Issue # 140 April 2008

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

CONTENTS:

1) Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee meeting, Monday,
April 14, 7 p.m.

The Agenda is as follows:

1. Toronto Police Service - Bikes and Wheel Sport Safety Campaign
   (Presentation - 7 p.m. to 7:20 p.m.)
   Traffic Services, Toronto Police Service, will provide an update regarding their upcoming Bikes and Wheel Sport Safety Campaign.



2. Toronto Bike Plan Update
   (7:20 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.)
   Communication (April 3, 2008) from the Manager, Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure, Transportation Services Division, providing an update on Toronto Bike Plan programs and initiatives.



3. Avenues of Communication Available to Members of the Public to Connect with the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee
   (7:40 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.)
   A. how to make the Cycling webpage more accessible to members of the public.



4. Winter Snow Removal on Bicycle Lanes
   (7:50 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
   The Chair, at the TCAC meeting on March 17, 2008, requested Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee members to provide a listing at the next Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee meeting on April 14, 2008, of key priority bike lanes that, in their opinion, should be kept clear of snow.
   The purpose of the lists from the members will be to prepare one final list and request that appropriate funding be allocated in the 2008/2009 Transportation Services Division Operating Budget, snow clearing operations, to ensure that the identified priority bike lanes are kept clear of snow during 2008/2009 snow season.
   TCAC Members provided the following list of key priority bike lanes for consideration:
   1. Harbord Street;
   2. St. George Street/Beverley Street;
   3. Davenport Road/ Dupont Street;
   4. Sherbourne Street; and
   5. Lakeshore Bike Path from the Beaches to downtown Toronto.
   4(a). E-mail communication (March 17, 2008) from Kelly Carmichael, Co-Chair, East Toronto Community Coalition, requesting the TCAC to consider including the Lakeshore Bike Lane on the list of key priority bike lanes for winter snow removal.



5. Holding a Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee at the North York Civic Centre
   (8:00 p.m. to 8:05 p.m.)



6. Cycling and Transit Working Group
   (8:05 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.)
   Members of the Cycling and Transit Working Group will provide an oral update to the TCAC.



7. Toronto Urban Renewal Network (TURN) - South Kingsway-The Queensway Interchange (SKQI) Cycling Issues
   (8:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

Meeting is in Committee Room 2 at City Hall (100 Queen Street West) at 7 p.m. as always.

2) Cycling Advocacy Workshop by Toronto Cyclists Union

Sunday, April 13 - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall (Queen & Bay)

Learn how to improve cycling conditions in your Ward. Become a positive force of change. Learn political process and leadership. Learn about about navigation strategies through political processes, get public speaking and media coaching, and learn how to get local volunteers, book meeting rooms and host meetings.

Community leaders will also share their secrets of success, and City Council Members will share their valuable inside knowledge of how to influence your local politician. Free. All welcome.

Speakers include:

• Albert Koehl, Bells on Bloor
• Eleanor McMahon, Share The Road Cycling Coalition
• Fred Stzabinski, TCAT
• Jake Alderdice, Dundas EAST
• Joe Mihevic, City Councillor
• Gord Perks, City Councillor
• Katrina Miller, TEA
• Martin Koob, biketoronto.ca
• Patrick Brown
• Sean Meagher, Public Interest
• Shamez Amlani, Streets are for People
• Shannon Thompson, Greenest City
• Tammy Thorne
• Usman Valiante, BTAC

3) Annette Bicycle Lanes public meeting, April 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

You're invited to a Public Open House to review and provide comments on a proposal to install bicycle lanes on Annette Street between Jane Street and Dundas Street West. This is part of a 3.5 kilometre east-west bikeway planned for installation this summer. The Public Open House will take place on Thursday, April 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Annette Recreation Centre, 333 Annette Street. If you are unable to attend the Public Open House but would like to provide us with your comments, you can email them to bikeplan@toronto.ca or fax to 416-392-4808.

4) Toronto Bike Summit 2008, April 25 @ St Lawrence Hall

Leading international bicycle transportation experts to discuss policies to encourage cycling.

On Friday April 25, join leading transportation thinkers, practitioners and decision-makers at Bike Summit 2008. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT) and the Clean Air Partnership (CAP) are hosting this unique one-day summit. The event will feature presentations by leading international bicycle transportation experts on strategies to encourage cycling, case studies of bike lane designs from around the world, and best practices for bicycle transportation funding and planning in both urban and suburban contexts.

Fred Sztabinski, Project Coordinator, Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT), 416-392-0290, info@torontocat.ca. Or visit TCAT's website at www.torontocat.ca/main/bikesummit2008

5) Extension of Provincial Tax Relief on bikes

Ontario's latest provincial budget features a two year extension of the tax holiday on bikes, introduced last December. Bikes that cost less than $1,000, bike helmets and select bike safety equipment are now exempt from the Ontario Provincial Sales Tax (8% PST) until December 31, 2010.

6) The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure! July 4-11, 2008

1st Annual Amazing End to End Bike Tour of Covering 680 km of waterfront and 41 communities over 8 days. July 4-11, 2008

Participate in our first-ever organized end-to-end bike tour of the Waterfront Trail.

• Nail the whole 680 km route in 8 days
• join in for an overnight
• or do a day ride you'll never forget

Every single day of this fully supported tour includes the WOW Factor - Wonderful Ontario Waterfront communities and parks along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Sign up as a single, a family or a group. You can even ride as a relay with each member of your group doing a different leg of the trip.

Find out more at www.waterfronttrail.org.

7) CAN-BIKE News (x3)

The camp that keeps on giving and getting!

The City of Toronto Kids CAN-BIKE Camp won the 2007 Parks and Recreation Ontario Award of Excellence. This award honours the camp for demonstrating new innovative activities and programs advancement of sport, recreation and leisure. Last year 80 kids took part in the camp at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre and perfected their bike safety skills. Generous sponsorship provided every kid with a new fully equipped bike, helmet,lock, back-pack and reflective safety sash. Kids are registered through community agency partners only. Learn more about the camp.

Start Commuting With CAN-BIKE! Registration is now open.

Does commuting to work or school seem like an impossible expectation? Ever come close to getting the ?door-prize? or had to swerve around a right turning car? If you have ever second-guessed yourself in a challenging situation, have never been on a bike at all, or wondered how thousands of people save money on rising fuel costs, help the environment, stay fit and have fun doing it, CAN-BIKE has the course for you. Learn more or call 416-392-1311.

Ontario Trucking Association - Bikes and Trucks sharing roads!

As part of the Truck Awareness Campaign, a cycling safety session was conducted for the Road Knights Team by the Bicycle Safety Planner, Barb Wentworth. The OTA Road Knights Team is a group of 10 professional transport drivers with first class driving records who make presentations on how car and truck drivers can safely share the road. The team's mission is to help make our roadways safer by encouraging all road users to be partners in safety. The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) oversees the OTA Road Knights program.

8) Fire at Wallace Emerson BMX Park

Friday night, March 21, there was a fire at the south end of the area where the BMX Jam ramps are being stored after the Toronto BMX Jam. Unfortunately, this was the area where 3 of the corners from the bowl were located so all 3 of those corners plus 2 x 3 foot quarters have been lost, including the left hand side of the grind box and some tables. Few details yet as to who caused it, but judging from the amount consumed by the fire, it must have been a bit of a raging inferno for a while. Someone noticed and called Fire Services - who did a tremendous job of ensuring that the fire was contained and the rest of the ramps were spared.

A re-building process is in the works and the BMX park should be up and running soon at its original size.

9) Community Bicycle Network Bike Swap

Sunday, April 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the side of Mountain Equipment Co-op - 400 King Street West (one block east of Spadina)

Donate your old bikes and buy a new pre-loved one.

Got some dust-gathering bikes in your garage? Donate them to use and "swap" them for a selection of fixed-up, recycled bikes that will be sold.

We will also need volunteers to help with receiving bikes, getting them ready for shipping to CBN and so on. Food will be provided! Please send an e-mail to info@communitybicyclenetwork.org if you are available for part of the time. No consignment sales.

Your donated bikes will go towards supporting CBN's bike recycling and mechanic education programs, a portion of which is donated towards people with various disadvantages. The Community Bicycle Network is a non-profit whose mission is to provide education and recycled bikes to the community.

Please contact CBN at info@communitybicyclenetwork.org.

10) ZM Zig Zag-by-the-Lake, Bike Race at Marilyn Bell
Park April 27

Sunday, April 27, will feature the second edition of the criterium race along the Lakeshore just south of the CNE and west of Ontario Place. A fine bit of spectator cycle sport in the park on a Sunday. There will be races for all classes:

• M3/Sr 4 Men 8:30 40 mn+3 laps
• Cadet Men/Women 8:31 40 mn+3 laps
• Master Women 8:31 40 mn+3 laps
• Senior 3 Men 9:30 45 mn+3 laps
• Junior Men/Women 9:31 45 mn+3 laps
• Senior 3 Women 9:31 45 mn+3 laps
• Master 2 Men 10:45 60 mn+3 laps
• M2/Elite/S1 Women 10:46 60 mn+3 laps
• Kids Race 12:00 1 to 3 laps
• Service 12:15 40 mn+1 lap
  (police/fire/ambulance/army)
• Master 1 Men 1:30 90 mn+3 laps
• Elite 1/2 Men 3:00 105 mn+3 laps

Go to www.ontariocycling.org to register for competition or call Ziggy at 416-652-0080.

11) Ahead in the Bike Lane:

1. Toronto Cyclists Union Advocacy Workshop Sunday, April 13 @ City Hall 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
2. Cycling Committee meeting Monday, April 14 @ City Hall 7 p.m., Committee Room 2
3. Public meeting, Annette Street Bike Lanes Thursday, April 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 333 Annette Street
4. Community Bicycle Network Bike Swap, Sunday 20 April 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 400 King Street West/Charlotte
5. Bike Summit, Friday, April 25, all day @ St Lawrence Hall, 157 King Street East
6. ZM Zig Zag-by-the-Lake Sunday April 27 @ Marilyn Bell Park, 8:30-4:30
7. Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Group Ride July 4-11

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.

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