Smart Commute - North Toronto, Vaughan, in partnership with Security, Parking and Transportation Services, CSBO, York University, is hosting the Annual September Bike Event to celebrate cycling. The event will promote cycling as a commuting option for those who are interested in learning about commuting by bike to the York University area and say thank-you to those who already commute by bicycle.

• Win GREAT PRIZES - RSVP to WIN a Mountain Equipment Co-op Cyclepath gift certificate.
  
  
• Rack It and Rocket - A TTC bus will be here for cyclists to try out the new bike racks.
  
  
• FREE Food - Great Canadian Bagel York Lanes will provide complimentary lunch.
  
  
• FREE Bike Tune-ups, General Repairs and Advice from Cyclepath bike mechanic (North York)
  
  
• Cycling Multimedia Art - See Don Sinclair's exhibit “Coming Home”
  
  
• Bike Tour of Campus
  
  
• Improve cycling infrastructure - fill out a survey to help campus planners
  
  

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to mcgurran(at)SmartCommuteNTV.ca (so we have enough food!). You will be entered into a Prize-Draw to take place at 12:30 PM.

So you got the bike out of the garage, pumped up the tires, took it for a test drive and researched your route to work or school. You were ready to try your first bike commute and then they call of the strike. Well take your bike anyway. It will be a good chance to finally cross off that perennial resolution off your list, 'I should ride my bike to work'. The following article was written to help new bike commuters figure out how to get prepared for the TTC Strike. That is not necessary now but you can still use the information below to plan your first bike commute.

The City of Toronto has posted a web page with information for residents thinking of taking their bike to work. No, not the car…the BIKE!. Many Toronto residents ride recreationally but don't ride to work. They may just need a little more info to get them started. This page is intended to help them prepare and includes a links to bike commuting tips and some other cycling info. The city will also set up a bicycle hotline (416) 392-7592 will will be operated from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday. There people can ask questions regarding bike safety and other cycling info and request that bike maps be mailed to their home.

You can get copies of the Toronto 2004 Bike Map online. They are in PDF format. You can also go to the following link www.toronto.ca/cycling/map/cyclingmap.htm to download sections of it.

The Bike Map shows the designated bike lanes and signed routes as red and blue lines. There are also suggested routes that are represented as dashed yellow lines. The off road paths are shown as green lines. These can help you plan your route. If there isn't a bike route in your area, or even if there is, it may be a good idea to test ride your route. That way you can see if there are any difficult sections of road that can be avoided. The off road paths such as the Martin Goodman Trail, which are quite crowded on the weekends, are relatively free of bike traffic in the weekday mornings and afternoons. These may be a good option for commuters.

It is also a good idea to test ride your bike if it has been sitting in the garage for a while. Check if the tires are properly inflated, the gears are adjusted and the brakes work.

Traffic will be congested If the TTC is not running so it is important to ride safely and defensively. Stop at stop signs and red lights. Signal your turns and stops so that other cyclists and drivers know what you plan to do. Don't ride on sidewalks. You can find more information on how to bike safely at the City of Toronto's web page: Tips for avoiding car-bike collisions

You may have often felt you should ride your bike to work but never have had the occasion to. Monday may be the day you get to try it for the first time. Luckily you have the weekend to get well prepared.

The debate about the St. Clair West Street Car right-of-way (ROW) included many cyclists. They were concerned that the redesign and reconstruction of St. Clair West take into account the needs of cyclists. The ROW has been approved by council but there is still lots of work to do to ensure that St. Clair West remain bike friendly. There are a group of cyclists who want to set up a Bike User Group or BUG to provide input into the ongoing design process and tackle other issues for cyclists along St. Clair. I have quoted an article from Charles O'Hara who is working to establish this new BUG.

St. Clair Bicycle User's Group (BUG)
- Help make it happen!

What is a BUG?

A Bicycle User Group, or BUG, is group of a people in a workplace, a school, a community, or a neighbourhood, who come together to improve conditions for commuter.  BUGs are officially recognized by the City of Toronto and form part of a city-wide network of BUGs.

Add your name to the St. Clair BUG

A group of cyclists who use St. Clair avenue are interested in starting a BUG so that cyclists can speak with one voice about how to make St. Clair a better place for cycling.

The BUG could be involved in such things as pointing out problem spots for cyclists on St. Clair that need repairs, lobbying for changes to signage or road infrastructure on St. Clair that would make cycling safer, or giving suggestions to the ROW design team on how to make the new ROW bicycle friendly.

Joining WILL NOT TAKE A LOT OF TIME, all it takes is adding your name to the list of members and advancing any suggestions you may have about your concerns, and hopes, about cycling on St. Clair.

The more names we have, the better we can represent cycling on St. Clair.

If you are interested, please e-mail Charles at st-clair-bug@respect.to.

Remember, it won't take much of your time, and you can help make St. Clair a better cycling route.

Charles O'Hara

For more information on BUGs and the Bike User Group Network you can see the City of Toronto's BUG web site: www.toronto.ca/bug

Winter cycling is a growing phenomena in Toronto. More and more people use their bikes year round. The Black Creek Transportation Management Association www.bcrtma.org is hosting a winter cycling workshop for the York University community to let them in on the secrets of successful winter cycling. The details of the workshop are in the announcement quoted below from their website.

Come to our FREE Winter Cycling Workshop on Thursday February 12th! Learn how to safely ride your bicycle through winter! Presented by City of Toronto Cycling Dept. and the BCRTMA. From 12pm (noon) to 1pm on York University's campus in William Small Centre Room 213 (above the Tim Horton's at the new computer lab, in the building west of Ross and across from the Chemistry building).

The workshop is being presented by City of Toronto staff. The City has other resources for cyclists who want to extend their cycling season. On their Cold Weather Cycling Page they have information on keeping warm and dry, riding tips, visibility, bicycle choice and equipment, maintenance, wet weather, and, snow and ice.

Here are the details of the event on September 17th.

Cyclists in the York University community are invited to the 3rd annual September Welcome Bike Brunch!

When - Wednesday September 17th 2003
Time - 11:30 - 2 pm
Where - York Commons, near the fountain
(in case of rain find us inside Vari Hall on the South West side)

Meet cyclists, eat lunch, grab a bike map of Toronto, build community .

A free lunch will be provided to those who cycle to York. An event to celebrate cycling and the contribution of cyclists to a healthy environment and a more sustainable lifestyle.
Presented by the Black Creek Regional Transportation Management Association and the Security, Parking and Transportation Services Department at York University.


Jacquelyn Hayward
Sustainable Transportation Coordinator
Black Creek Regional Transportation Management Association
416-736-2100 x 70690
jhayward@bcrtma.org
Fax: 416-736-5879

155 Campus Walk, Suite 204
4700 Keele St.
Toronto, ON
M3J 1P3
www.bcrtma.org

***Please note new address at York!
We have moved from York Lanes to the William Small Centre at 155 Campus Walk***

The BCRTMA website reports that there have been some improvements in cycling facilities for cyclists at York University. There have been 40 new bike racks installed for a total of 350 new spaces to lock up bikes.

The subway has been out of commission since the blackout on Thursday and there is currently uncertainty as to whether it will be running on Monday. If you are in the position of having to go to work on Monday and not having a reliable means of getting to work your bike may be your best option. During the last subway strike bike traffic increased by 400%. If you are not a regular bike commuter there is information available online that can help you.

The City of Toronto has the 2003 Cycling Map where you can find the bike lane, paths and routes through the city so you can plan your route. The address to find the map is: www.toronto.ca/cycling/cyclingmap_2003.htm The off road paths such as the Martin Goodman Trail which are quite crowded on the weekends are relatively free of traffic in the mornings and afternoons making a smooth commute.

The City also has tips for bike commuters on their web page : Bike Commuter Tips

You may have often felt you should ride your bike to work but never have had the occasion to. Tomorrow may be the day to try it.

One of the programs that the City of Toronto has to promote commuting by bike is the BUG Network Program. This program encourages people at workplaces, schools or communities to form Bike User Groups at their workplaces. The goals of these groups is to improve the conditions for bike commuters, encourage more people to commute by bike and have some fun while doing it.

There are already 30 BUGs in Toronto. That is up from 10 in 2001. The goal is to have 200 Bike User Groups in Toronto by 2006. You can see the complete lists of the BUGs currently active in Toronto at the BUGs in Toronto web page. There you can see the types of groups there are, see what kind of activities they have and perhaps get some ideas for starting up your own BUG in your workplace, school or community. You can get some assistance in starting up your BUG from the City of Toronto. The BUG web site has a guide explaining how to Start a BUG. You can also Register a BUG with the BUG Network. This will give you access to services provided to BUGs by the City of Toronto such as a listing on their web site, assistance in getting started, participation in the "Day of the BUGs" during Bike Week and Cycling Seminars. The Bug Network Page provides a list of the services currently offered by the program and outlines new services that will be provided in future years as the program expands.

An example of one of the educational components provided by the BUG Network program is the Cold Weather Cycling Tips web page and brochure.

My name is Heather Klages. I'm a Journalism student at Ryerson University, and for a class assignment I'm doing a story on bike commuting. I would like to speak to people who regularly commute by bike about your experiences commuting, why you do it, what the costs are, and a few other questions. I would really appreciate your help. Please contact me at farm_girl52@hotmail.com anytime before April 9 at noon. Thank you for your time. Heather Klages