This video shows the wide variety of conditions for cyclists in the West End of Toronto, everything from major streets (Keele) with no bicycle lanes to really major high-speed roads (Queensway) with bicycle lanes.
What camera / lens combo do you use? It's a nice useful wide angle; I find so many off the shelf little video cameras have much too narrow a view to really show what's going on.
Also I'm not keen on attaching anything to my helmet, but compared to many helmet cam videos I've seen yours are well aimed and much easier to watch. Interested to hear your comments.
It's helpful to have the road conditions and riding conditions documented.
Some different riding styles though - I'd be too slow/chicken/conservative to have taken the left turn lane towards the end of the ride given the highway feel to the road and would have just kept riding along straight to the signalized intersection, then left.
The Queensway lane coming east ends in a bad spot though, and it could have/should be different.
Parkside is a Nasty Street to be riding on - tight, fast, and it does take some courage and speed to be taking the entire lane, And don't get yourself Keeled, eh?
a GoPro Hero that I bought the week after Michael Bryant killed Darcy Sheppard and I got hit getting cut off on Dundas the same day. You can find a product review here.
It requires a memory chip that doesn't come with it; once you buy it plus the chip, it costs about $250. Before I got the Hero, I took pictures and a few short videos with a camera attached to an Air Bone handlebar mount, which cost about an order of magnitude less. The Hero takes about an hour of standard-quality video (you can get an HD version for about a hundred dollars more). It gobbles power; I have to put my batteries on the charger every time I use it. On the plus side, it attracts interest, and it tends to civilize drivers who realize they have a camera pointed at them (not all do).
You can get the Air Bone at Urbane. You can get the camera at Sporting Life or (I believe) MEC.
Just like with digital photography, you spend time once you bring the camera back into the house. What do you save and how time-consuming is it to edit the clip?
John, you are way ahead of most of us, and I expect in a few years such a camera will have become standard equipment for the serious city cyclist. I also would expect that the camera will eventually record more than the forward view and the audio. As a silent witness tool, one would want a bit of a surroundings recorded, together with the forward view. And the price probably will still be $300... ;-)
I'd like to see a camera system that basically do something like:
Record a continuous infinite loop, just deleting the oldest video as new video is recorded. Depending on memory available, I would want at least 10 minutes worth (but even one minute would be enough to record most "incidents")
Have input for two or more video cameras: Front, back, helmet, view of cyclist....?
Microphone to record sounds of traffic, any kinds of verbal interaction, etc. Would need good wind noise cancellation.
Waterproof and generally pretty sturdy.
Could even record time/date, location (GPS?), and current speed if you wanted to get fancy.
All of this should actually be pretty cheap eventually.
Interesting Video,however I am wondering what day it was and the time that you shot this clip?As an experienced rider of both Parkside Dr.and the Queensway,I have never seen it that empty.Could have been on a Sunday Morning?Taking the Left hand lane as you did on the Queensway almost a 1/2 km from the intersection in times is Suicide.
I shot this video on Sunday June 6 between 1830 (6:30 pm) and 2000 (8:00 pm). And yes, at other times, and on weekdays, I would have had a lot more traffic. I waited until I had a clear road back to the first hump coming out of the Humber Valley before I switched lanes. I would not do that at night or in rush hour traffic :-).
I save the raw video, and I have about 12 hours of it, the editing instructions (I use Pinnacle Plus) and of course the video as I post it to You-Tube. How long it takes me to edit depends on the ratio of video I shoot to video I use, and also on the theme. I have started work on a video that records a large number of passing incidents from more than one ride; I intend to group them, not order them chronologically, and I find that a lot more time-consuming than doing a ride in the same sequence I recorded it.
Nice video of my neighbourhood! Your ride decisions looked pretty similar to mine. I probably would have taken the left lane at Queensway as well if the traffic looked cooperative.
But on Keele, it looked as if the right tire track was about 2 feet from the curb, or did my eyes deceive me? I stay about 1 meter out from the curb on Keele , and take the lane completely through the underpass as the pavement is especially horrendous there. Almost without exception, either traffic is light enough that cars can easily pass me in the other lane, or things are so congested that I'm not slowing anyone down. And you're absolutely right: if you're a gutter bunny, you are practically guaranteeing that cars will crowd you.
Too bad you didn't video the slow-motion tragedy that is St. Clair West. The (single lane!) underpass just east of Keele is paved in random stretches right now for no good reason I can see. Going east from Keele, it starts with nice, fresh pavement, then drops off a 1 inch ledge to scraped road as you approach the underpass, then as you exit the underpass, there's another stretch of new blacktop, but it starts with an unannounced 2 inch ledge. Somebody could get badly hurt there. I know I barely kept my bike upright after catching some serious air while travelling at about 35 km/hr.
Thanks for posting this video, it was interesting especially for someone who lives in the west end. You shoud show how the bike lane on Queensway suddenly ends in the middle of nowhere, dumping you into the middle of a highway unexpectedly. While it's nice that they have a lane there, it would be dangerous to be suddenly thrown into a lane without any warning, especially for someone who is not familiar with the area.
Comments
cristina (not verified)
Love these videos.
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 09:23Love these videos.
4 season cyclist (not verified)
Useful views
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 06:52What camera / lens combo do you use? It's a nice useful wide angle; I find so many off the shelf little video cameras have much too narrow a view to really show what's going on.
Also I'm not keen on attaching anything to my helmet, but compared to many helmet cam videos I've seen yours are well aimed and much easier to watch. Interested to hear your comments.
hamish (not verified)
useful; thanks
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 11:56It's helpful to have the road conditions and riding conditions documented.
Some different riding styles though - I'd be too slow/chicken/conservative to have taken the left turn lane towards the end of the ride given the highway feel to the road and would have just kept riding along straight to the signalized intersection, then left.
The Queensway lane coming east ends in a bad spot though, and it could have/should be different.
Parkside is a Nasty Street to be riding on - tight, fast, and it does take some courage and speed to be taking the entire lane, And don't get yourself Keeled, eh?
dances_with_traffic (not verified)
Thumbs up
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 15:18These videos are getting better. Adding the narration helps to keep the plot interesting... Nice riding.
locutas_of_spragge
I use
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 14:03a GoPro Hero that I bought the week after Michael Bryant killed Darcy Sheppard and I got hit getting cut off on Dundas the same day. You can find a product review here.
It requires a memory chip that doesn't come with it; once you buy it plus the chip, it costs about $250. Before I got the Hero, I took pictures and a few short videos with a camera attached to an Air Bone handlebar mount, which cost about an order of magnitude less. The Hero takes about an hour of standard-quality video (you can get an HD version for about a hundred dollars more). It gobbles power; I have to put my batteries on the charger every time I use it. On the plus side, it attracts interest, and it tends to civilize drivers who realize they have a camera pointed at them (not all do).
You can get the Air Bone at Urbane. You can get the camera at Sporting Life or (I believe) MEC.
simplicius2wheels
How's the editing afterwards?
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 07:23Just like with digital photography, you spend time once you bring the camera back into the house. What do you save and how time-consuming is it to edit the clip?
John, you are way ahead of most of us, and I expect in a few years such a camera will have become standard equipment for the serious city cyclist. I also would expect that the camera will eventually record more than the forward view and the audio. As a silent witness tool, one would want a bit of a surroundings recorded, together with the forward view. And the price probably will still be $300... ;-)
vic
Recording your ride
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 15:49I'd like to see a camera system that basically do something like:
All of this should actually be pretty cheap eventually.
duffey
Time of day
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 15:43Interesting Video,however I am wondering what day it was and the time that you shot this clip?As an experienced rider of both Parkside Dr.and the Queensway,I have never seen it that empty.Could have been on a Sunday Morning?Taking the Left hand lane as you did on the Queensway almost a 1/2 km from the intersection in times is Suicide.
locutas_of_spragge
Time
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 16:41I shot this video on Sunday June 6 between 1830 (6:30 pm) and 2000 (8:00 pm). And yes, at other times, and on weekdays, I would have had a lot more traffic. I waited until I had a clear road back to the first hump coming out of the Humber Valley before I switched lanes. I would not do that at night or in rush hour traffic :-).
simplicius2wheels
What do you save...
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 19:40....and how time-consuming is it to edit the clip?
locutas_of_spragge
Right now...
Sat, 06/19/2010 - 04:35I save the raw video, and I have about 12 hours of it, the editing instructions (I use Pinnacle Plus) and of course the video as I post it to You-Tube. How long it takes me to edit depends on the ratio of video I shoot to video I use, and also on the theme. I have started work on a video that records a large number of passing incidents from more than one ride; I intend to group them, not order them chronologically, and I find that a lot more time-consuming than doing a ride in the same sequence I recorded it.
MaryL (not verified)
Nice video of my
Sun, 06/20/2010 - 20:16Nice video of my neighbourhood! Your ride decisions looked pretty similar to mine. I probably would have taken the left lane at Queensway as well if the traffic looked cooperative.
But on Keele, it looked as if the right tire track was about 2 feet from the curb, or did my eyes deceive me? I stay about 1 meter out from the curb on Keele , and take the lane completely through the underpass as the pavement is especially horrendous there. Almost without exception, either traffic is light enough that cars can easily pass me in the other lane, or things are so congested that I'm not slowing anyone down. And you're absolutely right: if you're a gutter bunny, you are practically guaranteeing that cars will crowd you.
Too bad you didn't video the slow-motion tragedy that is St. Clair West. The (single lane!) underpass just east of Keele is paved in random stretches right now for no good reason I can see. Going east from Keele, it starts with nice, fresh pavement, then drops off a 1 inch ledge to scraped road as you approach the underpass, then as you exit the underpass, there's another stretch of new blacktop, but it starts with an unannounced 2 inch ledge. Somebody could get badly hurt there. I know I barely kept my bike upright after catching some serious air while travelling at about 35 km/hr.
Hooman (not verified)
Liked the video, you should show bike lane ending on Queensway
Mon, 06/21/2010 - 21:46Thanks for posting this video, it was interesting especially for someone who lives in the west end. You shoud show how the bike lane on Queensway suddenly ends in the middle of nowhere, dumping you into the middle of a highway unexpectedly. While it's nice that they have a lane there, it would be dangerous to be suddenly thrown into a lane without any warning, especially for someone who is not familiar with the area.