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  #21  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 2:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Gurnett71 View Post
Another press release: [url]
The new parking facility is now open for public use. Permits can be
purchased for $40 for the remainder of 2008.
Cyclists can purchase a permit by calling 905-546-2424, ext. 1473.
The new facility appropriately opens to the public during National
Commuter Challenge week, just in time for National 'Bike to Work Day'
tomorrow.
Well, I rode my bike downtown this morning, and I'm still sweating. They couldn't have picked a hotter day for this challenge.

Anyway, I didn't use the bike locker, so I can't report on that. I work in a bike and dog friendly building.
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  #22  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 2:31 PM
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I saw the cutest thing ever this morning on Aberdeen Ave. A guy was riding his bike with a little pooch sitting on the front basket with his face forward sniffing away well his ears were flapping back.
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  #23  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 3:09 PM
raisethehammer raisethehammer is offline
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wohoo!!! just stepped out front and a city crew is spray-painting bike lanes on York Blvd, just east of Strathcona. I wonder how far they are going???
probably just to that stupid sign on Locke indicating that 'shared lane ends'. The lanes are wide enough to take the lane right to Bay St immediately and then hopefully further east later.
3 years from now maybe they'll extend them to Bay. haha.
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  #24  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 4:25 PM
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Originally Posted by SteelTown View Post
I saw the cutest thing ever this morning on Aberdeen Ave. A guy was riding his bike with a little pooch sitting on the front basket with his face forward sniffing away well his ears were flapping back.
I used to ride with my *big* pooch in a bike trailer with her head sticking out. Always got lots of laughs.
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  #25  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 11:09 AM
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Crate keeps bike off bus rack
Cyclist shocked, but HSR stands by driver

June 10, 2008
Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator

Robert Wilson says he's travelled more than 3,200 kilometres on his bike with his milk crate carrier strapped to the back and it has never come off.

That's part of the reason Wilson was so shocked last week when he was told he could not use a bike rack on a city bus until the carrier was removed.

"If it hasn't fallen off in 2,000 miles, how do you figure it's going to fall off the bus in three blocks?" he questioned.

The 50-year-old cyclist had just gone for a long ride when he decided to grab the Aberdeen bus Friday afternoon. It was then the driver told him the rack would have to come off. Wilson decided to catch a cab home instead.

"For the city to install bike racks on buses, then deny people the right to use them, it's flagrantly wrong," he said.

The HSR says Wilson became irate and left before being presented with alternatives by the bus driver.

Drivers do have the discretion to decide whether bikes with large carriers or obstructing accessories will be allowed onto the rack.

Don Hull, director of transit for the city, said this is the first instance the city has dealt with in which someone was not allowed to use a rack because of a container an operator felt was unsafe. The racks have been on city buses a year.

"In this case, we support the position of the operator ... that it's not properly affixed to the bike and the operator felt that it wasn't safe," Hull said.

The bus driver had a concern about the crate, which was carrying things, being fastened with bungee cords, Hull said.

The cords only hold things on the crate, Wilson said. The crate is fastened to a carrier on a metal frame, bolted to the bike, with plastic straps used in the automotive industry, he said.

Hull said that as the city gains more experience with the racks, the policy may be revisited. That could include defining what constitutes a large carrier.

"We want our policies to be as clear as they possibly can be so that these incidents don't happen."

Hull said that, for the foreseeable future, discretion will remain with the driver.
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  #26  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 12:50 PM
FairHamilton FairHamilton is offline
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^Yeah, I'm with the driver on this one. If something happened that caused accident, injury or damage, it would be the drivers fault.

It shouldn't be up to the driver to examine non-standard attachments and make a determination if they are safe, or not. A driver isn't trained to have that sort of knowledge, or expertise.
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  #27  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 8:12 PM
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Also with the driver for reasons already pointed out. It's not a risk the driver nor his employer can take.
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  #28  
Old Posted Jul 4, 2008, 10:44 AM
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It looks like a big year for bicycles
1

High gas prices accelerate change
July 04, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jul 4, 2008)
It's a two-wheel twist on park 'n' ride when Al Fletcher and his wife drop off their kids at a southwest Mountain day care and go to work for the City of Hamilton.

They park the family van, with a bike rack attached, at the day care in the morning. Jill takes her bike off and rides downtown. Al rides, too. When he picks up the kids, he puts his bike on the rack.

And then drives home.

"I have turned in my parking pass for City Hall," the manager of zoning bylaw reform says as he dons his helmet and unlocks his mountain bike from the new secure bike lock-up in the York Boulevard parkade across from the Farmers' Market.

"Yesterday I had to fill up my car," Fletcher said. "I drive a little Mazda and it was $66 to fill it up. It's starting to make a difference. You adjust your habits."

He rides from home at Garth and Mohawk two or three days a week.

Fletcher is among the Hamiltonians insulating themselves from $1.35 per litre gas prices. Bike shops are reporting new customers and new models arriving each day.

And the city continues to invest in cycling-related infrastructure, at a time when two wheels certainly beat four at the pump.

Today, new bike lanes will open up a portion of the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail along North Service Road, Stoney Creek.

Politicians, cyclists and others will meet at Millen Road north of the QEW at 2 p.m. for the 12-kilometre addition of on-street bike lanes. Hamilton will now have more than 100 kilometres of bike lanes.

Daryl Bender, city project manager for alternative transportation (which includes cycling), said that with new bike lockups, work on a cycling link over the 403 via a CP Rail trail, and a new cycling master plan in the works, it's a big year for bikes.

He said the city is even working with employers to get things like workplace bike storage areas, workplace showers and lockers in place. It's not mandated, but it's moving along nicely, he said.

Hamilton's Transportation Master Plan aims to see a 20 per cent reduction in one-person car trips by 2031.

Statistics Canada reports that the years 1996-2006 saw a 40 per cent rise in the share of Hamilton workers commuting by bike. About 2,905 locals did so in 2006.

A few trends are converging in 2008 to make it a good year for bikes: high gas prices, a provincial tax break on some bikes and the introduction of new commuter bikes aimed at the cyclist who has to get to work or ride on errands.

"We are definitely selling more bikes with bike racks, more hybrid-style bikes that are good for commuting," said Elaine Pierik of Pieriks Cycle in Westdale.

For new buyers, it's part of a wave of new models with easier shifting, softer saddles and a more upright position that can turn a fitness tool into a practical way to get around.

The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada reports that bike commuting is growing, led by workers under 35 in large cities, especially Montreal and Vancouver. BTAC says the number of bikes sold in Canada in first-quarter 2008 is up 6 per cent over the same period in 2007.


Zoning Reform?? Now, THESE are the types I want to see getting onto bikes and buses in this city. Great news!
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  #29  
Old Posted Jul 4, 2008, 11:00 AM
thistleclub thistleclub is offline
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Zoning By-Law Reform. Still, good sign. Especially if he's still at it in autumn.

National Post - Bike sales soar as drivers trade four wheels for two
"The number of Canadians bicycling to work jumped by 20% between 2001 and 2006, according to Statistics Canada, which pegs the figure at 195,500, or about 1.3% of the total commuting population."
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  #30  
Old Posted Jul 5, 2008, 2:56 PM
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City of Hamilton:

New bike lanes on North Service Road brings inventory to over 100km

HAMILTON, ON. - July 4, 2008 - As part of a commitment to providing sustainable transportation options in Hamilton, the City of Hamilton's Public Works Department officially opened new bicycle lanes on the North Service Road in Stoney Creek today. The event took place as part of the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure ride that drew cyclists through Hamilton today. Councillors Maria Pearson and Bob Bratina were in attendance at the event today, as well as representatives from the Public Works Department, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and the Hamilton Cycling Committee.

"This is another step forward to enhancing Hamilton's extensive cycling bike and trails system," said Daryl Bender, Project Manager of
Alternative Transportation in the Public Works Department. "This 12-kilometre addition brings our inventory of on-street bike lanes to
more than 100 kilometres."

The new North Service Road bike lanes run through Wards 10 and 11 in Stoney Creek and are a combination of dedicated bike lanes/shoulders, signed on-street routes, and a small section of multi-use path. The route will follow local residential streets and use some existing multi-use paths where available. Much of the route is provided by newly paved dedicated bike lanes constructed through a combination of City initiatives and development related projects.

Also included with this project is the installation of signage that identifies "Windows to the Lake" locations to highlight areas along the
shoreline with lake views and public access. The route links Confederation Park to Fifty Point Conservation Area and provides a missing segment within the 780 kilometre Waterfront trail system that runs from Niagara-On-The-Lake to the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.

"The opening of these bike lanes demonstrates the future for this city - multimodal transportation, a cleaner environment and a healthier
community," said Scott Stewart, General Manager of Hamilton's Public Works Department.
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  #31  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2008, 10:41 AM
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Elsewhere...

One year after a nonprofit group hosted a five-day bicycle-sharing experiment, the New York City Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday that it was considering creating such a program on a permanent basis.

“If feasible and adopted, such a program would create a network of publicly accessible bicycles at minimal cost, and could provide an important transportation link at transit hubs and commercial and social areas ­greatly increasing mobility citywide,” the department said in a news release.
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  #32  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2008, 4:04 PM
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a very cynical "news report" on allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs...
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=35500@kpix.dayport.com
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  #33  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2008, 5:15 PM
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Independent UK: Thieves ride off with 3,000 of Paris's free bicycles

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The self-service, Parisian bike-for-hire – the vélib' – was intended mostly for short rides when it was introduced 12 months ago.

More than 3,000 of the sturdy grey bicycles have gone missing since then. Some have turned up as far away as Romania and, according to one report, Australia. Another 3,000 have been deliberately destroyed or damaged. But the 16,000 bikes in circulation have proved extremely popular. The idea – a cheap, computerised system of self-service bicycles in racks on almost every street corner – has been exported to countries across the world, including Austria and Spain, with plans for a similar system in Finland, Australia and the United States.

The Parisian service will shortly be expanded into the city's suburbs. The Mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, also hopes to extend the concept within a couple of years to self-service, electric cars, which will encourage commuters and Parisians to dump their own exhaust-emitting run-abouts.

In the space of one year the vélib' has become a Parisian institution, giving the streets and boulevards of the French capital a vague air of Amsterdam or Cambridge. M. Delanoë plans to celebrate his success by inviting 365 vélib users – or vélibeurs – to take part in an older, two-wheeled, French institution, the Tour de France. Vélibeurs, chosen at random from the 27,000 long-term subscribers, will be invited to cycle part of the course of the final day of the race just before the professional riders reach Paris on Sunday week.
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  #34  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2008, 1:45 AM
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Now that the rain and lightning has stopped it is safe to ride. Two weeks ago in a storm shaved 5 minutes off my ride home.
This city has some really good bike routes, maybe just slightly longer as a direct route but you don't need eyes in the back of your head.
So for a rough idea of time from Lawrence Rd/Rosedale to HGH approx. 20 mins. Lawrence is a designated bike way with marked shoulders, to Cumberland at Gage to Stinson to Hunter at Wellington and straight down Ferguson to Barton. Or if you are going to the downtwon just follow Hunter to the Go Station.
Funny I see more 30+ plus types on the road. No younger crowd yet.
I have a truck but hate to pay for parking, find a free spot or cry at the pump with an $80 fill up. Now a tank lasts a month.
So there is a bike route from Nash and King to the downtown just use Lawrence. It is nice without all the exhaust.
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  #35  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2008, 2:19 AM
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Check out http://www.bikely.com
Users map out their routes - either commuter, training, or leisure, etc. You can hover over the map at key points along the way and find out safety issues, any notable things, etc
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  #36  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2008, 2:23 AM
FairHamilton FairHamilton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bornagainbiking View Post
Now that the rain and lightning has stopped it is safe to ride. Two weeks ago in a storm shaved 5 minutes off my ride home.
This city has some really good bike routes, maybe just slightly longer as a direct route but you don't need eyes in the back of your head.
So for a rough idea of time from Lawrence Rd/Rosedale to HGH approx. 20 mins. Lawrence is a designated bike way with marked shoulders, to Cumberland at Gage to Stinson to Hunter at Wellington and straight down Ferguson to Barton. Or if you are going to the downtwon just follow Hunter to the Go Station.
Funny I see more 30+ plus types on the road. No younger crowd yet.
I have a truck but hate to pay for parking, find a free spot or cry at the pump with an $80 fill up. Now a tank lasts a month.
So there is a bike route from Nash and King to the downtown just use Lawrence. It is nice without all the exhaust.
I like riding Lawrence, not too much traffic, only a couple of stop lights, and the dedicated bike lane. We took it on Sunday when we rode over to Lowes. I'm sure they aren't used to seeing too many people carrying a bike helmet in Lowes, lol.

I really wish we had a few other good lengths of road with dedicated bike lanes.
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  #37  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2008, 2:52 AM
holymoly holymoly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adam View Post
Check out http://www.bikely.com
Users map out their routes - either commuter, training, or leisure, etc. You can hover over the map at key points along the way and find out safety issues, any notable things, etc
That's a cool site. Thanks, adam.
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  #38  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2008, 11:21 AM
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City eyes new cycling master plan

October 02, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton is about to update the "modest" 1999 Shifting Gears plan for cycling in the city, to inject new life on two wheels.

Daryl Bender, city project manager handling cycling, said the months ahead will collect public input on how to improve routes, signage, promotion and more.

"Shifting Gears is modest by today's standards," said Bender. "The past 10 years have seen a big increase in the interest paid to active transportation." The sessions for input are not yet scheduled.

The new cycling master plan, to be done by spring, grows out of studies such as the 2007 Transportation Master Plan and 2006 West Hamilton Bicycle Network Review.

The Transportation Master Plan's near-term goal was to make bikes a choice for 10 per cent of trips (from 6 per cent currently); long term, the goal is 15 per cent, with better routes, shorter home/work distances, education and better urban planning.

Bender said the new plan will also satisfy some environmental assessment rules for a list of projects, so they don't spend years each in separate assessment processes.

Coming soon, Bender says, are improvements at Aberdeen and Longwood, King from Nash to Centennial, and the trickier CP Rail-Main Street West connection, where the city is about to submit an offer to purchase so it can negotiate cyclists across the 403 rail bridge.

It comes as regional transportation agency Metrolinx is also plotting an ambitious course for the future of Toronto and Hamilton.

In the region, Metrolinx estimates 17 per cent of all trips are walkable (less than two kilometres) and 40 per cent are bikable (less than five kilometres). But walking and cycling make up just 5 per cent of work trips and 32 per cent of school trips in the region.

Fifteen years into the Metrolinx transportation plan, the agency plans to invest up to $300 million in new walking and cycling infrastructure in the region, creating up to 4,500 kilometres of dedicated on- and off-road facilities.

From 16 to 25 years from now, a further $200 million will be invested in walking and cycling for an additional 3,000 kilometres.

Jill Stephen, city manager of strategic planning, said Metrolinx already sent $190,000 to Hamilton for bike racks on buses and secure storage at the York Boulevard parkade.She said the city will study its nodes and corridors -- major stops and lines in its network -- to see where more storage makes sense, possibly at GO stations, for example.

The city plans to open the next secure bike locker at the Hamilton Convention Centre in spring 2009. Without Metrolinx help, the city's annual budget for cycling initiatives is $300,000.
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  #39  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2008, 4:51 PM
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Just got hit by a car today. As I'd always predicted, it happened in Burlington while riding on the right, doing nothing out of the ordinary, by someone who was just not paying attention. Bike lanes wouldn't have helped. Drivers need to be aware of bicyclists. The best improvement to bike safety is more bikes on the road.
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  #40  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2008, 5:09 PM
raisethehammer raisethehammer is offline
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oh my goodness. are you ok??
that's horrible news!
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