighbourhood street called Berkshire Avenue – which runs from Queen to Eastern, just West of the Eastern Avenue Chicane. A Cyclists Cross Walk needs to be installed at Eastern and Berkshire Ave..

On the South side of Eastern Avenue there are a series of film studio warehouses with massive parking lots that are rarely full – a perfect route to the Lower Don Recreational Trail. A Bike Path could be constructed along the eastern edge of the warehouse parking lot and then proceed between the eastern most warehouse and the back of the Price Choppers Store – where there is a 3 metre wide gap that cries out to be a Bike Path.
( On the map “Problems & Solutions: Leslie St. Gateway area” [http://g.co/maps/6z757] an info box shows on load titled: “Street View of proposed Bike Path route – Eastern Avenue, behind Price Chopper, to the Lower Don Recreational Trail“ - click on “more” (bottom right of info box), then click “Street View” in the drop down menu.)

3. Eastern Avenue, one block south of Queen, is a highway in all but name. At rush hour it generally runs faster than the posted speed limit. As Eastern approaches Leslie Street from the West, it chicanes north creating an extremely dangerous crossing area for cyclists and pedestrians – and a stressful predicament for car drivers trying to enter and exit residential streets to the North – and shopping malls to the South. Even with Bike Lanes on Eastern I feel very vulnerable through the chicane. Plus the Bike Lanes dissapear in favour of right turn lanes at Leslie in both directions.

In order to research this piece I did the ride again today – at 4:30pm. The on-Leslie experience for a cyclist is lots of turning cars and lane changing that forces you to the curb ( if you don’t take your lane ) and lots of waiting at lights. On “GO!” drivers power off the intersection in order to get to the next set of lights to stop at. The result being you’re pushed towards the curb – and then you catch all the impatient drivers at the next light – and do it all over again.

4. At Mosley Street just to the west of Leslie, at the exit from Price Choppers, there are too many traffic vectors in a tiny amount of traffic space. Fast moving traffic off of Eastern Avenue exits onto Mosley and either proceeds to Leslie, or turns into the Price Choppers parking lot. West bound traffic on Mosley – at the Price Choppers entrance - curves north towards Eastern Avenue – they may either slow to negotiate the right curve or decide to turn left into the parking area. Traffic exiting the Price Choppers lot may go right to Leslie, or reconnoiter well down Eastern to the west and hope no one is exiting onto Mosley and risk a left into the curve on Mosley – that stops short at the stop sign at Eastern. For a car it’s perfect fender bender territory – for a cyclist or pedestrian it’s a confusing, life threatening corner.

5. The intersection of Leslie Street and the Loblaws’ parking lot entrance – right across from the Price Choppers parking lot entrance is not a street but is fully Traffic Lighted like an regular intersction. There are three total lanes of traffic going in and out of each parking lot (left turn lanes on both). The crosswalk on the Price Choppers side is not clearly marked – add to that the fact that there is no clear definition between where the sidewalk ends and the crosswalk starts – the side walk continues across the intersection, dipping down to road level and becomes part of the street. Trucks and cars are regularly stopped or parked on the right hand side of the extra wide West bound ‘IN’ lane into Price Choppers – making the intersection more confusing than it already is.

—————————————–

I’m on Lito Romano’s email notification list. The next meeting of the Public Consultation Procss has not yet been set. I will post an update here when it is decided.

If you want to voice your opinion contact Lito Romano – TTC Community Liaison Officer ( lito.romano@ttc.ca ) and ask him to notify you when the next meeting of the “Leslie Street Streetscape Working Group’ meeting is set.

mh

@OccupyToronto - official

I’ve been doing a lot of media for OccupyToronto the last month and a half, so haven’t posted here much.

This morning while doing Occupy research, I came across  Brendan Kennedy, an avid cyclist and a Staff Reporter with the Toronto Star – who is covering Occupy Toronto for The Star.
( I was building my Twitter stream of people on-the-ground at St James Park – in advance of possible Police Services enforcement of a City of Toronto eviction notice;  an action protesters say they will counter with non-violent, civil disobedience. ) 

Brendan Kennedy TO Star Staff Reporter

Last year before the Civic Elections, Brendan Kennedy wrote about commuting to work by bicycle from Finch and Islington to The Toronto Star building at 1 Young Street – and back. It’s a good example of a do-able, long commute by bicycle.

Here’s the video that goes with the article:

The article touches on eveyrthing I find important around the issue of cycling infrastructure: the quality of the roads in Toronto for cyclists, the less dangerous, off-main-artery routes that a regular commute reveals,  and the annoying nature of the path system which as Kennedy says, [Is] “..indirect and meandering, designed for recreation, not commuting.”
“

Moving forward: Is the bicycle the solution to transit woes?

” - Sunday, October 10, 2010 - http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/873415

“For me, the bicycle has always been the better way.

There are the obvious benefits: exercise, affordability, doing your part for the environment.

I also love the agility a bicycle affords — how it becomes an extension of your body, letting you slip through tight spaces to explore the city’s intersecting alleyways; or, during rush hour, zoom passed rows of gridlocked cars.

For commuting, I appreciate the predictability. I never have to listen to traffic reports, worry about construction detours or wait for a bus.

When I’m ready, I go.

7:32 a.m. – Southwest corner of Finch and Islington

It’s lonely in the suburbs for a cyclist.”

.. read the rest…

Twitter – @BKennedyStar - https://twitter.com/#!/BKennedyStar

Video: Commute by bicycle

mh

08/30/2011

Crossing the 20 Percent Mark

Green Energy Use Jumps in Germany

dapd

Germany is experiencing record highs when it comes to use of renewable energies.

During the first half of 2011, the share of renewable energy sources used by Germans in their total energy mix grew to one-fifth — a hefty boost over 2010. It’s a small step toward Germany’s ambition to phase out nuclear power.

It is a report that is bound to please Chancellor Angela Merkel. Just months after she expended significant political capital to guide Germany’s future energy production away from nuclear and toward renewable sources, a report by a leading energy industry group indicates that production of renewables in the country is rising rapidly.

According to the report, released on Monday by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), renewables accounted for fully 20.8 percent of production during the first six months of 2011. “Renewable energies have crossed the 20 percent mark in Germany for the first time,” the association said in a statement.

In 2010, green energy consumption totalled 18.3 percent of total demand.

The increase, the BDEW says, is unconnected to Merkel’s decision to immediately close seven nuclear power plants in the wake of the March disaster at the Fukushima complex in Japan. But it does give a boost to Germany’s long-term effort to phase out nuclear power completely by 2022. Chancellor Merkel has said the goal by then is to draw 35 percent of production from renewables.

Solar Also Rises

Total usage in Germany remained stable from 2010 at 275.5 billion kilowatt-hours, but energy from sources like wind, biomass, hydroelectric plants, solar panels and waste incineration rose to 57.3 billion KWh in the first six months of this year.

Wind power, the most important source, rose to 20.7 billion KWh, or 7.5 of total usage. Biomass (5.6 percent), photovoltaic solar (3.5 percent), and hydroelectric power (3.3 percent) were next in line. Waste incineration and other sources covered 0.8 percent of total demand.

The real change came in the photovoltaic sector, where output almost doubled — up more than 76 percent since 2010. “Because of the volume of new photovoltaic installations and the amount of sun during the spring, solar energy knocked hydroelectric from third place for the first time,” the BDEW said in a statement.

…

..read the rest.

Via Grist – http://www.grist.org/renewable-energy/2011-08-31-germany-sets-renewables-record

mh

“You’ve got to go big or go home.”

R.T. Rybak
Mayor, City of Minneapolis

Nice Ride Minnesota started one year ago with 65 stations and 700 bikes. This year they’re expanding the hugely popular system, and now they’re about to add 51 new stations that will dock a total of 1200 bikes.

BIXI Toronto started this spring (May 3, 2011), with 1,000 bikes and 80 stations. Council will be looking at the program and deciding weather to expand it this fall.

The Toronto Cyclists Union has a campaign underway to encourage council to expand the program to 3000 bikes with a larger service area next year. Councillor Mike Layton is leading the charge inside City Hall’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

Advocates want the service expanded to an area bounded by Dupont St. to the north, High Park to the west and Broadview Ave. to the east. Currently, the boundary is Bloor St. to the north, Spadina Ave. to the west and Jarvis St. to the east. The proposal is the original plan that council scaled back after City Council vote that gave final approval for the Bike Share program in 2010.

BIXI Toronto Service Area - 2011 (links to toronto.bixi.com/stations/)

Initial data from the first few months shows a high demand on the edges of the current service block, says BIXI’s Jared Kolb, director of membership and outreach, indicating a demand potential that could help sustain the popular program through scaling efficiencies.
(See article at Toronto Star June 26, 2011: “More bikes needed to help Bixi survive, says union“)

From the Cyclists Union page “Toronto Cyclists Union Launches Campaign to Expand BIXI!“:

“Given the high level of ridership and demand at the edges of the service area, the Toronto Cyclists Union wants to see an expanded BIXI program of 3,000 bicycles serving more Torontonians across a larger service area.

“To that end, we have requested that City Staff be directed, through the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, to formulate a framework for expanding BIXI Toronto. To compliment this request, we have also launched a petition titled “We Want More BIXI!” on our website. Please take a moment to sign our petition!“

Via Grist (a beacon in the smog), “Bikeshare makes for a Nice Ride in Minneapolis” by Sarah Goodyear.

Embed of StreetFilms video: “Nice Ride MN: Minnesota’s Bike Share Expands” on Vimeo.

mh

What this city needs is more armoured personnel carriers. Traffic enforcement officers could drive them about instead of those little eco-friendly things they drive now — and when they see a car parked in one of the few remaining bike lanes…

No messy ticket writing, no court date … No Rule of Law!

Sounds like a Mayor Rob Ford kind of solution doesn’t it?.

Via Grist (a beacon in the smog), “Mayor of Vilnius takes out Mercedes parked in bike lane—with a tank [VIDEO]” by Sarah Goodyear

mh

Tour de France 2011 Stage 21 - Map

Today’s stage of the Tour de France 2011 is that most dignified of stages, nothing will happen today that will effect the outcome of the General Classification in any meaningful way. The top rider this year is Australian first time Champion Cadel Evans – he will win this race simply by finishing this stage with everyone of the other close contenders. The stage today is flat and short, and impossible to create a sustained breakaway on. Except for the Sprint at 35.5 km before the end, the entire group of 167 riders would finish in one big Peloton. Expect instead, a Peloton with a long, point.

The point here today is to celebrate French ingenuity, French Industry and French Culture. Also many politicians will be on hand to bask in the warm glow of a great tradition they had no hand in starting – and if they were around 98 years ago, probably would have stood in the way of (sorry I’m a tad cynical – and sad that the race is over).

En ligne – A sporting perspective
JEAN-FRANÇOIS PESCHEUX’S ANALYSIS: A sprint by tradition

“It has been the tradition since 1975 for the Tour de France to end with a prestigious stage finish on the Champs-Élysées. At the start in Créteil, we will remember Laurent Fignon, who held a licence with the local club. In 1989, his duel with Greg LeMond maintained the suspense right to the finish, where Fignon was sure that he would be the winner. That was the only occasion that the final stage was run as a time trial. Every other time, it has been a road stage that has been decided in a bunch sprint, except on four occasions. Those exceptions were the victories taken by Alain Meslet in 1977, Bernard Hinault in 1979, Eddy Seigneur in 1994 and Alexandre Vinokourov in 2005. It is incredibly hard to get a telling gap on this stage when breakaway riders are always within sight of the peloton.”

Tour de France 2011 Stage 21 - Profile

9:03

The riders complete the 7.7 km neutral zone and cross the start line at 9:03 AM EST (15:03 CET).

Cadel Evans is going with Yellow on Yellow today. A yellow bike, yellow shoes, yellow sunglasses even – how droll.

Evans in drinking Champagne offered by the team manager from the team car.

Haven’t they banned cars from this stage here in the city? And what about drinking and driving??? And open liquor in the car???

Oh yeah, it’s Champagne, and this is France – not backwards, uptight Toronto.

The ceremony apparently over, Cadel now swaps his yellow photo-op bike for a red and black coloured BMC Racing Team one.

9:41

Thirty seven minutes in the group is at the 14km mark of today’s stage – they averaging under half the rate these riders usually pedal at.

The riders will lap the Champs-Elysees 8 times at the finish. The Sprint Section is part of the third lap of that “Indy Car” style oval racing idiom.

The LIVE widget commentator opines that an attack will not likely happen until the Champs-Elysees.

Ah, my laundry’s done, I have to switch it up to the dryer and put in another load. Today I’m doing the curtains as well – you know how they can get smelly over a long period? With the humidity last night – with a big rain storm that broke a week long record breaking hot spell – I could smell my curtains!

>:|

Time for a wash, I thought – and with the weather nice and cool, a good day for it. Be right back…

10:21

The average speed of the Tour de France 2011, after 20 stages is 39.8 km/h over 3,335 km.

Interestingly, that’s more that 5 times the average commute time for Toronto subrbanites. Makes sense to build a 4 lane raised tubular cycle-way – like the 427 only for bicycles – charge people to take it too. Stressed out people from the ‘safe’ suburbs are willing to pay for those gym memberships… . Should be able to get them to pay for the privilege of cycling to work in half the time it takes them now.

StatsCan reports:

“Despite our winter weather, Ottawa leads the nation’s large cities in bicycle commuting, but the percentages are not very high: 2% of employed people in Ottawa bike to work, followed closely by Vancouver (1.9%). Next are Calgary (1.5%), Montreal (1.3%), Edmonton (1.2%) and Toronto (0.8%).”

So you can understand why our enlightened Mayor Rob Ford wants to remove bike lanes.

Right. If we have more room for cars commute times will go up because more road space for cars equals more cars.

It’s counter intuitive – but it’s not a new understanding of how transportation infrastructure functions – I learned that in grade 11 geography class, 30 years ago!

11:00

Tour de France 2011 - Stage 21 @ 10 56 AM EST (16:56 CET)

At about 10:30 the Peloton entered the oval part of the race, the 8 curcuits around the Champs-Elysees. the Peloton lengthened as several riders and teams began to attack. Ben Swift succeeded in creating a gap. 15 minutes ago 5 riders caught him. They now form an escape group ahead by 40 seconds.

The Escape Six

Paulinho
Koren
Riblon
Swift
Roy
Bak

Garmin-Cervelo and Omega Pharma-Lotto are in charge of the Peloton’s counter.

11:11

The Escape Six lead has been cut to 30 seconds, two ovals to go.

11:19

Interestingly you can count the 8 ovals around the Champs-Elysees on the LIVE widget screen shot. It’s that pattern of 8 bumps to the end, starting about half way through today’s coarse.

Tour de France Stage 21 - 11:19 AM EST

The Escape Six lead is down to 20 seconds.

11:24

Tour de France 2011 Stage 21 - 11:24 AM EST

11:28

Tour de France 2011 Stage 21 - 11:28 AM EST

11:30

FIN! Tour de France Stage 21 - 11:30 AM EST

Communism! Socialist bloody Egalitarians – Utopians. Everyone finished with the same time.

The first and last Republic shows us how it’s done with class.

Top 10 were:

1. Mark Cavendish
2. Boasson Hagen
3. Andre Greipel
4. Tyler Farrar
5. Fabien Cancellara
6. Danile Oss
7. Borut Bozic
8. Tomas Vaitkus
9. Gerald Ciolek
10. Jimmy Engoulwent

Tour de France 2011 Overall Classification – Top 20

Tour de France 2011 - Overall Classification after Stage 21 - top 20

Wrong again:

Lars Bak, who lead for the last seconds before the Peloton over whelmed him – finished LAST!

165.   MALORI Adriano   LAMPRE  2h 28' 34"  + 01' 32"
166.   BONO Matteo      LAMPRE  2h 28' 34"  + 01' 32"
167.   BAK Lars         HTC     2h 28' 45"  + 01' 43"

Everyone else at 00:00

Versus/NBC Review of the Finish
Courtesy NBC (opens in new window – or below)

mh

Tour de France 2011 Stage 20 - Map

Individual time-trial – A sporting perspective
JEAN-FRANÇOIS PESCHEUX’S ANALYSIS: A strong man rather than a specialist

“This is the race’s only individual time trial, as the one in the first week was a team time trial test, while putting another one into the middle of the race didn’t really serve any great purpose. The profile is rolling and the road does climb, although there aren’t any cols as such. Victory won’t automatically go to a specialist because the final time trial of the Tour is a very physical test that suits a strong man – last year’s Bordeaux-Pauillac test won by Cancellara was an exception. In this solitary exercise, there is no way a rider can bluff or hide in the wheels of their team-mates. But I think that the Tour will have been decided before Grenoble. It is often the third place on the podium, the best young rider classification or the team prize that is decided on this stage.”

Tour de France Stage 20 - Profile

Each rider leaves the Start area individually every 3 minutes. The order they go in is based on the Overall Classification after yesterday’s Stage 19.

Ryder Hesjedal has just completed the coarse, he’s in 17th place overall so there are 16 riders left to come. Ivan Basso is waiting for the Start Official to give him the Go sign. From the Live widget it appears that – because of the speed each rider is travelling the coarse – seven riders are on the coarse at any given time.

Hesjedal finished in a time of 21 minutes, 43 seconds, 1:31 slower than the best time so far recorded – that puts him in 37th place at the present time. Tony Martin has posted the best time so far, 20 minutes and 13 seconds! Martin was 47th in the General Classification after Stage 19, of 167 racers still in this year, thus he started 120th today.

We’re down to the last four riders still waiting their turn to start. They and the riders on the coarse right now are the who’s who of the race this year. Thomas Voeckler has just embarked – but I don’t know if that means they’ll be anybody in this kind of test or not. Cadel Evans is off, so it’s Evans, Voeckler, Cunego, Contador, Sanchez, Basso and Danielson are on the coarse. Yesterday’s winner and young upstart of this years race sporting the White Jersey, Pierre Rolland just finished – not very well.

Everyone has left the start, Andy Schleck the overall race leader was last to go. Tony Martin’s tome of 20:12 still stands, Contador just posted a great 20:33!, that puts him second, Andy and Frank and Cadel and Samuel now have a mark they must come close to, Contador is 3:55 seconds behind the race leaders so that’s the mark better than 23:55 – in other words, No ex be careful and finish the coarse like your riding a bike – no excitement here really…
It will be interesting to see how it all washes out in the GC. Has Hesjedal for example, improved his placing after a steady rise through the standings in the Alps this week?

Voeckler just came in with a 21:09. That’s 22 seconds better than Hesjedal who’s my benchmark here – being a Canadian.

Hey, here’s some news – Cadel Evans just tied Contador’s mark for second place today – 20:33!

Now it’s only Frank Schleck and his brother Andy Schleck to finish – they must bet the 24 minute mark to stay ahead of Contador

Frank is in at 22:07. Evans move past him in the GC to second place. That’s the mark Andy Schleck must beat – 21:07, a weird play of numbers here, if he ties his bothers time he stays in first place with Cadel Evans in a tie.

Andy finishes 21:09, 2 seconds behind Evans in the CG – Cadel Evans is in Yellow with one stage to go! Tomorrow is actually gong to matter! The final stage in these Tour de France races is usually perfunctory, a chance for the dignitaries to smile for the cameras and kiss babies… but tomorrow’s final stage is going to be a race between Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck.

10:57 AM EST

Re-thinking the numbers, it’s Frank in 3rd by 2 seconds and a tie for first between Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck. Perhaps we should just wait for the official word – which is not up yet – but that’s my take right now.

At the start of today’s stage:

1. SCHLECK Andy   TEAM LEOPARD-TREK   82h 48' 43"    00' 00"
2. SCHLECK Frank  TEAM LEOPARD-TREK   82h 49' 36"  + 00' 53"
3. EVANS Cadel    BMC RACING TEAM     82h 49' 40"  + 00' 57"

Finish today

Racer              Team            Time    Place      Effect on the GC
EVANS Cadel     BMC RACING TEAM    20:33   + 00' 21"       00
Frank Schleck   TEAM LEOPARD-TREK  21:07   + 00' 57"      +34
Andy Schleck    TEAM LEOPARD-TREK  21:09   + 00' 59"      +36

Ok that makes it a little easier to read. To top 3 in the GC remains in order, Evans goes from 57 second back of A. Schleck to 21 seconds back – and from 53 seconds behind Frank Schleck – to 19 seconds behind him. I think.

11:09

Still no official word yet…

11:24

Ok apparently my reading of the LIVE widget was full of shit, my numbers in the table above are wrong. Andy finished 2:38 behind Martin and so too were Frank’s numbers miss printed on the LIVE widget – he finished 2:48 back of Martin. Evans finished :07 behind Martin not 21 seconds. So that kicks it – the correct numbers work against a good finish on both sides of the equation.

Cadel Evans apparently, is the Tour de France 2011 Winner.

No need to race tomorrow after all.

That’s really disappointing, especially me mis-understanding all the numbers posted in the LIVE widget … and then seeing this:

Tour de France Stage 20 Finish Order – top 20

Tour de France Stage 20 Finish Order - top 20

Tour de France General Classification after Stage 20 – top 20

Tour de France General Classification after Stage 20 - top 20

July 24, 2011

Post script:

Looking back on my reporting 20 some hours ago, at the end of Stage 20, it is now evident that I did read the numbers being broadcast in the LIVE widget correctly, you can see it in the paragraph where I report Frank Schlecks time as “22:07″. But in the ensuing paragraphs  I seem to see 22 as 21 – and then 20.

Wishful thinking on my part perhaps, not wanting Le Tour 2011 to end – hoping for a race so close the final stage in Paris would have some meaning towards the final result of the race.

Looking back on the Tour de France 2011 here at FreeWheel, I note that I’ve made several (many) mistakes in my reporting – but last year, in my first reporting on this great race, I wasn’t aware of any.

I’m getting better at this – I was perfect – I’m younger than that now.

mh

Tour de France 2011 Stage 19 - Profile

Tour de France 2011 Stage 19 - Map

Today’s stage started at 8:38 AM EST (2:38 PM CET). It is a short stage at 109.5 km distance but it goes up as much as it goes sideways, with three categorized climbs, including the highest point in the 2011 race once again, the Col du Galibier (from Stage 18, this time in the opposite direction).

Tour de France Stage 19 – Mountains

Km mark    Mountain (elevation)         Distance  Gradient  Difficulty
Km 26.5    Col du Télégraphe (1 566 m)  11.9 km   7.1 %         1
Km 48.5    Col du Galibier (2 556m)     16.7 km   6.8 %         H
Km 109.5   Alpe d'Huez (1 850 m)        13.8 km   7.9 %         H

After some jockeying in the first 9 km before the first climb 14 riders established n escape that extended a lead over the Peloton to 2:50.

Lzagirre     Urtasun
Greipel      Iglinskiy
Gutierriez   Costa
Koren        Riblon
Flecha       Pineau
Burghardt    Duque
Buffaz       Hoogerland

At the base of the climb Greipel was dropped from the escape group.

9:00 AM EST – 16 Km

As the Peloton reached the base of the Col du Télégraphe several riders established a chase group out in front of the peloton – a who’s who of the tour de France 2011:

Contador      Navarro
Andy Schleck  Frank Schleck
Cadel Evams   Carlos Berrado
Chris Sorensen  Thomas Voeckler

Navarro and Sorensen are dropped.

Contador is leading this attack – and time after time he’s up on his pedals attacking, shaking any pretenders from the tail of this chase group. Pretty soon it’s only Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Thomas Voeckler who can maintain the elite pace.

Carlos Berrado and Frank Schleck are re-assimilated by the Peloton at 9:09. Resistance is futile, apparently. The Peloton is 1:00 behind the Contador chase group which is: A. Contador, C. Evans, A. Schleck and T. Veockler.

The Lead group of 14 has whittled down to 11. Burghardt, once one of that group, is waiting for the Contador group, to see if he can maintain there better than in the Pineau lead front group.

Burghardt tries to pace the Contador Chase but Contador will have none of that, and with a boost of power the reining Champion re-takes the lead-out chores of his group. The Contador chase is now 40 seconds behind the Pineau 11.

9:15

With 5 km until they summit, the lead Pineau group is now only 25 seconds ahead of the Contador Chase. The Peloton is 50 seconds behind the Contador Chase

The Contador Chase Group

A. Contador
A. Schleck
C. Evans
T. Voeckler
M. Burghardt

Cadel Evans has mechanical issues, he has to dismount three times to fix something on his bike.Teammate M. Burghardt stays with Evans, he’s going to need help catching up again. With 4.5 km to the summit the team BMC car finally gets to Evans and Burghardt, they give Evans a new bike. Evans has lost 50 seconds to the Contador group.

9:20

The Contador group catches the Pineau breakaway. Iglinskiy and A. Schleck are marking Contador.

Contador is resting a little now with-in the new breakaway which is 1:05 ahead of Evans and Burghardt in pursuit.

The lead group is: Cotador, Koren, A. Schleck, Costa, Riblon, Flecha, Doque, Hoogerland and Izagirre.

Voeckler has fallen off the leaders, 25 second back now. A. Schleck is currently Yellow, 10 seconds overall ahead of Voeckler.

Evans and Burghardt have been caught by the Peloton, 1:08 back of the Contador group which is 1km from the summit. There is a 5km decent and then it’s up the highest peak in this years race, the Col du Galibier. Voeckler is steadily losing seconds to the Contador group, now 30 seconds behind.

At the summit it’s Izagirre, then A. Schleck and then Contador over the top.

9:30

Voeckler has been joined by Pineau and 7 others, they are 32 seconds behind the Contador group.

Voeckler/Pineau 9 are closing on the Contador group, 20 second back as the lead group begins their assent up the Col du Galibier. Flecha and Hoogerland dropped from the lead group, now join the Voeckler/Pineau group now back 35 seconds again behind the Contador 7.

9:38 – 1 hour in

The lead group is down to 5 Contador, Schleck, Izagirre, Riblon and Costa. The average speed of the first hour was 33.8 km/h.

Voeckler is in a chase group of four, still 33 seconds behind the lead group. The Voeckler group includes Flecha, Koren and Duque.

9:42

Andy Schleck takes the lead of the Contador group, helping his one time nemesis up this hellish climb, realizing he can pick up time on Cadel Evans – his actual nemesis in the here and now. Contador has been lead-out since the 16 km mark when he began the pursuit of the original ‘Escapee 14′.

9:47 – 4 km up the hellish 17 km Col du Galibier climb

Contador group leads, Voeckler Chase: -33 seconds, Evans and the Peloton: -1:40.

10:00

Izagirre has been dropped by the leaders, now the Contador 4 – Contador, Schleck, Riblon and Costa. The Peloton are slowly falling back, all the riders are now well onto the same mountain but the lead group has expanded their lead, now 1:47. Voeckler’s group isn’t fairing much better, their also falling off the pace set at the front, now 48 seconds back.

10:05

Evans takes the lead of the Peloton group and begins to catch the Contador 4 – as a result the Peloton begins to shatter. Evans is making back time with 5 km before the Contador 4 summit. Now 1:30 back.

Evans is leading out a chase group off the front of the Peloton now, about 20 riders are with him.

Meanwhile it looks like Voeckler has hit a wall, he is wobbling all over his bike, barely able to crack his pedals. The mountain has beat him, sad to see this happen.

10:08

The Evans chase group has made up 15 seconds on the leaders, now 1:15 back – what a show of ability from Evans on this terrible mountain! The pace of the Evans chase has destroyed some riders – the group is down to 14.

10:10

Evans now only 1:07 back!!!

Th Evans chase group has caught the Voeckler group. Now Samuel Sanchez, a probable to podium in this years race, has attacked out front of the Evans chase group. Evans chases him down and gets on his wheel. Now Rolland and Charteau bridge the gap and join the elite two. This group is an elite one, like the Contador group. These guys may catch the front runners before this is over. They clock in now at 50 second back! What a run!

It’ a close race now and all the lead group and the Evans/Sanchez chase group have sumited. As the results of the point allocation are posted I see Canadian, Ryder Hesjedal is in this elite Evans/Sanchez Chase group as well. Yay! Go Ryder!

Order over the top of the Col du Galiber:

1. A. Schleck (0)
2. A. Contador (0)
3. R. Costa (0)
4. C. Ribon (0)
5. S. Sanchez (+35)
6. R. Hesjedal (+42)
7. C. Evans (+48)

Down the other side Contador, a good decent cyclist, leads the quartet who stay with him. Sanchez is good at this too, he’s only 15 seconds behind, going probably, 80 km/h. Evans: 20 seconds. Hesjedal plays it safer, he’s lost contact with the other two.

10:30

Sanchez has caught the leaders half way down the Col du Galibier! What an explosion! He attacked the front of the Evans chase group 5 km from the top of the mountain abour 50 seconds behind the Contador group and then caught them with a sweet decent. Nicely played!

The Evans Chase Group:
(30 seconds back)

Evans
Jeannesson
Casar
F. Schleck
Danielson
Hesjedal
Cunego
Velits
Rolland

10:43 – 45 km to go

The Evans chase group had narrowed the gap to just 23 seconds when the Contador 5 started to work as a team, taking equal amounts of work in front. With that, the gap to the Evans chase increased to 32 seconds.

10:57

The Evans Chase is no more, at the foot of today’s last accent, the Evans group caught the Contador group. That completes an heroic comeback for Evans who – with some 5 km to go up the first climb of today’s race, the Col du Télégraphe – had mechanical difficulties that set him back 1:50.

Cadel Evans rested back in the Peloton for about 50 minutes and then began this amazing pursuit – closing the 1:30 second gap between he and an elite group of riders who joined him – and the elite lead Contador group of riders — over one of the most gruelling mountains in this years Tour de France the 2,556 metre Col du Galibier! We have just witnessed an epic saga that stands with the great Greek plays.

But this is not over. This is now the beginning of the next chapter in this epic tale!

Who will win this great stage race, the finish line at the top of the last great climb today, the 1,850 metre Alpe d’Huez – a 13.8 km run, a 7.3% incline, a Category ‘H’ High Mountain man-killer…

The Escape Group:
(leads by

Contador       Riblon
A. Schleck     Casar 
F. Schleck     Jeannesson
Sanchez        Evans
Danielson      Cunego
Hesjedal       Velits
Costa          Rolland

11:00 – 24 km to go

The leader of the General Classification are playing it coy, marking their nemesis carefully. The also rans of this group – who can put places in the over standing behind them, and need to bring themselves closer to the leaders in time – are attacking the front of the group. Rolland and Hesjedal attack and counter attack. Then Riblon, Jeannesson and Costa try their luck. The 14 km accent up the Alpe d’Huez is just minutes away.

The Contador/Evans group has slowed the pace now as they approach the big mountain. This has allowed the Yellow Jersey wearing Thomas Voeckler group to catch the lead group.

Cadel Evans tries to talk strategy with Andy Schleck – perhaps trying to confuse his rival for overall win with some strategy about Contador – perhaps playing on the bad blood between the other two? Andy ignores him and as this continues, Frank Schleck pulls around and away, forcing Evens to break off the little talk and get on Frank’s wheel.

Meanwhile out front of the Peloton Ryder Hesjedal and Pierre Rolland are making a breakaway attempt that has some ‘legs’ – the two are in front by 47 seconds – and they have just started to climb the mountain. As the Peloton reaches the foot of the mountain the 2 breakaway-ers are 52 seconds up.

11:10

Evans is the first to challage the Peloton, he lead out and takes Mollema with him, they have a lead of 50 metres on the Peloton, now being lead by Frank Schleck. The lead-out fails, and now Contador attacks. Shortly Andy Schleck responds, he doesn’t want to let Contador get away too much – Evans marks the rider just seconds ahead of him in the General Classification.

11:15

Cotador catches Rolland and Hesjedal and Andy Schleck and Evans are closing the gap. The peloton has shattered in their wake.

Contador attacks again and Pollard goes with him, but Ryder Hesjedal can’t nmaintain the pace and falls off. Meanwhile Evans and Andy Schleck steadily pace each other closer and closer to the leaders. Contador adds another level of speed and loses Pollard behind him. Cadel and Andy are 13 seconds back – steady go. Hesjedal has found a pace he likes, alone in third.

Basso leads the remnants of the Peloton that include Voeckler in Yellow. They are 55 seconds behind Contador. Andy Schleck is, at this moment, wearing virtual Yellow.

11:25

Contador is still dancing up the mountain,then comes Pollard +10 seconds back, then the Evans/Schleck group at +38 seconds.

11:27

Contador leads all alone.
Pollard +25
Velits +45
Sanchez +50

at +58, a chase group including:
F. Schleck
A. Schleck
Evans
Hesjedal
Danielson
Peraud
Cunego
De Gendt

11:37 – 5km to go

Sanchez has passed Velits and caught Pollard. They are +23 behind the dancing Contador. Evans/Schleck and co. are 1:05 back.

Sanchez and Pollard are working together and are catching Contador, now +12! 4 km to go.

At the 4 km mark the Evans/Schleck chase group is 1:08 back.

De Gendt attacked out of the Evans/Schleck chase group a few minutes back, he has now established himself between the leader and the chasers, he’s riding with Velits in a second group, 12 seconds behind Sanchez and Pollard.

11:45 3 km to go

Now Cunego attacks out of the Evans/Schleck chase group, Evans after his successful heroic pursuit appeasr to be done, still riding at an lite level he doesn’t appear to be able to even try and catch Contador. The Schleck’s have no interest in breaking for Evans, Contador is not a threat to Andy’s time right now, so they sit back and pace on Evans back wheel – making sure they don’t lose him, but don’t help him either.

Rolland and Sanchez are catching Contador! Only 6 seconds back now!!! The two catch the reining champion and now vie for position to the line, Contador isn’t playing.

11:47

Evans tries an attack but Andy and Frank mark him easily.

Meanwhile Rolland is going for it, he has exploded out front now – a 7 second lead on Contador and Sanchez.

11:47 – 2 km to go

Rolland still holds the lead, Evans back 1:00. Evans attacks have split th chase group and now Evans and the Schleck brothers have caught De Gendt and Velits.

Sanchez and Contador start attacking and responding, attacking and responding, clawing they way back up up Pollard.

Sanchez drops Contador as Samuel takes his last best chance to catch Pollard, but he’s too late! Pollard has it – Pollard wins!

Stage 19 – Top 16 Finish Order

Stage 19 Top 16 Finish Order

Top 60 Overall Classification – after Stage 19

Tour de France 2011 - Top 60 Overall Classification after Stage 19

(click on images to go to letour.fr page in question)

mh