Take the Lane

Insane graffiti

Today I saw the most insane graffiti on a bus shelter (Century Hill Drive and Old Country Drive, Kitchener).

It said: "Get a car."

I am totally puzzled. If one assumes that graffiti is the mode of expression of the young and disaffected, what the heck does "get a car" mean?

Is this the cry of the unemployed autoworker? Is it ironic? Is it stupid? Or is this a despairing wail?

The planet is screwed anyway, so get a car. Death to buses and the shelters that supply them. Death to bicycles that reduce our carbon footprint. Death to the pedestrians who are improving their health and wellness.

Yeah, get a car.

Ziggy does love his racing

Those who remember Ziggy Martuzalski won't be surprised to learn that the former Kitchener bicycle shop owner has morphed into a bicycle race organizer in his new hometown of Toronto.

Martuzalski is organizing Toronto's first downtown bike race in 17 years: The Toronto Criterium. It's set for Friday, May 30, in the St. Lawrence Market district. A press release suggests "many of Canada's top bike road racers are expected to compete." No names mentioned.

A crit can be a pretty exciting event: lots of tight turns, high speeds, crashes. There will be a kiddie crit at 5:45 p.m. (18 years and under), a Master's event at 6 p.m. and the Pro and Elite events at 7:30 p.m.

It's an OCA-sanctioned event, with prizes totalling $20,000 in value. You can register at www.ontariocycling.org

There will also be an associated bicycle exhibit, with vars. retailers showing their products. If you are in T.O. on May 30, it should be an exciting way to kick off your Friday night.

Bike-sharing in Waterloo Region, and D.C.

One of the cardinal rules in journalism is to double-check the absolutes. It may be the "first," or it may not be.

So it was with my post April 19 about the story on some students who proposed for Waterloo Region what they hoped would be the first bike-sharing program in a major North American community. I noted in my post that since there was already one on the books for Washington, D.C., and one for Montreal, at least it would be a first for Waterloo Region.

Oops.

Dave Steffler of Grand River Carshare alerted me that his group had launched a public bike share program on June 6, 2006 (to mark National Clean Air Day). Due to a volunteer shortage, it disappeared in 2007, but he expects it will return this year, as a part of Carshare's multi-modal approach to transportation solutions.

Bikes will be available at the same hubs where cars are available. Any member of the public can join. Contact Dave Steffler at 519-578-1895 or check the website at http://www.peoplescar.org/

In the meantime, the Washington bike-share program unveiled its SmartBike D.C. program over the weekend. Users will pay a $40 annual fee to have access to card-access bike stations around the city. Swipe your card and take your bike. Loans are limited to three hours. The helmet-inclined will have to bring their own lids.

There's a pic here of the three-speed, comfort style bike they are using. It's almost a test project, with 10 stations and 120 bikes, but I can imagine that there will be energy behind it. D.C. officials say that if the demand is there, they will ramp up the program to 1,000 bikes and 100 stations by the end of the season.

Mountain bikers should be in heaven

For those who have the legs to cycle up hills and the guts to go charging down them, this will be a great year in Waterloo Region.

As previously posted, the McLennan Park bike park in Kitchener is beginning construction this summer.

In addition, on June 7, the Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener will officially open its multi-use bike park. The opening will come complete with a garage-sale-style bike swap, retail booths and some giveaways. Yes, boys and girls, remember those hills you were scared to go down on your skiis? Now, you can ride down them on your bicycles!

The ski club already has 10 km of single and double track mountain bike trails, but is adding five dirt jump lines and a pump track. According to a news release from Chicopee, Mark Schmidt, trail specialist with the International Mountain Bike Association (which is moving its Canadian office from Collingwood to Kitchener), is tapped to assist with planning the park. A summer membership in the park will be $175, with a day pass costing $10.

An open house is planned for May 1 to look at the site and ask questions about the plans. Session starts at 6 p.m. in the Silvertip Lounge at Chicopee.

Now, shouldn't we start lobbying for a velodrome?

Pedal to a better world

There is something frightening and compelling about an event called Innovate or Die. But for many in our world, innovation is their lifeline to a better future.

With that in mind, here is the Aquaduct, ridden yesterday in downtown Little Rock, Ark., by mechanical engineer Paul Silberschatz, one of the team members who developed this innovative tricycle. (Photo by Danny Johnston, The Associated Press)

The trike uses pedal-power and a filtration system to filter dirty water into clean drinking water, while in motion or stationary. The trike, intended for use in developing countries, won first place in the Innovate or Die contest to build a pedal-powered machine to save energy.

You can see a YouTube vid on this project at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-mvfjyiao

Once again, a better world through bicycles.

Toronto Bike Summit online

You may not be into the Toronto cycling scene, but you still may want to peruse the online presence of the Toronto Bike Summit 2008 when it is posted tomorrow.

Of special interest will be the release by the Toronto Coalition of Active Transportation of a new policy report comparing the bicycle environment in Toronto to other major world centres.

The summit kicks off at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, and some time thereafter, the report will be posted to the web at http://www.torontocat.ca/main/documents

Podcasts of interviews and presentations will be available at http://soundsofsustainability.podcastpeople.com/
 

Bicycle helmet law not secretly changed

A sharp-eyed Take The Lane reader has noticed a problem with the online version of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act.

The Act, particularly, Section 104, Paragraph 2.1 as it now appears at  www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h08_e.htm#BK158 
says, "No person shall ride on or operate a bicycle on a highway unless the person is wearing a bicycle helmet that complies with the regulations and the chin strap of the helmet is securely fastened under the chin. 1993, c. 18, s. 1."

You will notice right away that there is no qualifier for "person." The section should probably read, "No person under the age of 18 years..."

I called around to check, just in case someone was trying to slip through a regulation change without any fanfare. Pretty unlikely, but you can never be sure.

No dice. Those 18 and older still are not compelled by law to wear a bicycle helmet. Compelled by common sense, perhaps, but not by law.

I suspect that when the Ontario e-laws website was refreshed a couple of months ago, someone made an error. Or pranked the site. Or was indulging in wishful thinking.

Further to this: Thanks to Olaf Heinzel of Waterloo Regional Police for cutting through the fog of the Highway Traffic Act. The helmet law is covered under the Revised Regulations of Ontario, Regulation 610, Section 5, which states that, "A person who is 18 years old or older is not required to comply with subsection 104 (2.1) of the Act."

Now, actually being able to find that regulation on the net is a bit of a challenge. The Ontario E-laws website could be a bit clearer, with a link from the HTA site to the Revised Regulations. Empower the people by giving them all the information, not just half of it.

Take the lane with Lance

If you happen to have $26,500 burning a hole in your pocket, you can share the roads of Waterloo Region with Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong.

Research In Motion co-boss Jim Balsillie is bringing the seven-time Tour champ to the area in June, to raise funds for the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre and Sunnybrook Hospital's Odette Cancer Centre. You can read The Record story at http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/341203

Armstrong, himself a cancer survivor, is well-known for his support for cancer fundraisers, and rode in a 135-km bike fundraiser last year in the Lake Louise area for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. There were 465 participants -- including Balsillie -- in that event (which raised $1.2 million). The Waterloo Region event will be a bit more intimate, with only 50 riders, each having some time at the front of the pack with Armstrong.

With the route pegged at about 100 km of rolling Waterloo Region terrain over three or more hours, the pace will be brisk. So is the fundraising pace: it's $1,500 to register, and riders must raise a minimum of $25,000. The ride could raise $1.4 million (less operating expenses).

So, will yours truly be participating? I wish! It takes a lot of $5 and $10 donations to make $26,500. The year I raised $5,000 for the MS Society, I was banging on doors every night and weekend for months.

Sadly, I will not take the lane with Lance. But if anyone out there wants to spot me the coin, I'll gladly ride on your behalf...

Bike-sharing in the region

The Record's Luisa D'Amato has done a nice piece on three University of Waterloo students who won a $25,000 prize for their bike-sharing concept (which is pretty much the same concept going in Paris, Vienna, Barcelona and other European centres right now). You can see the story at http://news.therecord.com/article/338964

It's a good story and a worthy endeavour, but is a little over-sold, in that it probably won't be the first such program in North America, or even in Canada. Waterloo regional government has to get on side before it goes anywhere, and before that happens, Washington's bike-share program will take effect next month, making it the first one in North America. Montreal is planning to have its bike-share pilot project in place by fall of this year, with full implementation by 2009.

First or third, Waterloo Region could be at the forefront of this new wave in urban transportation.

Which community is more bicycle friendly?

A chat with Hugh Black of True North Cycles got me wondering which community is more bicycle friendly: Waterloo Region or Guelph.

Black has moved his operation to Guelph (79 Regal Rd, Unit 15). He lives there, so his commute is shorter, but there were other factors, including the difficulty for customers of getting to his old place in Bridgeport (traffic on the bridge being a factor) and the cost of the old facility.

The other factor he mentioned was that intangible: attitude. He felt Guelph had a more positive attitude to bicycling generally. Less traffic; roads are quieter: "There's a lot more positive bike energy," he said.

Part of that energy is reflected in the fact that some custom bicycle spots -- Winterborne Custom Bicycle and Wike Bicycle Trailers (which happens to be at 79 Regal Rd., Unit 14) -- have chosen to establish themselves in Guelph. With True North's departure from Kitchener, I believe The Bicycle Forest is the only custom bicycle builder in Waterloo Region.

So I throw the question to you: Which community is more bicycle friendly?