Ring and Post April 2009

Cyclists Paving The Way - bike union launches new Driver Appreciation Campaign!!
BikeCamp TO - A huge success
Toronto Cyclists Union Masquerade and Fundraiser - What A Night!!
Complete Streets Campaign
Good Roads Campaign for safer cycling - Call 311
Updating the Ontario Driver's Handbook - Focus on Education
Electric Bikes Officially Allowed on Ontario Roads.
Deadly Nightshades
Volunteer Opportunities with the Bike Union
Board Update
Upcoming Events!
Ring and Post's Most Awesome Cyclist

1. Cyclists Paving The Way - bike union launches new Driver Appreciation Campaign!!

by, Yvonne Bambrick

The Toronto Cyclists Union is encouraging our members, and fellow cyclists, to stop by and pick up some Thank You cards to pass along to drivers who make a point of treating you with respect in traffic. Help us promote friendlier Toronto roadways.

Toronto cyclists will be thanking drivers who remember to give them their fair share of the road through beautifully designed Thank You cards.

"It's easy to get angry when someone cuts you off. This summer has been filled with sensational headlines about conflicts between cyclists and drivers. What people often forget are the thousands of commuters who arrive safely, and without incident, to work, school and home every day. It's time to encourage positive behavior and find a way to reward those people who use Toronto's roads with respect." Yvonne Bambrick, Executive Director, Toronto Cyclists Union.

**Thank You cards are available at these locations:

Toronto Cyclists Union headquarters @ Centre for Social Innovation 215 Spadina Ave. Suite 400. Call 416 826 2964.
Mountain Equipment Coop, 400 King St. W, Information desk.
Curbside Cycle 412 Bloor St. West
La Bicicletta, 1180 Castlefield Ave.

Tips for card delivery:

Present card with 'Thank You' facing the driver
Be sure not to block other cyclists if stopping in an active roadway
Try to make the exchange quick, safe and friendly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7vrCmR0WD8

Campaign in the News:

This time of year, there are fewer cyclists to help push awareness, so the Toronto Cyclists Union is taking a "Strength in Numbers" approach. More cyclists thanking drivers means more attentive drivers heading into winter, and ultimately, better and safer roads.

Cyclists should also remember that having front and rear lights is always important at night, but it's more important than ever during the colder months when visibility is often impaired due to weather conditions. Extra lights, reflective vests and/or brightly coloured clothing are all excellent ways to stay highly visible when cycling this fall / winter.

2. BikeCamp TO - A huge success

by, Julia Dow

About 70 interested cyclists participated in the Toronto Cyclists Union's first BikeCamp TO, an un-conference dedicated to exploring topics of interest to urban cyclists and a way for volunteers and advocates to connect to each other and the issues. If you missed it, well, you'll just have the wait for the next one... Held at the lovely Centre for Social Innovation on Saturday October 17th delegates participated in what BikeCamp TO facilitator, Daniel Rose called "a day long coffee break - that's where all the best conversations always seem to happen".

In order to share information from the sessions, both with participants, and those unable to make it, we did tweet a few thoughts via (Twitter) #BikeCampTO, and we also created a wiki where notes, ideas, and the outcomes of our Dotmocracy session will be made available as participants are able to get them uploaded - visit http://bikecampto.pbworks.com/FrontPage

Some of the more popular ideas emerging from the day's sessions: helping the bike union create a tool-kit for the Ward Advocacy Program for starting a cyclist's advocacy group in your ward; gearing up towards making cycling an important issue during the 2010 municipal election; growing membership at the bike union; having fun and being popular ;) All the Dotmocracy sheets are now scanned in and the ideas typed up as photo descriptions, all in one flickr set (along with a few of Jason's photos)

Thanks very much to our BikeCamp TO Facilitator Extraordinaire, Daniel Rose - to our Dotmocracy Facilitator, Jason Diceman - our Guest Speakers Daniel Egan, and Dave Meslin - and to our Event Sponsors: Remarkk Consulting, Spacing, Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation, Centre for Social Innovation, City of Toronto, Co-op Tools, Simon Farla Design, BikeChain, and more...

3. Toronto Cyclists Union Masquerade and Fundraiser - What A Night!!

by, Yvonne Bambrick

Our first annual fundraiser was a tremendous success and we'd like to extend a big thank you to all those who were able to join us in celebrating the exceptional growth of cycling advocacy in Toronto, and to all the amazing volunteers that helped us pull it off! You can see photos from the event in this Flickr album.

Molly Johnson's intimate performance was a real treat, and she made clear to all that it is political will that's needed to get bike infrastructure in place - something the bike union and our members understand all too well... The lovely Coco Love Alcorn and her band performed two amazing sets of both original compositions (some bicycle themed!), and well loved jazz standards. Guests were also pleasantly surprised when none other than Juno Award winning saxophone player, Richard Underhill of the Shuffle Deamons joined in! The silent auction and raffle were jam packed with fantastic donations from supportive local merchants who understand that bikes/cyclists are good for business! Lots of happy bidders and winners :) We also had a special guest appearance by two of Clay and Paper Theatre's giant colourful people-powered puppets to join in the Masquerade fun, and great tunes between live performances thanks to our fabulous, bike loving dj's, Dorian & Dorian!

Special thanks to our fabulous supporters: the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada, Sweet Pete's, Steamwhistle, Molly, Coco, Richard and Dorian & Dorian, Opus, Norco, Kona, Donnelly LPC, Daniel et Daniel Catering, Henry of Pelham, Spacing, The Walrus, Positive Change, Bikes Without Borders, Curbside Cycle, Urbane Cyclist, Duke's, CyclePath, Centre for Social Innovation, The Second City, TIFF Group, Clay and Paper Theatre, Planet Forward, Coach House Press, Mod Robes, Velo Colour, La Palette Bistro, Yasi's Place, Willbe Bloomin, Poka, Pedal Magazine, Hoop Toronto, Crumpler, McLeish Orlando LLP, Dark Horse Espresso & Model Citizen.

4. Complete Streets Campaign

The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation has joined forces with the Toronto Cyclists Union to form a working group aiming for the adoption of a Complete Streets policy by the Province of Ontario, with Toronto leading the way.

Convincing city planners and engineers to consider ALL users of a road when it's being redesigned or built from scratch shouldn't be too hard right? You may be surprised to hear all the nitty-gritty of what the Complete Streets working group is digging up about why such a simple concept isn't already common practice at City Hall. Read Val Dodge's recent Torontoist article to find out more.

If you would like to get involved with this initiative, please send an email to be added to our contact list - info@torontocat.ca - with Complete Streets in the subject heading.

5. Good Roads Campaign for safer cycling - Call 311

by, Yvonne Bambrick

The Toronto Cyclists Union is working with Transportation Services to connect cyclists to the new 311 City hotline and insure that Public Works crews respond quickly to problems on the Bikeway Network. The goal of this campaign is to help ensure a more rapid response to reported road repairs that are essential to keeping cyclists safe on their daily trips throughout the city. Since the city can't know when or where specific road issues arrise, repairs tend to be done in response to complaints. So with that in mind, we hereby urge you to complain ;)

When you see any of the following...

POTHOLES, CRACKS, FADED BIKE LANES, BLOCKED BIKE LANES, DIPS, RECESSED MANHOLES, MISALIGNED SEWER GRATES, GRAVEL, SAND, BROKEN GLASS, DEBRIS, CREVICES, SLIPPERY STEEL PLATES, TRENCHES, BUMPS, MISSING BIKE SIGNS, UNEVEN PAVEMENT.

call 311 for all your Good Roads needs!

You can call hazards in to 311 and speak with an operator. Please be courteous and remember that the person on the phone is there to help take your report. ** In order for the Toronto Cyclists Union to track the City's response rate, make sure you mention that you are calling on behalf of the "Bike Union", ask that this be noted, and take down the service number. It's as simple as that and you should see results fairly rapidly!

We want to help the City proactively ensure safe conditions for cyclists, but need your eyes to make sure it happens! Please keep us informed if your requests are NOT being attended to in a timely fashion by emailing info@bikeunion.to - with '311 Report' in the subject heading.

6. Updating the Ontario Driver's Handbook - Focus on Education

by, Yvonne Bambrick

Through recent discussions, and following a deputation that I gave earlier this month at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on the subject, the Toronto Cyclists Union will be leading a small working group to develop and present proposed Ontario Driver's Handbook updates to the Ministry of Transportation. Changes being discussed include the habits and rights of cyclists, the road markings and signage that relate to cyclists, and the responsibility of all road users to safely share our roadways. If you can believe it, there is currently no reference even to bike lanes in the handbook! And the imagery used throughout neglects to show cyclists as part of the on-street mix... There is also much to be improved regarding how motor vehicles and cyclists interact with pedestrians and public transit.

Our proposal is scheduled for presentation to both the Pedestrian Committee and Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee in January. Once final adjustments are made, the proposal will be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation for review. We will be sure to keep you posted on this file.

7. Electric Bikes Officially Allowed on Ontario Roads

Effective October 3, 2009, e-bikes, including the controvertial electric scooter-style 'e-bike', can now share the road with cars, pedestrians and other traffic throughout Ontario with new safety requirements.

The Toronto Cyclists Union & the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT) were two of the organizations invited by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to provide input into these regulations. We were pleased to see that these new safety requirements have been legislated since MTO was hearing from many e-bike sellers, in particular those selling scooter-style e-bikes, who were pushing for no restrictions at all in the use of e-bikes.

However one key concern with the new legislation is that the province chose not to make a decision about whether or not e-bikes, and specifically scooter-style e-bikes, can be used in bike lanes and bike paths, leaving this to individual municipalities to decide. The bike union & TCAT's joint position is that bike lanes and bike paths should prioritize non-motorized human-powered vehicles; that electric assist bicycles that can actually operate as bicycles should be allowed to use these facilities; but that electric scooter-style e-bikes, which only meet the guidelines for the newly redefined definition of 'Bicycle' because they have added cosmetic pedals to the sides of the scooter platform, should not use bike lanes & paths, but rather belong with other motorized traffic. We will be working with the City to implement this restriction and encourage other municipalities to do the same.

The Toronto Pedestrian Committee recently passed motions requesting that the city implement by-laws that prohibit e-bikes from travelling on sidewalks and from parking on sidewalks.

The permitted weight of an e-bike is now 8 times as heavy as a typical bicycle (a bicycle weighs at most about 16 kilograms; e-bikes can now by law weigh up to 120 kilograms) and the speed limit for e-bikes (32 km/hr) is twice as fast as the average speed of a bicycle (17 km/hr).

Read the full release from the Ministry of Transportation here, and review our bike union scooter-style e-bike survey results here.

8. Deadly Nightshades

by Meaghan Orlinski

In case you hadn't heard, The Deadly Nightshades are nothing less than and eight member, all-girl midnight bicycle gang committed to live and design sustainably, have fun and cause trouble wherever they go. By day, the Nightshades are all talented designers and artists, whose impressive CV's include working for Lululemon, Philip Sparks, Vintage 69, Ryerson University and showcasing their work at CONTACT and The Toronto Bicycle Film Festival. They have been featured in Globe and Mail, She Does the City, Blog T.O., Momentum and Dandy Horse promoting their lifestyle of sustainability and creativity on bikes!

This year marks the launch of their sustainable women's line, DNS. The Fall 2009 collection "Welcome to Danger Palace" celebrates women and bikes, and aims to make a serious style statement with a combination of sustainability and sass. The collection combines the aesthetic differences and backgrounds of the designers. The organic hand dyed and silk screened fabrics include soft Sherpa fleece, cotton-rip-stop and bamboo jersey.

To find out about the Gang's activities and where you can purchase their line, please follow their blog www.nightshadesbikecrew.blogspot.com or go to their website www.deadlynigthshades.ca.

9. Volunteer Opportunities with the Bike Union

We all have a vision of a what a "Bicycle-Friendly" city looks like. Toronto has a long way to go to meet our dreams, but we're on the right path and we need your help to get us closer to a city that truly respects and encourages cycling as a valid mode of transportation.

The Toronto Cyclists Union has been working hard to represent cyclists' needs at City Hall and in the media. But to really make a difference, we need YOU to be involved. There are many opportunities to plug into the bike union. We'll be hosting more frequent information sessions to bring cyclists together and to let you know what you can do to make Toronto a safer and healthier city for those who choose two wheels !

Please email volunteer@bikeunion.to if you'd like to find out how to get involved with the bike union.

A. Membership Coordinator Needed!

Skills:

Experience with a CRM system would be an asset, but learning on the job is likely
The usual: organized, reliable, committed, pleasant to work with

Requirements:

Your own computer, preferably running Windows (although could be done on another system with some effort)
Commitment of about 8 hours/month

The Membership Coordinator is important to the overall health of the bike union because you ensure that we keep good track of our members, and have a stable source of base funding.

Duties:

Respond to member inquiries regarding membership packages, address changes, status of membership
Review new member info and make contact regarding missing address info
Extract member info from contact management system CiviCRM for member package and magazine mailouts
Various tasks using mysql, CiviCRM and Microsoft Word mail merge
Reconcile contributions with membership info in CiviCRM database (mysql)
Manipulate CiviCRM membership statuses and levels
Collaborate with other bike union staff on membership campaigns (free calendar, etc)
Ensure data integrity of membership system so that members are sent packages and renewal letters in a timely fashion
Work closely with systems team members
Stuff envelopes

All for which you will earn the undying gratitude of the rest of the team and play a pivotal role in the success of the Toronto Cyclists Union!

To apply, please send an expression of interest, along with your CV via email to Yvonne@bikeunion.to

10. Board Update

by Karey Iron & Nic de Salaberry

Rather than the usual Board update, I would like to gradually introduce you to our new Board members by way of their personal reflections about cycling in Toronto and their motivation to become active in the governance of the bike union. To this end, I introduce Nic de Salaberry. Here, he writes about his practice of "modelling best behaviours." Politeness, non-verbal communication, and a positive attitude go a long way. I know that as you ride through our city, you will be inspired by Nic's experience and reflections. Through our actions and attitudes, each of us can actively contribute to building safe and healthy Toronto streets. - Karey

As a new member of the Board, I find I am surprised by how much more I notice the way people behave on our streets... these same behaviours were a big part of what motivated me to get involved with the Toronto Cyclists Union so I can't say I enjoy the [public] perception that there are more concerns on the streets this year than last year.

My personal choice is to try to model "best behaviours" whether I am walking, cycling, or driving a car. I was recently involved in an incident which allowed me to witness someone modelling behaviour that I hope to see more of.

I was walking across a pedestrian crossing that I use several times a day. As usual, I crossed the walkway after all cars had stopped and I also provided my usual "non-verbal"communications with drivers and cyclists. As I approached the far side of the road, a quickly-moving cyclist headed towards me. Startled, I froze. The rider was not stopping or picking left or right - he was going to hit me.

The impact was dulled as I managed to shift partially out of his way. For the moment of impact, I closed my eyes and braced myself instinctively. Surprisingly, neither of us fell. I opened my eyes and watched him roll on through the zone. All cars remained motionless, seemingly watching the scene. The cyclist yelled at me; I screamed back, "What are you doing rolling through a pedestrian crossing?" He dropped his bike and turned towards me.

At that moment, I was relieved to hear another pedestrian say to him, "Just apologize, Bud." That seemed to break the mood of escalating drama. The rider apologized. I acknowledged it. As far as I was concerned, the incident was over, but the shock lingered for a little while. Now, I'm feeling appreciative of the pedestrian who intervened, and I am reminded that we all have a role to play not just in modeling behaviours while we ride, but also when we react to incidents we witness on our roads.

Have you got a "best way" of telling a fellow cyclist that they are breaking a law? Have you got a positive way of telling a driver that they need to be more mindful of riders? What about a worthwhile approach to minimizing confrontations? Your stories would be welcome in this space.

11. Upcoming Events!

A. Curbside Cycle 'NOW's Best Bike Shop in TO' - Victory Party & bike union fundraiser!! - Nov 6th

Friday November 6th at The AnnexLive, 296 Brunswick Ave. - Doors at 7pm - $5 cover goes to support the bike union :)

Wow! Thanks NOW Magazine once again for once again giving us the "critic's pick" for Toronto's best bike store. Curbside is proof that in the case of Toronto bike culture, the citizens are ahead of the government. In the last five years we have romanced some of Toronto's most unlikely cyclists onto bikes that make them feel safe and fashionable. But fashion is one thing, safety another. The bikes we sell are safer than most, but more than ever, we need to get this city moving with its cycling infrastructure projects.

This year we are throwing all of our weight behind the Toronto Cyclists Union, and to start, we are throwing a Thank You party for all NOW readers. Featuring Juno award winning songster Andrew Rodriguez, male-burlesque performer Corey Swelling (who strips in an amazing "bike mechanic" routine not to be missed!), and many more acts, we want to get all Curbside customers under one roof for a good night of fun. Cover charge is $5 and goes straight into the pocket of the Cyclists Union. So c'mon out!

B. Monthly Bike Union '5 a 7' @ The Victory - November 26th

Want to hear about what the Bike Union is up to? Do you have ideas for current projects or future campaigns? Want to share stories of the road or current events

that are of interest to your community? Then come on out to the Victory Cafe and raise a glass with your union! Steps from Bathurst subway at 581 Markham St. - S of Bloor, W of Bathurst.

This monthly event is intended to provide a space where bike union board, executive, management team, ward captains, volunteers, and members can come together and converse over a refreshing beverage. This event is not formal and is not a meeting. Rather, it is a space where the union can meet for the sake of meeting.

We have a room booked, just hang a left once you're in the front door. Hope to see you there!

The Victory Cafe is a family-friendly environment.

C. Save the Date! 2nd Annual Toronto Bike Awards, January 19th @ The Gladstone Hotel

For over 20 years now, the City of Toronto has been handing out Bicycle Friendly Business Awards (BFBAs)to recognize businesses that encourage and support cycling. This year, in celebration of Bike Winter, the Toronto Cyclists Union will again partner with the City to host the BFBAs and present our very own Golden Spoke Awards. The awards will celebrate some of the bike-positive momentum happening in our city.

Here are a few photos from the end of the night at our first Toronto Bike Awards last winter, and a great video to show you just what a blast the event was!!

12. Ring and Post's Most Awesome Cyclist

Maybe you've seen Toronto Life's profile of some of the city's "most stylish" cyclists? TL writes, "With a new DIY attitude came one crucial summer accessory: the bicycle. Cheaper than driving and more individual than a new pair of jeans, it seemed like everyone from Bay Street's suits to bespectacled Queen Westers to new moms in Leslieville was sporting two wheels. Whatever the style, there was a bike to match. Here, a look at eight Toronto cyclists who did it with aplomb."

We thought it was a good idea even though we know that bikes are way more than an accessory. So, Ring and Post wants a photo of YOU (or someone you know), and your trusty steed, by which we mean your bike. And tell us a little about yourself, your bike, your cycling style...you could be our Ring and Post Featured Cyclist next month. Email it to info@bikeunion.to with "Featured Cyclist" in the subject header. Choices will be made by our editorial board and are completely arbitrary! We wait to be wowed.

Finally, do you want to tell us about some awesome cycling related happening? Free press for your activity (at our discretion of course)? A great photo? Send it to Ms. Julia Dow at newsletter@bikeunion.to