Welcome to Cyclometer, a monthly newsletter to keep cyclists informed about cycling issues and programs in the City of Toronto.
CONTENTS:
1)
The City of Toronto’s 17th Annual Bike Week - Monday, May 29th to Sunday, June 11th
“Ride your bicycle to work!”
The City of Toronto would like to invite you to participate in Bike Week 2006 and attend one or more of the following events:
May 25th to June 1st
Bicycle Art Show
The Art Bar @ The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St. W.)
Together the City of Toronto, the Community Bicycle Network and the Gladstone Hotel bring bicycle art to Queen St. W. just in time for Bike Week. Stop by this exhibition during the week and come back for the official reception on Monday, May 29th at 7pm. This event would not have been possible without the support of the Gladstone Hotel. www.toronto.ca/cycling, 416-392-7592
Sunday May 28th
High Park Classic
1 to 7pm @ High Park
There will be races for people of all ages and abilities, and it will be a great event to come out and watch. Drop by the Community Information Area for ideas on how to integrate cycling into your life, be it by racing, commuting, or just leisurely riding on weekends! This race brought to you by ZM Cycle and Fitness Ltd., and the City of Toronto. 416-652-0080.
Monday May 29th
17th Annual Group Commute & Free Pancake Breakfast
Hosted by the Toronto Cycling Committee
8 a.m. @ the s/w corner of Bloor & Yonge
Participate in the City of Toronto’s marquee Bike Week event by meeting at Yonge & Bloor for a ride down to Nathan Phillips Squarefor a free breakfast at 8:30 a.m. If you can’t take part in the ride, please still join us for breakfast!
Monday May 29th
Breakfast & Lunchtime Cycling Festival
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. @ Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall
Come and find out what Toronto’s thriving bicycle culture has to offer at this interactive celebration of the city’s cycling community. Bring your lunch and visit with various community organizations while you enjoy entertainment and free cycling seminars.
Tuesday May 30th
Etobicoke Civic Centre Bike to Work Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. @ Etobicoke Civic Centre (399 The West Mall)
Meet us out front of the Etobicoke Civic Centre for a free breakfast to thank and encourage people who cycle to work. There will be food and beverages available for commuters, as well as demonstrations on how to deal with large trucks.
Wednesday May 31st
North York Civic Centre Bike to Work Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. Mel Lastman Square (5100 Yonge Street)
This breakfast will be held at Mel Lastman Square as a way to thank cyclists who ride to work and encourage more ridership. Come and learn about the City of Toronto Smart Commute Pilot and find out how easy it is to reduce vehicle trips to work, and check out the new employee underground bike parking.
Wednesday May 31st
Trail Building Workshop
6 to 8 p.m. @ Crother’s Woods, Don Valley Trail System
(Meet at 21 Redway Rd. Entrance through southeast corner of the parking lot.)
Join the City of Toronto Trail Ambassadors, and staff from Natural Environment, Parks Forestry and Recreation, for an evening of sustainable trail building.
Thursday June 1st
Scarborough Civic Centre Bike to Work Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. @ Scarborough Civic Centre Square (150 Borough Drive)
This event is a breakfast held to thank and encourage people to cycle to work. There will be food and beverages available for commuters to take advantage of, as well as cycling-related information, and entertainment.
Friday June 2nd
East York Civic Center Bike to Work Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. @ East York Civic Centre (850 Coxwell Ave.)
Breakfast will be served to thank all the dedicated cyclists who ride their bikes to work. All are welcome to stop by the East York Civic Centre for commuter tips and demonstrations on how to cycle safely with large trucks. Information will also
be available on the City of Toronto’s Bicycle Locker Program.
For more information:
Call 416-392-7592, e-mail bikeweek@toronto.ca
or visit www.toronto.ca/cycling.
And watch for the Bike Week calendar at your local bike store or community centre!
Thank you to our sponsors:
Lead Corporate Funding Sponsor: Ontario Power Generation; Funding Sponsor: Municipal Parking; Official Television Sponsor: Citytv; Official Print Sponsor: NOW; Media Sponsors: 89.5 ciut - Toronto Community - News Pedal; Partners: Bell - St. Lawrence Market - GetOutThere Magazine - So Nice Organic Soymilk.
2)
Bike Racks on Buses pilot project ends soon - have your say
This coming June will mark the end of the Toronto Transit Commission’s Rack It and Rocket pilot project – a project that has placed bicycle racks on the front of city buses on 5 routes (+ 2 all-night routes). Would you like to tell the TTC what you think about this project and its future? Visit the TTC website at www.ttc.ca and fill out an online survey. You can also contact your local councillor and tell them what you think.
3)
Becel Ride for Heart – Sunday June 4
The Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart is Canada’s largest cycling and in-line skating event that takes place in Toronto on the DVP on Sunday June 4. Join more than 13,000 people to help raise vital funds for life-saving research. This year, help the Foundation reach their goal of $2.15 million by riding solo or putting together a team of family and/or friends. Get your company involved by taking the corporate challenge! Details on how to register, raise funds and win amazing prizes are available at www.heartandstroke.com and visit the ‘events’ section on the left side. City of Toronto Bike Maps and 2006 CAN-BIKE schedules will be included in the participant packages.
4)
Bike to CAP AIDS Bike-a-Thon – Saturday June 10
It's Bike-a-Thon time again. This year the Bike to CAP AIDS Bike-a-Thon is taking place on Saturday June 10th. If you are in the Toronto or Vancouver area you can sign up to participate at www.capaids.org.
If you are not in the Toronto or Vancouver area, or if you are busy on June 10th, you can still support the Bike-a-Thon through sponsorship.
For every $200 raised though the Bike-a-Thon a bicycle will be put into the hands of an HIV/AIDS worker in Africa. Bikes might seem like an odd tool to fight AIDS in Africa, but lack of transportation and the remote location of many villages is a major hurdle in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Bicycles make remote villages much more accessible, allowing the dedicated people working on the front lines in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa to provide HIV/AIDS prevention, support and care services to many more of the millions who need it.
5)
Request for Volunteers - 2006 Waterfront Trail Signage Audit
This summer the Waterfront Regeneration Trust will be conducting a signage audit along the route of the Waterfront Trail (all 650kms!). We are looking for some enthusiastic cyclists work in pairs (or more) to ride a selected length of trail and:
1. Identify and report deficiencies in the existing Trail signage
2. Ground.truth the Trail route against the web.maps and identify and report any discrepancies.
To qualify, please have access to the internet (for reporting the deficiencies to the Trust afterwards) and be available to attend a brief orientation session in your area. Some of the rides will begin in May/June – but can be flexible.
If you are interested in participating please contact Nikki Rendle, Project Manager at nr@wrtrust.com or call the Trust office at 416-943-8080.
6)
A BUG in your community – meet your neighbours who cycle!
Sparked by the redevelopment of St. Clair West, the St. Clair Bicycle Users Group was formed in 2004 to take advantage of this opportunity to promote safer and saner cycling in our area. The St. Clair BUG worked quickly to develop a partnership with local City Councillors.
The very heart of the St. Clair BUG is our email listserv -- this low maintenance effort allows us to share information with interested cyclists, including the Toronto-wide BUG events and other cycling groups across the City. Recently, the St. Clair BUG held an outreach effort at Joe Mihevc’s Environment Day and now boasts a membership of 70 local cyclists.
With a small core of active members time commitment is minimal – meetings are kept to an absolute minimum, actions are only taken on issues where the St. Clair BUG believes that we can have a high impact with targeted effort. An example of this approach was a recent effort by a BUG member to flag the issue of location of “sidewalk furniture” and bicycle safety. A quick e-mail to Councillor Mihevc led to further connection with the appropriate city employees working on this issue.
Other key areas of concentration included developing a cycling map of our area which includes areas of bicycling concern as well are recommended bike paths. We have had input on City wide cycling initiatives and with the help of Joe Mihevc the City is now considering a new bike lane on Vaughan Rd.
The keys to the St. Clair BUG have been – a love of cycling, strategic use of time, targeted efforts, relationship development with key leaders, and a willingness to take action to make life better for others in our community.
All in all, the St. Clair BUG has really maximized impact and still managed to give members lots of time to concentrate on the real reason we participate – getting out on the roads and cycling. Enjoy the ride!
If anyone would like information on starting a ward-based bug in their neighbourhood, or would like to join the St. Clair West BUG, please email st-clair-bug@respect.to
7)
Cycling Safety Packages going to 31,000 Grade 4 students
Grade 4 students and their parents/guardians in both the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board will be receiving a Cycling Safety Package in the near future. The package contains the following safety information:
2006 CAN-BIKE schedule with safety tips
"Watch for Bikes" sticker and card for the drivers side mirror
Ministry of Transportation Cyclng Skills Booklet
Safety Quiz and letter to parent/guardians
This project is presented by the City of Toronto Planning and Public Health Departments, the Ministry of Transportation and Transport Canada's Moving on Sustainable Transportation.
8)
Ahead in the Bike Lane
Toronto Cycling Committee
Monday, May 15, 2006, 7:00 p.m., Committee Room 2, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West.
Bikeway Network Subcommittee
Wednesday, May 24, 2006, 7:00 p.m., Committee Room 3, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West.
Promotions Subcommittee
Wednesday, May 17, 2006, 7:30 p.m., Committee Room 3, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West;
Cycling and Transit Working Group
Tuesday, May 9, 2006, 6:30 p.m., Committee Room 3, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West;
Upcoming CAN-BIKE Courses:
For details visit www.toronto.ca/cycling/canbike or call 416-392-1311.
Saturday May 20
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
10-1 pm, Trinity Bellwoods
2-5 pm, Trinity Bellwoods
Sunday May 21
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
9-12 pm, Oriole
1-4 pm, Oriole
2 -5 pm, Etobicoke
Wednesday May 24
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
6-9pm, Trinity Bellwoods
Saturday May 27
Kids CAN-BIKE
9-1pm or 2-6pm, Birchmount
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
9-12 pm James S. Bell
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 2
1-4 pm, James S Bell
Sunday May 28
CAN-BIKE Cycling Freedom for Women
10-4 pm, Centennial
Saturday June 3
Kids CAN-BIKE
8:30-12:30pm, Etobicoke
1:30-5:30pm, Etobicoke
Sunday June 4
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
9-12pm, Oriole
10-1pm, Birchmount
1-4pm, Oriole
2-5pm, Birchmount
CAN-BIKE Cycling Freedom for Women
9:30-3:30pm, High Park
Saturday June 10
CAN-BIKE Instructor Workshop, 9:30am-4:30pm, Exhibition Place (CAN-BIKE 2 pre-requisite) Join the team of CAN-BIKE instructors at $18.41 - $20.32/hr. Four-day course.
Kids CAN-BIKE
9:30-3:30pm, High Park
CAN-BIKE 1
9-3pm, Centennial
CAN-BIKE Cycling Freedom for Women
1-5pm, Agincourt
Sunday June 11
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
10-1pm, Etobicoke
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 2
2-5pm, Etobicoke
Thursday June 15
CAN-BIKE Adult Learn to Ride 1
6-9pm, Trinity Bellwoods
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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