What is cycling like in your city?

[Denscity]

Cycling around here revolves around the world class mountain bike trails. Also our long main street has bike lanes down both sides. Pretty good around here.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by someone123

Vancouver is also a pretty good cycling city because it has milder winters.

But what about the ever-present rain? Around here, rain is like kryptonite to cyclists. Is a rainy 3-degree day in Vancouver really preferable to a crisp 0-degree in Toronto when the streets are dry? I'm a cyclist, and I don't mind a warm rain in the summer, but getting wet at just 3 degrees above freezing sounds like hell.

Over the last ten years I've seen cycling grow so exponentially in Toronto that they appear to have won indisputable recognition from car drivers that they have a right to be on the streets. Not that the streets are so great for cycling, and not that there aren't jerks in motorized vehicles being jerks to cyclists, but even so, a magnitude of critical mass has been reached, and it seems like it is going to keep on growing. Bob and Doug can only run their shit show for so long. At some point, Montreal-style separate lanes and other cycling goodies will be inevitable in Toronto.

Ah, Montreal. What a dream. When we go there for summer weekends I take my road bike and do Mont Royal followed by a cruise along the canal, and then maybe go out into Longueil to the Route Verte. The bike lanes on Maissoneuve and Rachel are to die for. And there's nothing quite like wandering around the city on Bixi bikes on a summer evening. There are only two quibbles, as far as I'm concerned: the asphalt on Montreal's streets is probably only slightly better than what you get in places like Kabul and Guatemala City, and--it has to be said--winter. Specifically, snow. I hear tell that some cyclists ride all year in Montreal, but the combination of copious snow on the surface of the streets with the terrible quality of the streets themselves makes it treacherous, I would think. I never saw any cyclists in Montreal during my winter trips there. Every Montreal cyclist I've ever asked about winter riding has shaken his head and said no, c'est pas possible (though I usually only talk to road cyclists, so my ongoing informal poll is definitely skewed).

[someone123]

Originally Posted by rousseau

But what about the ever-present rain? Around here, rain is like kryptonite to cyclists.

In Vancouver you just have to get used to it. Rain doesn't bother me much, particularly when it's just drizzle. The only thing I really don't like about the weather here is when we get weeks of overcast skies. Ontario is actually not that different from coastal BC in that respect though -- London, Ontario is just about tied with Vancouver for winter sunshine hours (that list is funny because people on the Prairies love to say that it you get tons of sun there in exchange for the cold, but Saint John NB is roughly tied with Winnipeg and it is much warmer).

Is a rainy 3-degree day in Vancouver really preferable to a crisp 0-degree in Toronto when the streets are dry?

I'd probably prefer 0, but those don't reflect typical winter conditions in the two cities. Toronto is not dry all the time in the winter and its average winter temperatures are well below freezing, which means that there's frequently ice and snow. +3 is roughly the average low temperature in downtown Vancouver. We only get a few days per year around freezing here and they're often clear. The rainy weather in winter tends to be milder (+6 to 10).

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by someone123

In Vancouver you just have to get used to it. Rain doesn't bother me much, particularly when it's just drizzle.

I'll take your word for it!

Originally Posted by someone123

I'd probably prefer 0, but those don't reflect typical winter conditions in the two cities. Toronto is not dry all the time in the winter and its average winter temperatures are well below freezing, which means that there's frequently ice and snow. +3 is roughly the average low temperature in downtown Vancouver. We only get a few days per year around freezing here and they're often clear. The rainy weather in winter tends to be milder (+6 to 10).

Toronto's average high in January is -1.1, and in February it's -0.2. A crisp 0-degree day with dry roads is very typical in winter. Perhaps a total of two weeks over the course of the winter will see snowy and icy conditions on the roads making cycling less appealing to non-diehards who don't want to get stuck behind a tank clearing the roads.

[LeftCoaster]

Don't forget about the wind rousseau...

It NEVER feels like 0 when you're biking (or just standing) in the winter here. I haven't used my bike during the winter here for quite a few years now. Between the cold and the odd patch of ice it just isn't worth it. Metropass wins that battle every day.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Don't forget about the wind rousseau...

It NEVER feels like 0 when you're biking (or just standing) in the winter here. I haven't used my bike during the winter here for quite a few years now. Between the cold and the odd patch of ice it just isn't worth it. Metropass wins that battle every day.

True enough. What we forget in the rush to extol the merits of cycling is that it's not always a ride in the park on a sunny day. You do have to be a somewhat hardy soul to ride through winter (or summer in some places, for that matter). Not everyone is game for that.

But at least you're not getting wet! That's a true misery. With winter here you just wear what you would wear normally, but with the addition of gloves. You definitely need gloves, that's for sure.

I look at videos of winter cycling in the Netherlands and Denmark with envy. The winter temps in Copenhagen are just a degree or two colder than Toronto, but that doesn't stop people from riding.

[Nouvellecosse]

In Halifax, we have milder winter temps than pretty much all of Canada outside southern BC, but we also get a lot of winter rain. Usually, it's mild when there's rain (around 5-10 degrees above freezing), and when it clears up, it gets cold (2-5 degrees below freezing). As a result, we use a LOT of salt since the standing rain water would all freeze otherwise.

That's the worse part of winter biking for me. Salt and sand gets spit up from the bike wheels on everything, getting clothes and shoes filthy and rots out the bike.

When it comes weather and bike riding in Halifax, it's about what comes up, not what comes down lol.

[MolsonExport]

Biking in Montreal in Winter....sucks. badly.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Biking in Montreal in Winter....sucks. badly.

True.

My main source of transportation is my bike. You can pretty much get around all around town on the bike, as tens of thousands do every day.


Biking season is Mid-april to late november.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by someone123

In Vancouver you just have to get used to it. Rain doesn't bother me much, particularly when it's just drizzle. The only thing I really don't like about the weather here is when we get weeks of overcast skies. Ontario is actually not that different from coastal BC in that respect though -- London, Ontario is just about tied with Vancouver for winter sunshine hours (that list is funny because people on the Prairies love to say that it you get tons of sun there in exchange for the cold, but Saint John NB is roughly tied with Winnipeg and it is much warmer).

That's interesting. We may have similar sunshine hours, but since London is in a snow belt, winter cycling is anything but pleasant (or safe, for that matter). I usually notice the bike racks at UWO start getting mighty sparse around October, which is when I usually throw in the towel. The only people who are out on bikes in January are the clinically insane, or hipsters (though the two are not mutually exclusive).

Cycling in London can be a mixed bag. On-street commuting goes from downright pleasant (eg, on wide 2-lane roads like Winderemere Road: https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll...,257.58,,0,4.4 ) to terrifying (narrow arterials, like Wharncliffe: https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll...2,349.1,,0,1.8). Despite what Molson says, I find drivers here tend to be much more courteous (and attentive) than their counterparts in Toronto, with the exception of cabbies, bus drivers and pickup truck drivers.

The city has been building grade-separated bike lanes along high-speed suburban arterials, such as this section of Wonderland Road: https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=wonder...53.99,,0,-4.51 (the bike lane is the strip of asphalt between the road and the street). Personally, this is my favourite system, since it doesn't take space away from cars and creates a clear, physical barrier between cyclists and motor vehicles. As great as they are, though, not too many people use them.

Coming back to Molson's point, the network has some good ideas behind it but it is very patchy. Curiously, the areas of the city that have the highest amount of bike traffic (ie, University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College) have the fewest miles of bike lanes. There's a ridiculously short section on Western Road (makes you wonder why they even bothered...), a trail that goes from downtown to the university, and that's it. There is nothing on Richmond Street (central arterial with high speeds and lots of bad student drivers), nor is there any direct route across the river. The city has graciously provided us with an incredibly dated-looking and hard-to-use virtual online map to show the extent of our gloriously patchy network: http://webmap.london.ca/mapclient/ma...ider=SVC&K10=0

Cycling is nice, good exercise, but I still prefer my car.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...169331726.html

LOCAL
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Cyclist tried to return to sidewalk before collision with semi
By: Aldo Santin
Posted: 11:48 AM | Comments: 79
2 0 REDDIT1 TUMBLR1 4 PRINT E–MAIL
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image



This comes during what can only be referred to as a war in Winnipeg. Two cyclists have been killed this year, and multiple accidents are reported throughout the year, and as the tension builds, the media only posts more and more accidents.

There is now a major debate occurring between cyclists and drivers in this city over whether the cyclists should be given the right to use the road. The drivers are pushing for cyclists to only be legally eligible to ride on sidewalks, where as the cyclists (with the exception of those too afraid to use the roads) feel that is more dangerous.

Drivers in Winnipeg are some of the worst I have seen anywhere, and are amongst the most self-righteous and ignorant. It really shows how many in this city need to get out and experience the world more, because sometimes their ignorance is simply astounding.

It also doesnt help when you have a group of cyclists that completely ignore all rules of the road.....this makes it really hard to cycle in a city as drivers get ticked off. This non compliant reflects very badly on the other cylists who are actually trying to obey the rules of the road...I can see why there are problems.

There are also the cyclists who ride on the sidewalks and pay no attention to alley crossings. When they almost get hit, they think it is the driver's fault......it is both of their faults. There really needs to be an education campaign......

I cycle daily to work.

[chrisallard5454]

Originally Posted by kw5150

It also doesnt help when you have a group of cyclists that completely ignore all rules of the road.....this makes it really hard to cycle in a city as drivers get ticked off. This non compliant reflects very badly on the other cylists who are actually trying to obey the rules of the road...I can see why there are problems.

There are also the cyclists who ride on the sidewalks and pay no attention to alley crossings. When they almost get hit, they think it is the driver's fault......it is both of their faults. There really needs to be an education campaign......

I cycle daily to work.

In this case, the "accident" in my opinion was 100% the cyclists fault. It is illegal to ride on the sidewalks, and there is a reason for that. When crossing at a pedestrian crosswalk, one must cross like a pedestrian; that is push the button, wait for traffic to stop, and walk across. If one is cycling with traffic then obey traffic laws. Unfortunately there are guilty parties on both sides.