Predictions for 2007

1. Cyclists become more organized, strike.
2. Mayor Miller forgets about cycling.
3. TTC fares increase to $2.75 per trip. Sorry that should be $3., an increase of almost 3 times the rate of inflation.
4. PS Kennsington becomes permanent.
5. Major accident on Gardiner causes structural damage therefore closure.
6. 5 kms of bike lanes created.
7. Case Ootes succeeds in removing Cosburn bike lanes.
8. Gas averages $1.30/L throughout the year, with highs approaching $2.
9. 65 people killed by cars in Toronto.
10. Worst year for pollution in the last 10.

You Suck 2!

The race is on ... (Lippincott Street)

Memories

Someone posted a link to this in the comments for "Drifter". Anyone remember these or am I dating myself. I do not think I had one but always envied anyone that did. Borrowed it as much as I could.

Drifter

101 Reasons To Love Bikes

Toronto :: City of Bicycles

Raise a bike for the New Year

Critical Mass is this Friday December 29th at 6pm. Meet at the southeast corner of Bloor and Spadina.

Best 2006 quote

Lutz (vice-chairman of GM), a long-time critic of government fuel economy
regulations, compared the attempt to force carmakers to sell smaller
vehicles to "fighting the nation's obesity problem by forcing clothing
manufacturers to sell garments only in small sizes."

Here is a pic of the world's largest SUV. None spotted in Toronto yet and no it is not a GM product.

Are cars too safe?

On Christmas Day I was returning from Brampton via the motor vehicle. On the 401 I began to wonder how so many jack asses are still wandering this planet. It was raining and visibility at times restricted. It did not stop yahoos from tailgating or pretending they were in the Indy 500. Cars have gotten so "safe" that people think they can go full blast without a care in the world.

When I got home I read a timely story about a crash on the 400. A racing BMW rammed a SUV in the back at 200kmh. The occupants in the SUV were slightly injured and the arrested BMW driver not at all. How typical, the yahoos never get what they deserve. It is always the people that are just going about their business that are injured or killed- whether it be a taxi driver trying to eek out a living or a child using a crosswalk. Examples of two people killed by jerk offs this year.

It is high time that all of the safety equipment is removed from cars. Take away the ABS brakes, windshields, seatbelts, etc, etc. The streets would be a safer place.

Despite all of this safety equipment, the kill rate continues to climb. Drivers believe they are so indestructible that they take too many chances. The result being if drivers cannot kill themselves they end up killing more pedestrians and cyclists.

Still up in the hair.

Rumours abound that Bike Share might be saved. Who knows in what form? Here is Tino with a little more hair.

See you in the New Year ...

Thanks to all of you who ride.

Photo by Wendy Lucas

One more photo I loved in 2006

Photo by Steeker

Again by popular request

Boards & Bladers

As found on College at Bellevue.

The Zero Gang

You suck.

It's Official

Dec 19, 2006. For more information contact Maogosha Pyjor 416-504-2918.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A good project comes to a sad end.

It is with regret that I am writing to tell you that, after six years of award-winning programming and service, the Community Bicycle Network's beloved BikeShare program will not be operating during the 2007 season due to a lack of funding.

While we will not be able to deliver the program, the Community Bicycle Network continues to explore opportunities that may allow some form of bike-lending program to continue next year.

We are extremely proud of the BikeShare program and this year's highlights include:
• Receiving the 2006 Bicycle Friendly Business Award from the City of Toronto in the Best Overall category.
• Signing up member number 2000.
• Being featured at the Car Free Cities Conference in Bogota, Colombia where participants from across the Americas and Europe learned about the program.
• Media coverage in Green Living Magazine, EYE, NOW, and 24 Hours and CBC Metro Morning Show.
• BikeShare Mechanic, John Hanje, acted as a consultant for a bicycle ride and repair feature for OWL magazine.
• Continuing to be contacted by communities and groups across North America most recently: New Haven, Connecticut and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; University of Saskatchewan; Cornell University and St. Christopher’s House in Toronto.

Bike lending programs in North America are new and unique experiments in providing real transportation alternatives for real people. BikeShare was Canada's largest and longest-running project of this kind and this program's experience can be built on and learned from. Running a successful community-based bike-lending program is dependent on the participation, support and buy-in of the partners it works with and clients it serves. It also requires constant evaluation and innovation. In recognition of this, early in 2007, CBN will be consulting with BikeShare stakeholders in order to explore options for the future of community-based bike programming in Toronto

We are profoundly grateful to our volunteers, BikeShare hub locations, members and sponsors whose time, support and generosity have made BikeShare possible for the past six years. These contributions put Toronto on the map in delivering quality community-based sustainable transportation.

While this is a difficult step for CBN, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate BikeShare’s six years of phenomenal success and to thank everyone who participated in its success.

Original vs. Spoof (Pushbike Song)

1930 Bike Art

I'm about to run a contest on my Unknown Toronto site relating to this pic so I won't say where it's from just yet, but I thought it was an awfully nice piece of Toronto bike art that I would like to share. Merry Christmas!
-Sarah

The Big Wheelie On College

Dude did a wheelie all the way from Augusta to Spadina! Nice.

To help you this Christmas...

BLD is providing you a link to help you with a serious need. 90% of Torontonians will struggle with this right up to Boxing Day. Some will even get beaten up over it. Some cry. Help is here.

For those of you downtown, this link will help you practice before you head out.
Practice here. This is what happens if you are bad at it.

Traffic Calming Toronto Style

Mandatory helmet legislation to be tabled today

Helmets proposed for adult bike riders
Via Waterloo Record

"Adults across Ontario will be forced to wear helmets while cycling if Kitchener Liberal MPP John Milloy has his way. Milloy plans to introduce a motion today in the provincial legislature that would make helmets mandatory for everyone biking on Ontario roads.

"Accidents don't discriminate on the basis of age, so why should our laws discriminate?" Milloy asked at a news conference yesterday in Kitchener. In 1995, Ontario passed a law requiring everyone under 18 to wear a helmet while cycling on roads or sidewalks.

Milloy's motion asks the Liberal government to repeal the legislation that makes those 18 and over exempt from the helmet law. It also asks the government to consider making helmets mandatory for people on inline skates, skateboards and scooters.

Finally, it asks the ministries of health promotion and transportation to ensure sufficient safety education for those using the recreational devices."

Now, before you get all excited about how great and necessary helmets are please listen to this !

Me, I just wanna ride my bike ...whee!! The Photo above is from Europe where everyone wears a helmet.

Sun and grass

Photo by Wes

The Chase

The King of Bike Messengers (NYC)

Lots of close calls and he even has time to feed the fish.
Wow.

Bike photos by others I like a lot

Bike Sign by Kevin McBride,

Fluorescent Bike by Sandy Plotnikoff

If you have one that you're proud of send it to me: tino[ at ]tino.ca
I'll post the ones I like best! Cheers

Bike Friday Wins Enviro Award

Minister Cannon congratulates Bike Friday on first anniversary and efforts to reduce smog and greenhouse gases

OTTAWA, Nov. 23 /CNW Telbec/
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today extended his congratulations to Biking Toronto on the first anniversary of the launch of Bike Friday, a web-based bike commute matching service. The service is designed to help commuters in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) find bike commute matches.
To date, the Bike Friday Initiative has yielded real results in the GTA. About 100 cars a day were taken off the roads over the last year thanks to this initiative. In addition to easing traffic congestion and noise, some 300 tons of greenhouse gases were eliminated from the environment.
"I congratulate Biking Toronto for the success of its Bike Friday as we mark the first anniversary of the innitiative," said Minister Cannon. "Canada's New Government continues to support projects that represent real action towards reducing both air pollution and greenhouse gases to protect the health of Canadians and the environment."
Bike Friday is a service under the Biking Toronto Initiative, part of the Urban Transportation Showcase Program, a five-year program created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in Canadian cities. Transport Canada has committed $2.5 million to Biking Toronto. This is one of eight municipal projects across the country to receive funds from Transport Canada.
Bike Friday, accessed from the www.bikingtoronto.com/bikefriday website was built in partnership with Toronto cyclists. The bike commute matching service acts as a searchable database and serves a 50-kilometre radius from
downtown Toronto across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Bike Commuters simply sign up online for their communal ride to work on last the Friday of every month.

24 seconds or you're fair game.

Old chinese man on College, at least some cars waited ...

Bike Art For Xmas

Holiday Marketplace
401 Richmond West
Thursday December 7 - Sunday December 10
Thursday + Friday 11 - 8
Saturday + Sunday 11 - 5

Follow the Bike Stencils to Janet Attards
xmas sale.

More info

Goodbye To BikeShare Party

BIG Thank You! to Maogosha, John, Nancy, Hannah and all the other BikeShare people.
You made Toronto more beautiful with your yellow fun machines!

Bollard Porn - Manchester (UK)

Dedicated Bus Lanes and stupid drivers who think they can abuse them. Schadenfreude? Absolutely.

Bike Share Party Friday

The Jaywalking Myth

Whenever too many pedestrians are injured or killed in Toronto for the public to accept, the usual excuses come out of the bumper. "They jaywalked, they came out of nowhere, it was just an accident ..." The truth is that cars don't stop, not before hitting someone and most of the time not after. It's easier to blame the victim than to confront the daily CARnage.

Bike Heroes!

Times Up! New York

Who gonna win...phfaster phfaster!

Via Velorution

Crunchy season is back

What if it really snowed?

CBC story on road salt

Going home

Drunk cop hits cyclist, runs.

CityTV is reporting that a 32 year veteran of the Toronto Police Service, while off duty, hit a cyclist while driving drunk. He allegedly fled the scene. The cyclist received only minor injuries.

TPS news release

Strachan Bike Lane Extention

Bike Man Episode II

Regent Park TV - Bike Man Episode I

Regent Park - Streets for people or more cars?

The Regent Park Revitalization Plan: positive solution or potential disaster?

Streets to Screens, the fundraising film series of the Toronto Public Space Committee, is proud to present a free screening of short documentary films on the subject of Regent Park and other planned affordable housing projects. Do they work? What can the city of Toronto learn as it embarks on the extensive revitalization of Canada's oldest publicly-funded housing community? Presented in cooperation with the National Film Board and the Toronto Free Gallery, these archival NFB films will explore the potential pitfalls of planning neighbourhoods, with a specific focus on Regent Park. From a fascinating 1961 promotional film extolling the virtues of Toronto's "slum clearance" plan to the acclaimed 1994 documentary Return to Regent Park, which asks the residents of Regent Park where the city's plan went wrong, the screening will raise tough questions about Toronto's policy on affordable housing. Also screening are "No Fitting Habitat," a thorough exploration of troubled planned neighbourhoods throughout history, and "Little Burgundy," a heart-wrenching tale of Montrealers who were uprooted to make way for a planned neighbourhood and decided to do something about it.

The screening takes place on Thursday, December 14th at 7:30 p.m. at the Toronto Free Gallery, located at 660 Queen Street East . Thanks to the very generous support of the NFB and the TFG, the screenings will be absolutely free, with a suggested donation of $3 to the Toronto Public Space Committee. Stencil photo via WorldofStencils.