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  #181  
Old Posted Feb 27, 2013, 1:30 AM
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I still think it's unfortunate we passed on the velodrome. It could have been part of a larger sport/ cycling movement in Hamilton - we are the FATTEST city in the country are we not?

BTW, what an absurd street name - Louis St Laurent ave. I mean, suburban street names are idiotic at the best of times but that's taking the cake.
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  #182  
Old Posted Feb 27, 2013, 12:56 PM
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While the velodrome would've been nice, I'm really upset we didn't even look at baseball/softball when it was offered to us.
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  #183  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2013, 4:55 AM
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^Another missed opportunity.

We could have rebuilt Bernie Arbour to accomodate a low-level professional team. A simple 5,000 seat stadium would not have broken the bank but the City was, naturally, a little gun-shy after the Ti-Cat debacle. Council is completely gutless afterall.

My dream, though, would have been a sparkling downtown stadium with seating for 10,000 or so - retro style, skyline as the backdrop...all that good stuff. Then you're looking at much more significant investment, however, and the question of whether Hamilton could attract a AA or AAA team to town. And if they did, would anybody come out to watch them play. Not sure...but it's nice to dream.
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  #184  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2013, 10:47 PM
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Hamilton councillors vote yes on bikeshare plan

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...ge-line-9.html
By Adam Carter, CBC News

A plan for a bicycle-sharing system in Hamilton just rolled a bit closer to reality.

Councillors voted unanimously to approve a bike share program in the city Wednesday afternoon. Now, the project will move towards the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage so that prospective operators can make a pitch to the city.

“This is great — I didn't expect it to go like this, but it is great to see,” said Al Mithani, a cycling and bikeshare advocate who presented at council Wednesday.

“I would love to see a bikeshare program here within a year,” Mithani told CBC Hamilton. “I would just like to see it come out as soon as possible so that we can see results.”

A bikeshare program — like the Bixi Bikes used in Toronto — would allow Hamiltonians to quickly rent bikes from turnstile locations throughout the city and use them as needed.

According to Peter Topalovic, head of mobility programs and special projects with the city, a bikeshare program with 35 locations and 300 bikes (along with staff and maintenance) would cost $1.6 million – or the price of two buses.

Funds for the program would come through Metrolinx’s “Quick Wins” program, and would not cost the city directly.

Even councillors who had previously balked at the liability, equity and optics of the project — such as Ward 8 Coun. Terry Whitehead and Ward 6 Coun. Tom Jackson — were on board with the project this time around. Coun. Jackson said he is taking “a leap of faith” by backing the project.

"I'm still one of the skeptics from a commuter lane standpoint, but let's see,” Jackson said, adding that he would like city staff to report back on the project each year after it is implemented.

At Wednesday's meeting, Coun. Whitehead repeatedly stated that he thought Hamilton's existing public transit system is lacking, and questioned whether or not funds should be allocated there first before implementing a brand new system like bike share.

Whitehead also said he recently met with councillors from Montreal and Toronto (cities that already have bike share programs) and they cautioned him that bikeshare systems can be expensive even after the initial costs are covered.

“Be careful on the budget line, because they will be back,” Whitehead said.

Unexpected costs

That has been the case in Montreal. In 2011, the city of Montreal approved a $108-million bailout package for the Bixi bikesharing program. The city-controlled Public Bike System Company (PBSC) that runs Bixi said it needed more money to continue its expansion into other centres.

"Montrealers and the self-serve bicycle system benefit of the fact that we export bicycles outside of the country," PBSC president Roger Plamondon said at the time. "It is urgent that we have the financial leverage to continue our operations."

In fiscal 2012, PBSC expected revenue of $91 million and profit nearing $11 million. According to a Radio-Canada report, revenues are more likely to have reached $49.6 million and the profits are projected to tank, with the company losing $2.8 million.

When contacted by CBC Hamilton, PBSC communications coordinator Marie-Hélène Houle said the company would not comment on how the Bixi system has worked in other cities because the matter was still before Hamilton City Council.

Economic and fiscal benefits

City staff did present a report to council on bikeshare programs in other centres to shed some light on how ownership, infrastructure and business models work in other places. Eleven cities were listed, including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Bixi Bikes is involved in all those places, albeit in different ways:

Toronto: Bixi owns the equipment, and the business model is for profit, owned and operated. Funding sources include a capital loan, Telus/Dejardins sponsorship and user fees.
* Ottawa: The National Capital Commission (NCC) owns the equipment, and the business model falls under its jurisdiction as well. Funding sources include the NCC, municipal capital funding, sponsorships and user fees.
* Montreal: The City of Montreal owns the equipment and controls the business model. Funding sources include municipal tax dollars, a Telus/Dejardins sponsorship and user fees.

According to the report, Toronto “has similar cycling infrastructure” to Hamilton and results from that city's program can be used to make a comparison as to how the program could run here. According to the report:

* Less than one per cent of all stations and bikes in Toronto and Montreal end up vandalized
* Under 15 per cent of all users report that they used a bike or walked to work before using Bixi
* Thirty to 50 per cent of users reported being transit users
* Thirty-five to 50 per cent of people did not bike, walk or take transit for their daily commute before using Bixi
* The report also said that there were economic and tourism benefits for each city due to the implementation of a bikeshare program.

Some Toronto councillors had worried that the city could end up on the hook for liability issues connected to a bikeshare program, but according to the report, that hasn't been the case. “Investigation into the risk of using a third party operator for a bikeshare system has demonstrated that there is minimal risk or similar risk to that of other municipal infrastructure,” the report reads.
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  #185  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2013, 8:42 PM
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  #186  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2013, 6:39 PM
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@EmmaatTheSpec:

It's official. Bikeshare program passes unanimously. #HamOnt
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  #187  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2013, 6:47 PM
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I hope to see a few put in Central Hamilton, near the General Hospital, etc. Many residents here could use the promotion of better health also another option of transportation.

I wonder if this will reduce the amount of bike theft here, I know even my own tenants have an addiction to this lol.
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  #188  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2013, 7:06 PM
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Awesome work, thanks very much for this.
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  #189  
Old Posted Mar 29, 2013, 2:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pearlstreet View Post
I hope to see a few put in Central Hamilton, near the General Hospital, etc. Many residents here could use the promotion of better health also another option of transportation.

I wonder if this will reduce the amount of bike theft here, I know even my own tenants have an addiction to this lol.
An addiction to bike theft? Jesus. I did lose one out of my backyard last year. A**holes.
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  #190  
Old Posted Mar 29, 2013, 6:29 AM
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My home made bike cargo trailer was stolen from my house last month, and thanks to the cops that found it one more bike theif is somewhere they can't cause misery by stealing bikes.

More bikes are recovered than people think, and police do take it seriously. Everyone take the time to get your serial numbers and register. It could make the difference between bike and no bike.
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  #191  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2013, 1:27 PM
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Cyclists testing pedal power likely to return to Ancaster for 2014
(Ancaster News, Debra Downey, Apr 4 2013)

The odds are definitely in favour of the Hamilton Cycling Club’s Good Friday road race returning to the Ancaster fairgrounds for 2014.

Race director Marc Risdale said although a wrap-up meeting has yet to be held, the chances of returning to Ancaster next year are “very good.”

“We have laid down an excellent framework that will allow us to host a top-quality event for years to come,” said Risdale. “We are really pleased to be able to showcase our community to people from all across Ontario.”

After being held in the area of Safari and Brock roads in Flamborough for the past couple of years, the 61-year-old race moved this year to roads surrounding the fairgrounds. Nine separate races were held in 15 different age, gender and ability categories. Routes ranged from 37 to 111 kilometres, and close to 500 racers challenged their pedalling power.

Risdale said the fairgrounds turned out to be an “ideal venue” for such a large number of cyclists, spectators and well-wishers.

He said organizers were able to segregate parking and race headquarters from the course, which was a “huge benefit.”

The fairgrounds’ service roads also became part of the route and allowed a unique “arena” feature that enhanced spectators’ experiences.
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  #192  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2013, 4:18 PM
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Ain’t it Grand for cyclists
(Hamilton Spectator, Carmela Fragomeni, Apr 5 2013)

Cyclists will soon be able to cruise all the way from Hamilton to the Grand River.

A new trail under construction in Haldimand will connect Hamilton’s Chippewa Trail to another existing one in Caledonia, which can then be used to get to the banks of the Grand.

The Hamilton leg of the trail ends at the city’s boundary with Haldimand on Haldibrook Road, where the new section will start.

The connecting piece — the Haldimand-Chippewa Trail — is expected to open May 11, according to Sheila Wilson, Haldimand County’s manager of community development and partnerships.

It will also be a new section of the Trans Canada Trail.

Wilson said the Trans Canada Trail, a nonprofit organization, is providing $60,000 to build the Haldimand-Chippewa connector into Caledonia.

“This is the missing link (from Hamilton to Caledonia) that we’re developing,” says Wilson.

But it’s not usable yet, since the county is still working on the final grading, she said.

The trail will have a 2.7-kilometre, off-road section for hikers, cyclists and users of other forms of travel, except for motorized modes of transportation, Wilson said.

Another 2.5-kilometre section of the new trail will be an on-road section for cyclists only, she said.

The on-road piece starts on Haldimand Road 66, meets McClung Road, then continues along McClung to Seneca Park in Caledonia.
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  #193  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2013, 8:21 PM
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Bixi Toronto in financial trouble, city wants to restructure deal
(Toronto Star, Robyn Doolittle, Apr 16 2013)

Just two years after its launch, Bixi Toronto has hit financial trouble and city staff are recommending council restructure its relationship with the public bicycle program to protect its $4.8-million loan guarantee.

But Bixi says it’s being set up to fail.

“The system is too small for Toronto. We anticipated that the system would have reached 3,000 bikes by the third year and when you have a bigger network it allows us to have more revenue,” said spokesman Michel Philibert. “That’s why we are in this situation.”

Toronto boasts 4,630 paid subscribers and more than 1.3 million cycling trips logged since the May 2011 launch. But only about 1,000 bikes are on the road, and many central cycling-friendly neighbourhoods — such as Parkdale, Liberty Village and Leslieville — are not yet in the network.

By comparison, there are 5,120 bikes and 411 stations (compared with Toronto’s 80) in Montreal. Barclays Cycle Hire in London, England, has a fleet of 9,200 bikes and 687 stations.

It’s not yet clear what the restructuring would look like. Details will be distributed to councillors in a confidential report before the April 23 executive committee meeting.

Toronto’s manager of cycling infrastructure, Daniel Egan, said the goal is not to kill the program.

“Bixi’s been very successful. We’re having some financial challenges. Nothing major, but we’re just working with them to sort through that. And what we’re reporting to executive committee is the options for moving forward with the intention of improving the Bixi program in Toronto,” said Egan.

Councillors are uneasy because this is not the first time the Bixi brand has been in financial trouble. In 2011, Montreal was forced to give Bixi a $108-million bailout package, including a $71-million loan guarantee and $37-million loan.

It was the City of Montreal that created the Public Bike System Company — Bixi’s parent company — to develop a shared bike program. PBSC then sold the idea to cities around the world, including New York, Boston, Minneapolis, Melbourne and London. PBSC created Bixi Toronto Inc. to run the program here.
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  #194  
Old Posted Apr 21, 2013, 4:08 PM
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Hammerheads triathlon team salutes Hughes
(Dundas Star, April 18)

The athletes of the Hamilton Hammerheads are thrilled Clara Hughes will be honoured by a ceremony and plaque unveiling at the summit of Sydenham Hill in Dundas, [Saturday] April 27 at 11 a.m.

Affectionately called Clara’s Climb, the steep hill is the home training ground for the Hammerheads Youth Triathlon club. Together with the community, the Hammerheads will celebrate Hughes’ achievement as an outstanding athlete and compassionate humanitarian.

Hamilton Hammerheads are a youth triathlon club dedicated to fun workouts and team spirit. Cycling is just one part of their training regimen and the quad burning, lung heaving, nail biting battle up the hill and a dizzying daredevil dive of a descent back down is a challenge no matter what your skill level.
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  #195  
Old Posted May 10, 2013, 5:27 PM
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A group called Yes We Cannon has started a petition to improve cycling on Cannon Street.

From their website:

Quote:
The mission: create a bi-directional bike lane, running the full length of Cannon Street, by 2015.
...
Between Bike Share, the proposed James St North GO Station, and the 2015 Pan Am games, now is the ideal time to take a bold step towards safe downtown transportation.
Website: yeswecannon.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BikeCannon2015
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YesWeCannon
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  #196  
Old Posted May 11, 2013, 5:05 PM
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It really is ridiculous the amount of effort you need to put forth in this city just to get a few lines painted on a road that slightly decrease traffic volume/speed.
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  #197  
Old Posted May 12, 2013, 3:59 AM
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The minute the City starts painting lines on roads for two-way or for bike lanes or what have you, the phone starts ringing off the hook from major campaign contributors like Ron Foxcroft and the like. The City has its collective head so far up Foxy's a*se it's nearly dying of asphyxiation. Complete streets are a serious threat to transportation/ logistics companies like Fluke, so you can be sure old Foxy will do everything in his power to prevent the proliferation of such things.

Again, I'm being terribly negative and cynical (I'm apologise) but I think we all know City Councillors and staff have a lot of 'important' people to answer to, the general public not being one of them. That's why nothing gets done here.
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  #198  
Old Posted May 12, 2013, 2:44 PM
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Not to say that those voices are inconsequential, but there are other more mundane hurdles to deal with as well.

Council support will probably hinge on the scope and cost of the project. The City's standard MO is to do everything at once -- tackle all sub-street infrastructure, revamp sidewalks, resurface roadway and so on -- and for a 6-kilometre stretch of road, that’s bound to come at a cost, both in time and money.

The 2007 Cycling Network Strategy made its estimates based on an average unit cost of $57,500/km, “which assumes 25% of improvements require street widening, while the remainder require little work beyond changes in signage and pavement markings”.

That’s rather skeletal, however, and it seems like a waste to install bike lanes without resurfacing. Here are some 2012 cost yardsticks from Brantford:

Partial-Depth Resurfacing (Shave & Pave)
10-year service life
• $125,000 per one lane-km

Full-Depth Resurfacing
15-year service life
• $200,000 per one lane-km with existing curbs
• $500,000 per one lane-km with new curb construction including removals, excavation, restorations, catch-basin work and engineering survey and design

Complete Road Reconstruction
25-year service life
• $750,000 per one lane-km


Those prices are independent of underground infrastructure replacement/upgrade or “complete streets” amenities (the 2011 York Boulevard and 2012 Wilson Street conversions worked out to around $2 million per lane-km).

I’m not exactly encouraged by the Gore precedent – both the “if it ain’t broke” mindset that halted action on the Gore Park pedestrian piazza until after the 2015 Pan Am Games, and the allocated-and-then-deferred $200K cost of the pilot project. Those decisions came three to four years prior to the Games, and the Gore is just three blocks of two-lane roadway (primarily parking), 3km west of the stadium precinct. Cannon is a four-lane collector road that directly serves the stadium. We’re now about two years from the Games’ opening, and the 2014-15 budget won’t be approved until 15 months before the Games open. In order to overhaul Cannon by then, the City will need all of its ducks (and Cats) in a row. Especially in an election year, when a zero-tax increase budget is bound to be a council priority.
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  #199  
Old Posted May 12, 2013, 3:28 PM
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  #200  
Old Posted May 15, 2013, 2:27 PM
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Bixi bikes: Residents support city takeover, poll finds
(Toronto Star, Robyn Doolittle, May 14 2013)

More than half of Torontonians support a city takeover of the embattled Bixi bike sharing program to complement the TTC, an automated phone survey from Forum Research suggests.

However, only a third of the 974 people polled favour subsidizing the program. A total of 51 per cent would like the program to succeed or fail on its own.

The survey, conducted on May 10, showed that seven in 10 respondents are aware of the Bixi bike service and about a tenth had used the program. Bixi bike users are most likely to be earning less than $20,000 a year, are under 35, and live in either Toronto or East York.

“They’ve heard of it, may have used it and they think it brings value to the city. They even want to see Bixi as part of the TTC. The only caveat is, Torontonians want to see the service pay for itself,” Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said in a statement.
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