This is my third map mashup. It compares the share of commuters who are cyclists with the location of Toronto Cyclists Union membership. The map shows that the richest deposits of potential bike union members are where there are already a high number of cycling commuters.
Like bike shops and bike accidents these areas are located in downtown and west of downtown. These could be considered the easy picking areas for increasing bike union membership. It's possible that the bike union's current attempts to create ward captains in every ward of Toronto is actually slowing the growth of the bike union membership. A concerted effort to recruit members in the core might have a bigger impact on the bike union and provide more resources to recruit members in the suburbs later on. I'd be interested to see if there are alternative conclusions.
Comments
anthony
It depends
Sun, 04/19/2009 - 23:59If the bike union is meant to grow cycling culture in hostile areas then the appeal and focus should be outside the core. If the bike union is meant to support people who already cycle then it appeal wold mostly come from the core. In reality it's the bike union's job to do both, and it is also part of the reason why we have a ward advocacy program. The other reasons are desicribed in Jana Neumann's paper "Shifting gears or stalling? An analysis of bike lane planning and building in Toronto" which is referenced here. In this paper she provide possible antidotes to the slow roll-out of the bike plan in Toronto, and advocating at the ward level must be a strong part of that strategy.
Anonymous (not verified)
Speaking for myself
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 09:20I can't say what other cyclists who live in the inner suburbs are thinking, but for myself, I have deliberately refrained from joining the Toronto Cyclists Union thus far. My bicycle has been my main form of transportation for the past 15 years. For a portion of that time, I was engaged in cycling advocacy - I attended critical mass rides, CBN meetings, only one ARC meeting, TCC meetings and other cycling events/rallies. It was a rare meeting/event where I didn't hear at least one person stand up and say that resources shouldn't be "wasted" putting in cycling infrastructure in the inner suburbs because nobody cycles there anyways. Well, at some point I just got plain tired of being "nobody" so I stopped attending. You will no longer see me at ghost rides, Bells on Bloor etc. So far I've sat back to see whether the TCU would live up to its rhetoric of speaking for cyclists in all parts of the city. So far I"ve not been encouraged enough to pay for a membership. Herb's post just confirms that I was correct to have my suspicions.
dash (not verified)
Each of those times, you
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 14:28Each of those times, you should have been standing up, telling everyone that you cycle in the 'burbs. Telling them that more people will cycle if the infrastructure is put in. It's amazing that you were attending these meetings. The cycling group that you're a part of needs your attendance. They also need your VOICE.
Anonymous II (not verified)
the inner burbs are the tableau
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:28Here here Anonymous I.
I don't have the stats or fancy maps, but I was paying attention and I did feel a wave of interest from inner burb cyclists in joining the bike union last summer. Their call for representation by neglect fell on deaf ears so they went away.
Etobicoke and Scarborough are perfect modern communities to continue a Toronto urban planning tradition begun with the design and build of Don Mills - but for the future, with bikes.
We need an innovative and diversified bike union. Downtown is full of itself already, and so passe.
anthony
The Union didn't go away...
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 01:42The Union is working very hard in those areas of the former suburbs where the members are working. We may not have grown as quickly in many of those areas, yet... But watch us, and our campaigns. The Union's reach will grow; we're relying on you helping us.
anthony
That's unfair, and I take personal offence to this
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 01:47The bike union was conceived with the entire city in mind. Finding people to participate from the former suburbs continues to be a challenge, and your attitude plainly shows why.
The Bike Union's board consists of members from Etobicoke (myself), North York, and Scarborough, as well as the former city of Toronto. The intention is that this continues as much as practical. We're always looking for people for our board; perhaps you'd like to apply?
The Union made the effort last spring (during its own launch) to come to an Etobicoke-York Council Meeting and it brought as many as its members as it could. We all made deputations to get the interchange at South Kingsway/Queensway normalized into an intersection and remove the current interchange to support the proposed bike lanes on The Queensway. We failed that one, but we got some of the design changes we needed to support a bike lane on The Queensway, and we also made deputations to support the bike lane on The Queensway, and we got those bike lanes approved last year. Don't tell me the bike Union's reach does not include the former suburbs because I personally make sure that it does come out of the core to support cycling initiatives, like this.
When I find out about events going on in Etobicoke I do alert the Union. They, in turn, alert the membership. I regularly have the Bike Union out to events (that I know about) in Etobicoke and will be doing more of this as time and opportunity permits. And I have also had the Union follow-up with city staff after events that have taken place in Etobicoke, and I have found that they are always happy to do so, and this has led to many positive outcomes.
I have personally also participated in cycling events in North York as well as in the core to support cycling because it is by supporting each other that we have had any of our successes. As but one example you can see my own posts on Annette on this very blog.
It is up to the membership to alert the union about opportunities for the larger membership to participate. It is up to the sole staff member and volunteers to follow up on these leads as best they can, and so far they've been doing great.
No one on the board, nor any one on the executive team of the Union thinks, or has ever acted, like nobody outside the core rides bikes, or that infrastructure here is a waste. In fact one of the campaigns we’re planning is to get a safe bike crossing of some sort over the 401 somewhere on or between Keele and Dufferin.
Herb's post merely shows where there are cyclists who are actually engaged and interested and who want to have more control over cycling issues in their own communities as well as at the city level. I know two of the other six cyclists in Ward 6 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) quite well, and we're going to rock the bike plan this summer in our ward. If I can rope in the other four, or get more members along they way who want to help, all the better for all of us as "many hands make light work."
I don't know where you live, but a few motivated people are all it takes to change the world; I'm only looking to change a city that has already committed to the change (twice, in fact!). If you want to help us out in S. Etobicoke and then bring that momentum northward, all the better. If you want to sit on the sidelines to whine, then I'll continue to lash out at you. Because in the end the problem is not with the Union -- it's with you!
Scorekeeper (not verified)
Union too Kensington-centric and zenophobic
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 10:25The map shows that in one year the union has not achieved anything close to the essential "critical mass" of representation and active advocacy in enough Wards to positively influence bike lane votes at City Hall.
Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York too far from the cafes and alleys of Kensington Market, I guess.
Sigh! -- are we missing a golden opportunity here due to some weird TCU systemic zenophobia?
Score:
Councillors Who Don't Give a Damn = 1
City of Toronto (far and wide) Cyclists = 0
Darren_S
No potential
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 11:13"...The map shows that the richest deposits of potential bike union members are where there are already a high number of cycling commuters..."
Respectively, the map does not describe "potential" whatsoever. One important element that is missing, it would be very onerous to ask you to provide, is saturation. Are there anymore people in the high number areas that want to join or has everyone already joined? If it does describe "potential" in anyway it might be where one may pick up members in under-represented areas, in other words the map would be inverted to what you are suggesting. The highest potential areas being out of downtown.
Stats like these can also turn into train wrecks, which is beginning to happen here with people asking how effective is the TCU in communicating with the rest of Toronto.
Seymore Bikes
More is More
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 13:34More members, means more riders, means more potential; it tells a clear story in my opinion.
There are more people actively cycling in the city centre than in the outlying suburban areas, this is not complex.
herb
right
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 13:57You're right, Darren. We can't make such a conclusion from the map. The truth is that with about 500 members, or about 1% of regular bike commuters, the bike union has hardly saturated Toronto*. There are still plenty of potential members in all parts of Toronto.
Anyone want to attempt to map labour force density to cycling mode?
*I just pulled the number of regular bike commuters out of the air: 50,000 to 200,000 depending on the definition.
herb
no antidote
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 11:56Let me be clear that I only speak for myself, not the Bike Union. The Toronto Cyclists Union is making valiant attempts at building a strong ward advocacy program. I've got no problem with that, it would be awesome to get lots of dedicated suburban members. But from the current stats they just aren't there. And it's no wonder, there just aren't that many bike commuters in the suburbs.
The fact is a lot fewer people commute by bike in the suburbs than in the core. As seen in the original post, places like Scarborough are even lower than the Canadian average, which is already a really pathetic bike modal share. But in the Toronto core the bike commuter share is much higher than the Canadian average, in places an order of magnitude higher.
I'm not trying to make an argument of who needs cycling infrastructure more. I'm not trying to figure out what makes the most political sense. My argument is simply that it's much easier to attract people who already bike rather than try to create new ones and get them to buy a bike union membership. And it just happens that the majority of those people live between Keele, Woodbine, Eglinton and the lake.
If we want a strong voice, if we want to support staff by membership fees alone then the bike union needs to keep attracting the serious bike commuters, most of whom do not live in Scarborough. There are, however, some signs of hope in North York and Etobicoke with patches of bike modal share between 1 and 4%.
Darren_S
Map on miles traveled
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 15:28**"...needs to keep attracting the serious bike commuters, most of whom do not live in Scarborough..." **
While "serious" probably has many different definitions, I will suggest that if you take commuters who ride to work or school for distances greater than 10 kms one way more than 3 times a week, label them as "serious", that they would predominantly live outside of the downtown cycling stronghold.
Saturation, I think 1% is actually pretty good if diverse enough. I doubt that it will go much higher than 3%, which would be a superb number. People get unnecessarily obsessed with big numbers. Look at a very successful organization like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. While the vast majority of Canadians support their efforts, their membership rate compared to the Canadian population is 0.0025%. Their strength lies in the fact that they are so diverse geography wise.
herb
serious
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 16:10I would losely define a serious cyclist commuter as one who commute by bike for the majority of their trips, no matter what the length.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has a membership of over 5000 in a city comparable to Toronto in population, climate and bike culture. If that is any measure than we could see 10% of bike commuters as members eventually.
I tried to see if I could get an idea of the number of bike commuters per region of Toronto, based on some 2001 census maps at Brock U online. My really rough calculations suggest that about 30% of bike commuters live outside of the Keele to Woodbine to St. Clair boundaries; 70% within. There are around 45,000 bike commuters in Toronto. If 1 in 10 bike commuters would join the bike union that means they can still expect reasonable success on getting 1300 suburban bike commuters to join, and 3200 urban bike commuters. Eventually.
Looking at the map again it looks like the bike union should actually increase its suburban representation so it's at about 1/3, whereas it looks lower than that right now. I don't think we're anywhere near a saturation point right now.
Darren_S
You can only ride a stat so far.
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 17:12I think the only way to measure a cycling groups success in Toronto, without any resources to measure potential, is growth. If a group grows a steady pace that should be considered success. Next would come diversity in many different areas, for instance geography, political leaning, interest, voice, etc.
You brought up Chicago. While the stats are the same, the political reality is miles apart. They have a mayor who sets his eyes on something and gets it done. When he wanted rid of the equivalent of our Toronto Island Airport he simply steamrolled over it and paid the one million dollar federal fine. How many years has Miller tried to get rid of the Island Airport? Fortunately for Chicago cyclists their mayor has set his sights on cycling, in a very positive way. Ours is challenged by the mayor of Buffalo for keeping cycling in the forefront.
herb
political differences negligible
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 19:48I think you make too big of the political differences between Toronto and Chicago. But that's besides the point. What you could have brought up is the fact that the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, now called the Active Transportation Alliance, was formed in 1983 so it's had plenty of time to grow. I don't think the current mayor has had all that much influence on the growth of that organization. In fact, one could argue the opposite. Why join an advocacy organization if you don't need to push government?
But at least I made a comparison. Just where did you get 3%? Maybe you rounded down pi? Sure it's all just speculation, but at least we can make comparisons and we know what is possible in other cities. It makes it something to aim for.
My main idea about pursuing this whole train of thought has been to see if the bike union can get enough memberships to be financially self-sustaining. With my narrow perspective I figure this is paramount over diversity, though diversity may perhaps ensure it is representative and has a strong voice in the long run. With only memberships as revenue it would need to get at least 1000 members.
Darren_S
3%
Wed, 04/22/2009 - 05:24Using your numbers Herb, 1% or 500 members represents what you are saying is the current membership. Which I think is pretty good because it is very close to what Toronto has seen before, a membership of 800 members over at TBN.
2% is what you are saying is the break even point for the TCU. This is the crux of your concern no? Very understandable. Any group that reaches its break even point still wants to, usually anyways, wants to expand.
3% is twice of what we have seen before in Toronto and would be a superb quantum to break through. This is where they will have some gravy to expand their offerings. I tried to find you a specific reference which I read a few years ago to the 3% in a test tube mass marketing campaign, the point at which the campaign attracts enough new customers to break even. Still looking.
Yes we are both guessing at the number of potential cyclists no matter how defined. Regardless, I think any definition will bear out that 3% of that group will be a milestone for any group that is in its start up. What percentage of people who read IBikeTo actually comment on an article?
"I don't think the current mayor has had all that much influence on the growth of that organization."
Depends, it does make things a bit easier to advance your agenda if you have a willing mayor. The TCU would spend more of its time trying to influence direction as opposed to trying to play catch up. If the mayor were to ban cycling on Queen St, TCU membership will spike overnight. I think the stats fit together like a large puzzle with all of the outside influences.
Why join an advocacy organization if you don't need to push government?
Advocacy also serves as oversight. Quebec where the government falls over itself to provide resources to cycling, cyclists still need cycling advocates. Look how strangely designed some of their facilities are. Government influences what type of advocates you need.
(Herb, why does the bold type feature work only half the time?)
Seymore Bikes
flatus
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 13:06If you feel that nothing will change at City Hall because it hasn't already, if you believe that efforts like Herb's map will do nothing, if you think that the Bike Union will flounder, or if you are convinced that cycling advocacy is a fruitless journey in Toronto, then please keep your negative ideas to yourself.
If the cycling community has one fault it is that we willingly tear each other down; for what purpose I do not know, but it is certainly not for the advancement of cycling.
Darren_S
Either or else?
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 15:46"...If the cycling community has one fault it is that we willingly tear each other down; for what purpose I do not know, but it is certainly not for the advancement of cycling."
Ad nauseam comes to mind when I hear this. Cyclist are strongly independent and are not so fragile that hearing another viewpoint will bring them to their knees.
If you are expecting to put an idea forward and hope that every cyclist will immediately buy into it because it is cycling you are quite frankly not being very realistic.Just because Mercedes sells SUV's with bicycles attached does make them god's gift to the planet. Ideas get challenged and if they survive the challenges they tend to get credibility. Hopefully with credibility they gain a wider audience. These challenges are not "either or else" but rather a way to develop understanding and foster the community behind it.
herb
need some difference
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 16:15Plus what's the point of a blog/forum without a bit of difference and disagreement? If I compare this website with such sites as the Toronto Star or even Torontoist, people seem to be largely well-thought and focused on making their point instead of attacking the other.
Seymore Bikes
Quack, Quack!
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 17:38I'm not expecting unconditional support for anything bike related, there should be some meaningful discussion, but there is a difference between challenging a point and simple pessimism.
What I believe is counter productive is the nay-saying that is smeared on ideas; I liken it to a bunch of ducks quacking.
Random cyclist (not verified)
Modal share
Mon, 04/20/2009 - 13:45Herb says
"I'm not trying to make an argument of who needs cycling infrastructure more. I'm not trying to figure out what makes the most political sense."
Last time I noticed, my bike took me beyond the boundaries of my postal code. This modal share/map comparison is, in my humble opinion, not an accurate way to correlate to cycling-related activity. The census data are gathered based on where people live, not the actual modal share of those who are travelling in an area.
I am concerned that these maps allow individuals that Seymore Bikes speaks of more opportunities to spout off negative comments and reaffirm negative beliefs.
Cycling infrastructure is needed in every area of Toronto as cycling is an equitable means of transportation. Infrastructure should be afforded regardless of geography or how many who live in the area are already cycling.
Anonymous (not verified)
The bike union was conceived
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 10:32The bike union was conceived with the entire city in mind. Finding people to participate from the former suburbs continues to be a challenge, and your attitude plainly shows why.
Well that was the point of my post Anthony.
I feel I've kept my side of the bargain, but have been dissappointed by the other side. I attended the meetings/rallies, wrote letters to councillors etc in support of downtown cycling issues thinking that the downtown cyclists would, in turn, support cycling advocacy efforts in the suburbs. Instead, whenever the subject of cycling infrastructure in the suburbs come up, I had to listen to the same refrain - "why are we wasting money on cycling infrastructure in the suburbs, nobody rides there".
Having listened to that attitude for 10 years or so, I finally concluded that any time, effort and energy I expend on "downtown" cycling issues is a waste for achieving my goal of a safer ride in my neighbourhood into downtown, incidently capturing me, I think, in the downtown cycling statistics (and for the record, I don't own a car so for 7 months of the year the modal share of trips made by bicycle for me is 100% - but somehow that's not considered "serious" - hilarious!). So about 5 years ago I made the very conscious decision to stop supporting dowtown cycling advocacy. While I commend and am encouraged by your advocacy in Etobicoke Anthony, it isn't yet enough to counter all the negative messages that I've endured over the past 15 years.
Anyways, getting back to the point of my original post - if you want to label me as a whiner, fine. At least its a step up from "nobody". But if you take the post as the customer feedback gem that it could be interpreted as, where I've proactively supplied the answer, or at least one of the answers, to the unasked question: "WHY aren't suburban cyclists signing up for TCU?" and figure out how to overcome our pissed off attitude, well, then you might have more persons like myself signing up as members. Herb has expressed the view that suburbanites don't become members because they don't cycle or aren't serious cyclists. That probably accounts for a percentage of the people. But as my post shows, it isn't the only view. And there could well be other reasons. Find out what those reasons are and you'll have a strategy for how to attract new members.
When the Bike Union was first announced, I seriously considered sponsoring it with a lifetime membership - because I can easily afford to. But because of historical bad feelings, I decided to take a wait and see approach. So far, I'm still waiting and watching. I will not be joining the TCU Board anytime soon Anthony. But that doesn't mean I'm not engaged or not interested in more control over cycling issues in my community. In fact, that's where my cycling advocacy time and energy is focussed right now - my community - and will continue to be focussed for as long as I feel that the "formal" cycling groups are not doing so. I remain open to changing that point of view, I just don't feel there's justification to do so right now.
Seymore Bikes
Ward Based TCU
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 11:37Consider the Ward based community approach that the TCU is using, it abides by the same strategy you are interested in supporting. Ward 26 & 29 and others are moving forward at the neighbourhood level and the sharing of information between these groups is a great way to seek out initiatives that may work in other areas of the city.
Random (not verified)
26 & 29
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 16:46Two active ward teams don't make bike union advocacy in a city of three million. The test of the ward advocacy program will be in its presence "out there" across the wards this summer. We'll see. I noticed Ward 26's booth was situated at the Bike Show quite far away from the TCU booth, whas' up with that? Ward 29 has yet to hit the streets.
Seymore Bikes
29bikes.ca
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 16:5729 is active - I'm sure many more are. www.29bikes.ca
What are you waiting for?
herb
thesis
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 11:44My basic thesis was that it wasn't surprising that there are more TCU members downtown since that's where more of the bike commuters are, TCU's natural base. There are bike commuters in the suburbs, just not in the same proportions. There may be other reasons suburbanites aren't joining, but I'd need more evidence of a general feeling of angst. Maybe do a poll.
It's unfortunate that you've grabbed onto the "serious" word. No one agreed on a set definition. Really all I meant by "serious" was those people who told Census 2006 that they commute by bike as their primary mode. If you told the Census "yes" then I guess you're a serious cyclist. Those people who consider themselve bike commuters are more likely to join the bike union.
That's all that's meant. It's not a judgement.
anthony
Chicken and egg = Catch 22
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 13:13I don't why you are so intent to force the Union into this chicken and egg/Catch 22 scenario.
The bike Union consists of primarily volunteers, ie people like you, to work on its behalf. Without volunteer support, there's no action. Without action, you're saying that there's no support. You're trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy by your own action, (or is that in-action?)
The Union's mandate, and its behaviour, has proven to be inclusive and to take matters of cycling across all of Toronto quite seriously.
Neither I, nor the Bike Union, can undo 15 years of your history. But together we can make a new history. Or you can do nothing to help, and continue with your same sad story.
Members are the ones who are informed of the Union's efforts and successes, as well as opportunities to get involved at the city and local levels. We communicate with our membership through our website, and through email (including our newsletter). As a non-member this information is more difficult to get.
TCAT and the Union recently held campaign planning training and a joint strategy session, hosted by The Alliance for Biking & Walking. Again, this was something that our members knew about. We had at least two people in attendance from Etobicoke another two came fromNorth York, and at least one person from Scarborough. Two years ago I would have been the only one from a former suburb.
I know that some of the Union's membership sometimes gets frustrated with the Union because we've not yet had the cycles to deal with . Myopic people, and people who only ask WIIFM I don't need. These are people we can only engage when we're working on anyway. When we eventually start to work on then they'll become involved. Ask yourself, are you one of these people, are are you too focused on the flawed leaf or broken branch? Or can you see the whole forest? Are you still waiting for the Union to deal with before you'd think about committing? Or can you work with an organization that will push the overall cycling agenda forward -- city wide -- and may never have the capacity, or even the interest, to deal with ?
And I have leave this conversation because I have a boss, a wife, and kids all nagging me for my time, I still have yet to prepare from some of the meetings I'll be attending and advocating at this week and next, and I still have a backlog of work for this very blog to do.
If you'd like, we can talk more about this at one of the Bike Union events.
Val Dodge
Downtown cyclist in the suburbs
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 12:29One thing that puzzles me in this discussion is the focus on commuters. Why are they the only ones being called "serious cyclists"? Moreover, why should serious cyclists be the only ones worthy of pursuing for Bike Union membership? I think the Bike Union would have much broader reach if it targeted casual cyclists. I mean, we'd all laugh if this was a discussion about how the CAA was only recruiting "serious drivers."
I live just outside downtown in the east end, but do most of my cycling (including my daily commute) well out of the core. I may count as a downtown cyclist on the map above, but a map of where I ride most often would show most activity to the north and east, not downtown. As Random Cyclist said above, my riding extends beyond my postal code, which makes it dangerous to assume that my address and Bike Union membership equate to my being a serious downtown cyclist. I'd be far better served by cycling improvements across Scarborough than anywhere downtown.
But to get back to Herb's original question. My alternative conclusion based on the map mashup is that the Union is already doing quite a good job at recruiting downtown cyclists, but is mostly failing to attract suburban cyclists. The real question to ask is far more basic than whether the Union should focus efforts on downtown, suburban, casual, or serious cyclists. The Union leadership should be asking itself (and I'm sure it does) whether it wants to follow an emerging cycling culture into new corners of the city, or lead it.
anthony
The Union both leads and follows
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 13:50The union does both.
It leads through its formal and informal leadership. People who talk with other people convince others to join. And the Union is responsive to these people, it ends up following these people as they become leaders of local campaigns. And the Union conceives it own campaigns and pulls people in who are engaged by the campaign.
herb
casual cyclists less likely to join
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 00:09Casual cyclists are much less likely to join. They less likely to be concerned enough about the issues of the bike union to put money down for a membership.
Really the only way to define "serious cyclist" is for it to be a self-definition. It just so happens that we had ready access to a map where Toronto individuals self-defined as bike commuters. That's a pretty decent way of figuring out the distribution of who would most likely join the bike union. A different measure could be the City's 1999 Decima survey that measured utilitarian and recreational cyclists.
andrew d (not verified)
oh captain, my captain
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 15:48Does every ward have a captain? How do we get in touch?
Seymore Bikes
Captain Hook
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 17:12Check out the TCU webiste at http://bikeunion.to/ - find your ward and contact the the Bike Union to find out about stuff happening in your Ward. There are also monthly gatherings that happen from 5-7pm on the last Thursday of every month.
Cinq à Sept!
Start: 30 Apr 2009 - 17:00
End: 30 Apr 2009 - 19:00
Location
Victory Cafe
581 Markham Street
This Thursday, April 30th marks the fifth Toronto Cyclists Union
Cinq à Sept, to be held at the Victory Cafe from 5:00-7:00(ish).
Lawrence East (not verified)
Scarborough - Five to Seven
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 08:53So why are all Union monthly get togethers downtown? Wouldn't it be better to rotate around the city? Seems reasonable, and a better show of support, democracy and outreach.
Kevin Love
Why don't you organize your own event in Scarborough?
Sat, 04/25/2009 - 20:50Anyone can complain. If you want an event in your neighbourhood, nobody is stopping you from organizing one.
Lawrence East (not verified)
TCU too Kensington-centric
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 07:45You misunderstand. I'm not talking ward advocacy. I ask why are all Union events downtown? The union is supposed to represent all of us, advocate across the city. They should walk the walk by truly showing they are not the Kensington-centric organization they appear to be.
The AGM, now where will that be held? Monthly meetings, awards, press events? Scarborough, Don Mills, Etobicoke members are obviously not important and are not being considered.
Anonymous (not verified)
Map reference
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 10:55Just a referencing note:
The base map of bike mode share for work trips in Toronto that Herb uses above was prepared by:
Pedestrian & Cycling Infrastructure Unit, Transportation Services, City of Toronto, 2009, available online at http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/statistics.htm
The original data source is:
Statistics Canada. 2008. Employed labour force (1)
by mode of transportation, for Toronto census tracts - 20% sample data.
Place of Work, 2006 Census. Ottawa. Released April 2, 2008.
jamesmallon (not verified)
kids used to bike
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 11:07The way to get significant support in the suburban as well as urban parts of the city is to keep repeating that kids need safe cycling, and when they have it they are thinner, healthier and less hyperactive; and we can do something about the leading cause of children's deaths being vehicle collisions!
Car drivers do not care about adult cyclists, and are not embarrassed to make inflammatory and uninformed statements about adult cyclists. Convincing them of our rights is a lost cause. There is enough narcissism and sociopathy in our culture that they don't care for kids either, but they aren't at the point where they will admit that yet.
David Juliusson (not verified)
For kids to ride, infrastructure is needed too
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 00:00I agree, kids used to bike. When I was young, riding to school was a sign I was growing up. Most of the kids rode.
I live in Etobicoke. The school closest o me has space for 6 bikes. I went to a meeting at 20th St. School on transportation. It was interesting that none of the cyclists used what that school called a bike rack. It was a spoke buster. This is a school that had a large banner as a School on the Move. The Catholic board built Father John Redmond a couple years back. It is on the Waterfront Trail. Safe car free ride. There is a large car parking lot for students, but almost no bike parking.
I have written about it before. The Toronto school boards are actively against cycling. They argue bicycling is unsafe. Besides if students rode their bikes, who would take the school bus?
Speaking of the Waterfront Trail, their ride from Niagara tto Cornwall begins July 4. They were to stay at Fort York and ride through the city the next day. Because of the strike, their new plan is to take the GO Train to Pickering from the Exhibition. They are going to get a fantastic impression of riding in Toronto. The promised not completed bike lane on the Lakeshore in Etobicok e. The temporary garbage dump on the Martin Goodman Trail at Sunnyside beach. The locked gate to the promised bike path at Ontario Place. Finally, to get to the Exhibition GO station, they will have to negotiate the set up for the Molson Indy.
Seymore Bikes
Corridor Kids
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 13:04Getting kids to bike in the city means we need to create more safe areas for cycling.
The two hydro corridors that exist in both the East (Gatineau) & West end (Finch) are a great way to move cyclists from the suburbs to the city centre, and they would also provide a great spot for families to ride. They are about 100m wide and could easily accommodate lots of bike paths.
http://www.torontocat.ca/main/sites/all/files/FinchHydroCorridor.png
The fact that we have identified this opportunity is great, but we need to see more action in terms of getting this space dedicated for cycling.
Seymore Bikes
Zero the Hero
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 13:31The recent commitment of $70 million for cycling infrastructure is great, but wouldn't $700 million be the way to go?
It's time for us to get serious about how we support cycling development, considering the new street cars are going to cost over $1.2 billion, I think that cycling needs to enter the arena of high stakes funding.