Surprise, surprise, surprise

Gollllleeee! Our government loves the figure $85.00

I was SHOCKED & DUMBFOUNDED to read that riding your bike across a crosswalk is an $85 fine!

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/cycling-guide/section5.0.shtml
HTA 140(6)/144(29) - No riding in crosswalks

walk your bike when crossing at a crosswalk. Set fine: $85.00

HTA 75 (5) - Bell

a bike must have a bell or horn in good working order. Set fine: $85.

Hope you haven't broken any bad laws lately!

Groundhog Day Redux - again & again

What if they had a party & this time you weren't invited?

Cycling across the liftbridge today I noticed a bevy of white helmets marching in unison on the pier. Curiosity got the better of me. I interrupted my ride on a beautiful fall day to see what the fuss was about. To my surprise it was MP Mike Wallace & an entourage of PWGSC people with the ubiquitous media contingent.

While Mike talked to Jason, then CHCH, I passed time by talking to the PWGSC entourage at the liftbridge. Today, they announced the awarding of a ~$4 million contract to paint, scrape and rehabilitate the bridge. (2nd picture) Strangely, no one from either city was there. On March 09, it was standing room only, as Mike announced the bridge rehabilitation with media & municipal politicians from Hamilton & Burlington in attendance accompanied by senior city hall staffers. (top picture)

You learn a lot kibitzing with PWGSC. Pedestrians & cyclists shouldn't feel left out! PWGSC has come up with 5 options for making the bridge safer. This includes building a 2nd bridge, synced with the first and the scurrilous do nothing option. Mike Wallace added a few more options PWGSC didn't think of bringing the total to 9! Of course, it all depends on funding.

In the next week or two, Mike Wallace will invite cycling committees from Hamilton, Burlington & other stakeholders to a roundtable discussion to deliberate the merits of the various options.  Thanks Mike!  We'll look forward to the discussions.

Per PWGSC, its not the implementation that takes so long to get it done. Its the design & preparation before the work begins that takes time. A project such as the lakeside path would take 5 years!  Slow but true, given the bridge facelift announcement was originally posted in the Spec in Sept. 2008.


We've been told PWGSC is the obstacle behind getting a lakeside path. Not so, cried the woman from PWGSC! Its the funding. If we find a way to pay for it, PWGSC would be too happy to build it!

Isn't it time for that second round of stimulus funding?

Only 3 more weeks to the Ontario Bike Summit!

Greetings! Only 3 weeks to go before the First Annual Ontario Bicycle Summit begins! It's nearly time to head for Waterloo.. In case you haven’t seen them here are the links to:
•  the List of Workshops http://www.sharetheroad.ca/workshops-s12474
•  speakers http://www.sharetheroad.ca/speakers-s12475.

You can register on the site at http://www.sharetheroad.ca/registration-s11707. “Early Bird” discounts on registration and accommodation expire after Tuesday September 1! 

Here is some more great information for Summit attendees:
 
Schedule.
A preliminary program for the Summit will be available online by Tuesday, Sept. 1, so you can get an overview of the conference. There's no need to print it out; a printed version of the Conference Book will be in your conference delegate's package.  Suffice to say Monday the 21^st is workshop day, while Tuesday the 22^nd will focus more on advocacy and policy in cycling.


Bicycle Parking  Covered bike parking will be available in a controlled entry room at the Waterloo Inn.  Please bring your own locks. For those of you who have registered as guests of the hotel, you will be taking your bikes to your rooms.

REMEMBER!  Hotel rooms at the preferred rate are only available until September 1!

Bike Rentals: For those of you who wish to participate in the “Mobile Workshop” on Monday may wish to rent a bike.  We are trying to make arrangements with a local provider.  If you do rent a bike, helmet and lock will be provided. Stay tuned to the website – www.sharetheroad.ca – for confirmation on this one.

Monday Dinner Monday night dinner is being held at the Center for International Governance & Innovation (CIGI – pronounced “see-gee”). This is included in your registration. We have a Hundred Mile Feast lined up, where all of the bounty comes from within 100 miles of Waterloo Region.  Catering will be provided by Gusto – and the menu is mouth-watering!  Quality Assured Craft beer from our very own Brick brewery will be available, as well as local wines. Timothy McDermott from Mountain Equipment Co-op will speak briefly.

Although CIGI is within cycling distance of the hotel, the City of Waterloo will be providing all registrants with A Grand River Transit pass in your delegate’s package!  A bus leaves the front of the Waterloo Inn travelling downtown at regular intervals.

Last but not least – the Early bird deadline for registrations and hotel accommodation is TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.  After that, rates go up!

A birthday wish - from a 13 year old

I received a great birthday wish & wanted to share it with you.  Click on the images for a better read.

Greg's Ride in support of Share the Road

When: 10:00 am, Sunday, September 20th, 2009
Where: Kelso Conservation Area* ( 5234 Kelso Road, Milton, ON, L9T 2X7). Ride begins at 10 a.m., rain or shine. Registration opens at 8:30 am  * Note venue change this year.

About the Ride

In June 2006, OPP Sgt. Greg Stobbart was hit by a truck as he rode his bike on a rural road, training for an upcoming event.  He died as a result of his injuries.  

Each year, Eleanor McMahon, Greg’s wife, has organized “Greg’s Ride” to remember Greg, to remind us all to “share the road”, and to raise funds for the cycling coalition she founded and leads, Share The Road.  This year marks the 4th year for Greg’s Ride, which has been generously supported by several sponsors, notably Racer Sportif.

By participating in Greg’s Ride, you will join fellow cyclists from all over Ontario and beyond to deliver a powerful message:  we must all work together – motorists, cyclists and pedestrians – to be aware of one another and travel safely on our roads together.  You are also supporting Share the Road, as it pursues its mission with vigour:  making Ontario “bicycle friendly for all of us, and increasing awareness of the value and the importance of safe bicycling for healthy lifestyles, a more vibrant environment and sustainable communities.  Join us!

Registration

Registration is $65.00 for all over the age of 14.  Children between 10 and 14 are free when registered and accompanied by and adult. (Up to 2 children per adult—proof of child’s age will be required on site.)  No refunds are available.

There are two ways to register.  Both are easy and will only take a couple of minutes:

1. Go to either Individual Registration  or Family Registration and register and pay online; or
2. Print the form (Individual Registration or Family Registration), complete it, and bring it with you to the ride on Sept. 20.  If you do this, payment must be in the form of cash or cheque.

PLAN TO JOIN US.

All riders are welcome!

Volunteers Meeting to be held on Tuesday, September. 15th at Mountain Equipment Coop, Burlington, From 6-9 pm!

Ontario Bike Summit - Sept 21 & 22 - Help make a difference!

Good cycling morning!

Share the Road Cycling Coalition, spearheaded by the energy & drive of Eleanor McMahon, will be hosting renowned cycling speakers from Canada and around the world in an exciting 2 day conference in Waterloo, Ontario.

There are many, many great reasons to attend but if you would like to advance the cause of cycling in Ontario & feel that Ontario should take its place as the most cycling friendly place in Canada, you should attend the conference.

For more details, you can click on the image or go to the website at www.sharetheroad.ca

I invite you to attend.
A sell-out is expected, so please register early.
If you feel like I do, that we can make Ontario the most cycling friendly province, please forward this email to the members and friends of your organization.

Weakest Link - Why aren't bike lanes placed where they are needed most?

MTO seems to follow the adage the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Your Ontario government dictates policy guidelines directing planners and engineers to “provide safe, comfortable travel for pedestrians and bicyclists.” Yet, to MTO engineers, this means business as usual when it designs and builds its highway on/off ramps.

August 10 is the day MTO opens its kimono to show city engineers what it believes the new QEW Fairview ramp access should look like.  Meeting has been delayed until September!


We urge MTO to incorporate a sharp right turn that will keep motorists on Fairview at reasonable speeds. The existing identical QEW Niagara bound ramp at Fairview works. Its safer and accident free since its construction in 1997.

MTO has indicated that no road bike lanes will be included in the design. This breaks up a continuous bike lane from the RGB to the Fairview GO Station east of Brant St. The area under the QEW is the weakest link in the bike network.

Its doesn’t make sense to put bike lanes only in areas of least resistance. Bike lanes should be placed where they are most needed! A bike lane is needed in the overpass area.

What would a motorist do if they saw this sign on Fairview or if the car lanes disappeared?

Its official! Our cycling master plan passed at council!

A thank you note to all who made it happen!

Many nameless heroes were instrumental in the city's new CMP.  From Bron, Doug, Jack & past BCC members who kept the embers glowing for years to Eleanor & Gary who ignited the recent fires and finally Leo & Tom's great team at city hall who pulled it all together.

Its an ambitious plan, visionary in scope and when implemented will position Burlington as one of Canada's most bicycle friendly cities.

Thanks, on behalf of current & future generations that will benefit from a healthier lifestyle, better quality of life, less congestion (as more opt to cycle or use active transport rather than cars) a better environment and much safer cycling in Burlington.

One bike = 1 LESS car & saves taxpayers $$$ too!

Although I've repeated the above mantra many times, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Burlington replaced 2 parking spots in the Locust Street garage with 33 bike racks. You've read that correctly. 33 bikes can be parked in space previously reserved for 2 cars!

In a case of having our cake and eating it too, the bike racks were funded by Metrolinx, the Ontario government body that looks after GO. Imagine! Imagine the space and $$$ we'd save at the GO stations if more people felt safe enough to bike to GO rather than drive. Imagine the # of fewer cars on city roads.

Check out the video monitored bike racks at the Locust St. parking garage. Next time, ride your bike downtown.

MEC Bikefest Burlington

MEC Bikefest Burlington presented by Mountain Equipment Co-op will offer a full day of courses, seminars, speakers, demonstrations, and kid specific activities.

JOIN US FOR A CYCLING CELEBRATION
Sunday, July 12, 11:00am – 4:00 pm Spencer Smith Park, Burlington
Free CLINICS............................. Please bring your bike

BIKE FITTING & SETUP.............................. BIKE MAINTENANCE
TIRE SELECTION & REPAIR ..........RIDING TECHNIQUE – ROAD & MOUNTAIN
Free COURSES - please register in store - limit 12 participants each session
WOMEN’S BEGINNER MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS
SESSION l 11am – 1pm .......................SESSION ll 2pm – 4pm

Free Bike Corral - we watch your bike while you attend the festival