Welcome to Cyclometer, a monthly newsletter to keep cyclists informed about cycling issues and programs in the City of Toronto.

CONTENTS:

1) Special Toronto Cycling Committee meeting - Monday August 22, 2005, 6:00 p.m.
2) Bicycle Festival: Tips and Talks for Toronto Cyclists - Friday, August 12, 2005, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
3) I used the Bike Rack on the Dufferin St bus
4) Bicycle Friendly Business Awards Nominations deadline is Sept. 9, 2005
5) Bike lanes open in Leaside Bridge construction area
6) Storm damage in Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek Park
7) Trail Improvements complete (Eastern Beaches and Marilyn Bell Park)
8) BUG Membership Drive and Party
9) New BUGs in the City
10) NHTSA Publishes Helmet Law Study
11) Ahead in the Bike Lane (including CAN-BIKE courses)

1) Special Toronto Cycling Committee meeting - Monday August 22, 2005

The purpose of the meeting is to review the 2006 budget submissions through Transportation Services Division, Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division and City Planning Division, for the Toronto Cycling Committee programs.

2) Bicycle Festival: Tips and Talks for Toronto Cyclists

Date: Friday, August 12, 2005
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall, 100 Queen St. W.

Join the Cycling Ambassadors for a showcase of the programs they deliver across Toronto to encourage cycling and promote cycling safety in the city. Cyclists and non-cyclists alike are invited to attend this educational event put on by the City of Toronto Cycling Ambassadors on Friday, August 12th in Nathan Phillips Square from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with a one hour "Lunch and Learn" at 12:00 noon.

The Ambassadors will be engaging the public with five interactive information booths that showcase some of the programs they deliver. These will include:

Locking Your Bicycle - Tips and demonstrations on how to safely secure your bicycle to reduce the risk of theft. Various types of locks and locking systems will be explained and available for testing.

Cycling and Transit - For those who haven't used the new bike racks on TTC buses or just want a little practice loading and unloading before they try the real thing, the Ambassadors will have a rack available for demonstration.

Off-road Assistance Safety Information Stop (OASIS) - OASIS are setup on the sides of trails to educate users on trail etiquette and safety. A new feature of the OASIS debuting at this event is a bike cleaning station.

Cycling Safety - As always, the Ambassadors will be checking helmets for proper fit and giving general tips on hot weather riding and other safety concerns. A large truck will be parked at the square so that cyclists can appreciate the traffic dynamics involved with safely sharing the road with large vehicles. In addition, cyclists concerned with riding in traffic can learn about the CAN-BIKE cycling courses which increase self-confidence and riding skills for all levels.

Bicycle Friendly Business Awards (BFBA) - The city is now accepting nominations for the 2005 instalment of the BFBAs. Find out what makes a business bicycle-friendly and pick up your nomination forms.

There will also be tasty giveaways - so come on out and join the City of Toronto Cycling Ambassadors for a day of helpful bike tips to get you rolling!

3) I used the Bike Rack on the Dufferin St bus

I'm at St. Clair and Oakwood and I'm late! And it's 31 degrees! And it's a smog alert day! And I'm dressed in business clothes!!... Luckily, I'm really close to Dufferin St. and know that there is a bike rack on that bus. I ride over and I don't have to wait long for a bus. I follow the instructions on the rack and pull the rack out and load my bike. It's fast and easy. I get on the bus and have a nice chat with the driver. I get to Exhibition Place on time, and I'm cool and refreshed. I highly recommend that you use the bike racks during the pilot project. Check out the map to see if it's an option for you: www3.ttc.ca/Routes/General_Information/Maps/index.jsp

4) Bicycle Friendly Business Awards Nominations deadline is Sept. 9, 2005

Nominate a business that supports or promotes cycling! The Bicycle Friendly Business Awards are presented annually by the City of Toronto to recognize businesses, organizations and associations that demonstrate leadership in the encouragement and promotion of cycling. Businesses that promote cycling to their customers and/or staff, help the City to achieve the goal of the Toronto Bike Plan: to double the number of bicycle trips made in the city by 2011. Criteria that can make a business bicycle-friendly include secure/monitored bicycle parking; employee training in bike safety and mechanics; shower and change facilities; and many more.

The BFBA award categories are:

1. Best Bike Parking Award
2. Bicycle Commute Award
3. Bicycle Friendliest Suburban Business Award
4. Best Small Business Award
5. Best Large Business Award
6. Best Skills Development Award
7. Best Overall Award

5) Bike lanes open in Leaside Bridge construction area

The Leaside Bridge, which connects Millwood Road to Pape/Donlands Avenues across the Don Valley, is under construction. The centre lanes of traffic are now in use and the bike lane is open in both directions.

6) Storm damage in Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek Park

Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek Park took a hard hit from the localized "downburst" storm on the evening of July 3. Two bridges were damaged beyond repair in the Gardens. One bridge just south of the Gardens in Wilket Creek Park, on the TJ Bata Trail, had to be closed and had barriers erected, due to severe erosion that caused a sink hole type effect in the asphalt on the south side of the bridge. The eroded portion of the trail at the bridge was backfilled with granular material, graded and compacted by Fri July 22. The barriers were removed, and the Trail was again open. Replacement of the asphalt at the bridge and other areas along the trail will cause intermittent delays within the next few weeks. Please take extra care when riding the TJ Bata Trail as repair crews and equipment may be around that next curve.

7) Trail Improvements complete (Eastern Beaches and Marilyn Bell Park)

Both the 2.25 km Eastern Beaches Martin Goodman trail improvements and the 0.6 km Marilyn Bell Park trail improvements are complete. All users will find the trail enhanced with an improved surface and width. There are some areas of sod that did not have a chance to get established during the drought and heat wave so they will be replaced in the late fall of 2005.

8) BUG Membership Drive and Party

On Wednesday, June 8th the City of Toronto and the BUG Network hosted their first ever Membership Drive and Party. The historic setting of beautiful St. Lawrence Hall was a perfect space for various display tables, audio-visual presentations and a long table of delicious h?ors d?oeuvres. Cyclists also enjoyed Bike Valet Parking provided by the Toronto Cycling Ambassadors as well as a little friendly competition on two fixed-gear stationary bikes from Goldsprints. With delicious food in their bellies and new-found connections with other cyclists in the city, guests were treated to speeches by BUG members on various on-going projects and initiatives. From these positive examples we hope to inspire many more Torontonians to join the BUG Network and use its many resources to further urban cycling initiatives for years to come!

9) New BUGs in the City

The BUG Network is proud to announce the formation of seven new BUGs already this summer! We are welcoming Earthday Canada, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, Hewlett Packard Canada, the UofT Bicycle Choppers, Hoof & Cycle-Active Transport Workers Guild, Bike Aware, and Bike Chain to our quickly growing network of recreational and commuter cyclists in the City. These new groups have raised the number of existing BUGs in the City to Seventy-Nine, a number that is set to continue growing as word of the various BUG projects and initiatives spreads. Some current projects include; improving bike parking for BUG commuter groups across the City, distributing the BUG Commuter Tips video to all BUGs as well as posting it on the web for all to see, various safe commuting lunch seminars, Toronto Cycling Ambassador personal escorts to work for BUG members, and plans for the development of another informative BUG video. Stay tuned to www.toronto.ca/bug/index.htm for many more up-and-coming BUG Network events.

10) NHTSA Publishes Helmet Law Study

(reprinted from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, The Helmet Update, Vol. 23, #4 -- August 3, 2005)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States has just put up on its Web site a new 219 page study of bicycle helmet laws.

The study was done by independent researcher Carol Stroebel. She examined six communities where helmet laws of various kinds had been passed, including one where it was subsequently repealed. The study analyzes the findings in twenty pithy pages titled Analysis, providing acres of detail if you need it. Some of the themes that emerge:

• The major stakeholders in enacting a law are usually emergency medicine professionals, pediatricians, and a coalition focused on children's safety, injury prevention, or bicycling and bicycle safety.
• The bicycling community has been divided at times on this issue; and law enforcement, though usually not deeply involved, may have a "make or break" role;
• Typically, few citations are issued under these laws and they are not a priority for enforcement agencies;
• Even though the laws may be little enforced, they are seen as valuable leverage (especially for parents) for increasing bicycle helmet use;
• The evolving role of bicycling and the bicycling community in the changing transportation mix will influence the strategies, issues and constituents involved in future bicycle safety efforts.

11) Ahead in the Bike Lane (including CAN-BIKE courses)

The City has a vision for cycling in Toronto and wants you involved in making it happen. Cyclometer is a subscription service of the City of Toronto.

The first issue of Cyclometer went out on November 24, 1989. Now, as then, we hope that, like its namesake, Cyclometer will show you how far we've come, how fast we're going, and maybe how much pedalling we have yet to do. So get on board and get involved. Your support is important.

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