Quote:
Originally Posted by Wooster
Toronto's biking population is growing a lot downtown. The streets are tight so there isn't a lot of room for cyclists, especially on busy commuter streets like Queen. With regard to streetcar tracks, they can be pretty hazardous. I have a colleague that crashed on his bike on a streetcar track a few months back - totally decimated his knee.
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Streetcar tracks definitely can be hazardous and I've known a number of people who have hurt themselves quite badly (shattered collarbone being the worst). I still maintain they are a better option than buses for biking as long as you are paying attention and cross at an angle. Though I might be a bit jaded after being almost killed by buses in Ottawa a few times. I've heard comments on blogto and spacing about how impossible it is to make left hand turns from Spadina to College/Dundas/Queen due to the sheer number of tracks but I do it just about every day on my commute with no problem. I'm pretty comfortable switching lanes across the tracks on Dundas to make a left turn onto my street. This is with 1 1/8" tires that theoretically can get stuck very easily. Not sure I'd want to do it with a fixie, but then again I still don't particularly understand that culture even though people I know ride them.
Most of the people I know who have been injured by streetcar tracks there was another factor that led them to ride into the tracks without thinking. Usually avoiding getting doored and swerving to the left, which is pretty dangerous regardless if there are tracks or not.
Interestingly enough I've talked to people who are terrified of biking on all but a few Toronto streets and are horrified when I say that I have absolutely no problem biking on Bloor or Queen and do it fairly regularly. Having attempted to bike in other cities I would take either over pretty much any major surface street in Ottawa or Calgary
Quote:
Originally Posted by habfanman
To people like that I always retort "Well, since were a winter city, I guess we don't need pools, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, patios.." That usually gets them thinking!
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I need to use this one sometime! Winter riding isn't too bad in my experience as long as you aren't doing it while it's snowing. The worst part for me wasn't the road conditions, but the bizarre feeling of overheating due to excessive layers while freezing in the extremities at the same time.