Yesterday Google added directions for cyclists, but only for U.S. cities. What about us folks in Toronto? Well, we've got Ride the City Toronto. RTC is a collaboration of two planners in New York, Vaidila Kungys and Jordan Anderson, who've been diligently adding over the last couple years city-specific cycling data to their mapping tool so cyclists can map the best route. The latest city to make the map is Toronto.

Google and RTC are going about it in similar ways; both need to get cycling-specific GIS information about bike lanes, trails and signed routes. They then combine that data into their database and create an algorithm that weights the different factors. When you media's interest in Google's launchmap a route you have the option of choosing a "safe", "safer" and "direct" route.

Because of the media's interest in Google's launch and finding out that it was coming to Toronto any time soon, it made sense to make public the previously beta version of RTC Toronto. You may find that there are still some tweaks to be made to the bike routes, so RTC encourages you to sign up as a user and rate the routes.

This is my simple bike. A Peugeot Sport with 27 inch wheels, fenders and a coaster brake.

Nothing fancy. An old used Brooks saddle maybe for comfort. It's not a silent ride, there are squeaks here and there. But my hands are free and it's easy to maintain.

Where can you build yourself a bike like this? Try the Bike Pirates if you are into DIY which is super fun. Other places to try are CBN (Community Bicycle Network) and the Bike Joint.

A highly recommended ride.

The essay below is from Veronica, a cyclist active in Bike 25, a group working towards implementing the bike plan in Ward 25.

On Wednesday March 10, 2010 the City of Toronto will be holding a Public Open House to discuss planned bike lanes for Lawrence Avenue East, from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue.

At first glance, it would appear that this is another 'bike lane to nowhere'. But viewed in the larger context of the Bikeway Network, this is the first piece of a planned bike lane on Lawrence Avenue stretching from Avenue Road to past Port Union Road. While it's unfortunate that this bike lane is being assembled in pieces, I think that its important that cyclists keep their eye on the prize.

Even in its truncated version, this piece of bike lane links Lawrence subway station with the Toronto French School, York University's Glendon Campus and intersects Bayview Avenue quite close to Sunnybrook Hospital, the destination for a large commuter cycling contingency. If one continues further east along Post Road, it links to the existing Don Valley trails.

As for the argument that money should not be wasted on bike lanes in the suburbs because nobody cycles there, consider the following:

• residents do cycle in the inner suburbs, often under much more hostile conditions. Getting buzzed by a vehicle is not pleasant. Getting buzzed by a vehicle traveling at 70 kph, is even more unpleasant. Cycling infrastructure is even critical in these neighbourhoods;

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I'd be hard-pressed to put a good spin on this, though mayoral candidate Smitherman is certainly trying his best. Smitherman is jumping on the rhetoric bandwagon and is calling for a 'moratorium' on bike lanes in Toronto. In the meanwhile the 2011 money for bike lanes will go to repaving the bike lanes that are deteriorating such as Sherbourne.

Smitherman is reading the polls and figures that it's better to appease the loud car-centrists who are getting a lot of play in the media, rather than accommodate the needs of 8-years and 80-years old folks on bikes.

One the one hand, Smitherman certainly understand the importance of bike lanes on arterials and isn't promising to remove them, but on the other hand, it becomes increasingly hard to maintain the already very slow progress on bike lanes and infrastructure when a moratorium is put in place. And it certainly begs the question: if this is mainly a communication problem, why not just communicate better (or work better at winning the rhetoric war in the media) while improving the cycling infrastructure?

Someone needs to call Smitherman on this bullshit approach. Mothers, children, elders and all, are you willing to get in the face of Smitherman and Rocco to let them know you exist and want to feel safe cycling on the roads?

I usually prefer to maintain some degree of decorum on this blog, but this pisses me off to no end. So I'll float this slogan as a rallying cry:

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This Tuesday, the bike union and CultureLink will be going down to Washington, D.C. to receive the 2010 Innovation of the Year Award for it's partnership. The award is given out yearly by the US-based Alliance for Biking and Walking.

Together, the Toronto Cyclists Union and CultureLink have launched the Partnership for Integration and Sustainable Transportation to promote cycling among newcomers to Toronto with posters, a Cyclists Handbook, and workshops available in 16 of the city’s most commonly spoken languages.

“We’re honoured to be accepting this award on behalf of our partnership,” says Yvonne Bambrick, Executive Director of the Toronto Cyclists Union. “This project is helping us to grow roots in Toronto’s diverse communities, and to exchange knowledge about sustainable habits here and around the world.”

“In Toronto, 52% of people 15 and older are newcomers to Canada, and green initiatives must speak directly to them to be effective,” says Ibrahim Absiye, Executive Director of CultureLink Settlement Services. “At CultureLink, we are committed to bringing sustainable, affordable and healthy options, like cycling, to the newcomers we serve.”

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The Ontario government should create a $20 million Ontario Bicycling Investment Fund with the extra money that will be collected through the new HST. This is one of the recommendations found in the Green Paper (pdf) released by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition last Friday.

Currently bicycles and bike safety equipment are PST exempt, but this will change with the new HST when the province starts collecting it in July.

Ontario is falling behind other jurisdictions when it comes to cycling policy. Both BC and Quebec have policies and funding to encourage cycling. Even the US has a federal fund to allow municipalities to invest in cycling infrastructure. We need to incorporate cycling into provincial transportation policy: says Eleanor McMahon, founder and CEO of Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

The bike fund would represent a fraction of the investment by the Quebec government into La Route Verte ($200 million), which brings in $38 million in government revenue through tourist dollars spent.

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Mayoral candidate, Rocco Rossi promised to 'review' and 'remove' bike lanes on major arterials: "common sense and safety tell me that bike lanes and arterial roads do not mix."

What if Rocco Rossi became mayor, overrode the advice of Transportation Services and put in his own version of bike lanes? This is what I imagine would result.

Rip out bike lanes on Dundas Street East, despite local objections and replace with "safe" alternative
Dundas East Bike Lane: Rossi's alternative 3x as long, but "safer" for drivers and cyclists

Cyclists aren't safe on Harbord. Take out the bike lane and replace with this plan
Rossi's "Harbord bike lane": You don't mind having to weave up and down, coming to work 30 minutes later, do you?

People would have to be crazy to cross the bridge in a bike lane! Send them through Riverdale Park
Rossi's "Bloor Viaduct bike lane": Who needs the Bloor Viaduct bike lane when you can go up and down the steep hills in Riverdale park? It'll only take you 4x as long.