Map of the Jarvis St. vote. Where does your Councillor stand? photo: Dave Meslin

This is not a bicycle Credit: Yvonne Bambrick

E-Bikes: What do bike union members think?

As the spokesperson for our organization, Executive Director Yvonne Bambrick has put forward a public position about the heavy scooter/moped-style e-bikes and wants to get your feedback to make sure this position accurately reflects the position of the majority of our members. Please take a moment to complete this mini-survey.

Our current position statement can be found here.

Thank you for your time and feedback on this issue. The results of the survey will inform our position moving forward.

Valet bike parking
photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Valet Bike Parking - new service from the Toronto Cyclists Union

by, Craig Barnes, Valet Bike Parking Coordinator

What do you do when you're expecting hundreds of cyclists at your event and there is not enough bicycle parking in sight? You call on the Toronto Cyclists Union Valet Bike Parking team. Valet bike parking works like a coat-check and is a service for cyclists that offers secure, hassle-free parking at events.

At the recent dandyhorse launch party, bike union staff and volunteers parked over 175 bikes. The response to this service was overwhelmingly positive: as cyclists rode up to drop off their bikes, they were heard saying "This is awesome", "This is such a treat", and "Valet parking makes me feel great for riding my bike."

Valet bike parking has been building momentum and popularity across North America and was a feature of the recent presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. The Vancouver Folk Festival parks 3000 bicycles, and San Francisco offers valet bike parking at all San Francisco Giants home games. Toronto is so ready for this valet bike parking! Ask for it the next time you go to a festival or large sports event. Event organizers need to know that cyclists like you want this service.

Valet bike parking services were provided at the recent Bike Summit (May 28) and St. Lawrence Market Criterium bicycle race (May 29). Watch for valet bike parking at the upcoming Toronto Cyclists Union AGM and party (June 18)

Leehe Lev on her first day at the new Culturelink office
photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Cycling Outreach Campaign Launch: Cycling is affordable, healthy, and convenient

Over the past year, volunteers at the Toronto Cyclists Union have been working in partnership with staff at CultureLink to secure funds and prepare a cycling outreach campaign for newcomers. Culturelink's Ajith Aluthwatta, one of the core volunteer team members, firmly believes that cycling is affordable, healthy, and convenient. He's been riding his bike for about 20 years, ever since arriving in Toronto. Ajith has thought for many years about how to promote cycling amongst newcomers, and when he heard about the Toronto Cyclists Union, he knew the time was right. He has been involved since the inception of the bike union, helping to make this happen.

On April 29th, the Cycling: From back home to our new home campaign had its first major milestone - hiring its first staff member. Cycling Outreach Coordinator Leehe Lev comes to the project with diverse skills, a life-long love of cycling, and a great deal of enthusiasm. Leehe has experience working at a shelter serving refugees, where she became familiar with how sustainable living habits are sometimes forgotten as newcomers assimilate in Toronto. "I came to Canada when I was two years old, and my earliest memories of bicycling were with other new Canadians my family connected with. Bicycling was very much a part of my parents' lives in the countries where they grew up. As much as my parents loved cycling and understood the importance of it in terms of health and the environment, owning a car was still something they they strived for. Part of the 'North American dream' includes owning a car. In my new position, I'd like to help change that myth." When Leehe is not working on cycling issues, she keeps busy by running her own company, Whole Self Fitness, and working on several art projects.

We're thrilled to have Leehe on board and we look forward to sharing the developments of this project with you. Please join us as we officially launch the campaign at the CultureLink offices on June 17th (details in events listing below).

Happy Anniversary - Pee-wee Herman Picture Show video now online!

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of the fabulous Fundraiser show that really got the bike union kickstarted last May, founder Dave Meslin has edited a ten-minute highlight reel, and thrown it up on YouTube for us all to enjoy!

Enjoy, and please share! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co758ORLrqY

Full house at this year's Bike Summit
photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Bike Summit 2009 - what a great day! Update from TCAT's Nancy Smith Lea

The second annual Bike Summit on May 28th, 2009 was a great success. Again this year, despite a bigger venue, this one-day bicycle policy conference sold out in advance.

About 220 registrants representing government, the private sector, non-profit organizations and the general public were in attendance. The purpose of the day was to share best practices and challenges in implementing bicycle policy, research, technical designs, and advocacy campaigns.

We have received very positive feedback on the overall event, our lineup of speakers, and the networking opportunities. We will be posting the speakers' presentations online soon and will also publish proceedings from the Summit in the coming months. Podcast interviews with eight of the 23 speakers produced by New Social Media are now available on-line: Eric Anderson, Joshua Benson, Ralph Buehler, Adolfo Hernandez, Megan Jamieson, Kevin Krizek, Martijn J. te Lintelo, and Dave Meslin.

Thanks to all of our sponsors who made the day possible, to our speakers for providing engaging presentations and ideas, and our attendees for participating.

Summit photos by Toronto Cyclists Union Executive Director Yvonne Bambrick can be viewed here.

Ward 29 Community Meeting for those who cycle (and those who’d like to)

Ward 29 Bikes invites all interested cyclists to join us on June 17, 2009 to share information and ideas about cycling in and around Ward 29 (Toronto-Danforth). We're hosting a public meeting at the East York Community Centre with the participation of the City of Toronto, the Toronto Cyclists Union, and other community groups. We're looking for input and want you to help shape the future of cycling in our neighbourhood. Local cyclists and city staff will be on hand to discuss cycling in Ward 29 and successful cycling advocates will share their stories. Please join us on June 17 if you're interested in improving the cycling realm in our community. Contact us at info@29bikes.ca for more information.

What: Ward 29 Community Meeting for those who cycle (and those who’d like to)
When: Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Open House at 6:30 p.m., meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.
Where: East York Community Centre (1081 Pape Avenue at Torrens, between O'Connor and Cosburn).
Who: City of Toronto staff, local cyclists, cycling advocates, and you!
Why: Because we want your input and we want you to get involved in cycling activities in our community.

About us: Ward 29 Bikes formed as the local advocacy group for Ward 29 following the Toronto Cyclists Union's Advocacy Workshop last spring. Our goal is to promote all forms of cycling within and around our neighbourhood by encouraging people to bike to work, to school, to shop, and to play. We believe that cycling is a convenient and practical mode of transportation, as well as being just plain fun. Some of our activities to date have included authoring a report about cycling safety on the Bloor Viaduct, running a bicycling information night at Diefenbaker Public School, engaging Ward 29 Councillor Case Ootes, and supporting projects and advocacy in adjoining wards.

2000 cyclists riding East from High Park to Queen's Park
photo: Martin Reis

Bells on Bloor Ride

Written by Albert Koehl, Bells On Bloor Coordinator

The bells were again happily ringing along Bloor Street on Sunday, May 31st when the Bells on Bloor ride took over the road. The estimated 2 000 participants - along with a friendly police escort - were part of Toronto's biggest-ever cycling advocacy parade. This year's parade, again sponsored by Take the Tooker, Curbside Bikes, and the Toronto Cyclists Union, featured prizes for best costumes and free bells donated by Sweet Pete's and the Bike Joint. A video of the event can be viewed here.

The parade made a big impression on onlookers along Bloor St. and inspired many hoots of support. Unfortunately, this throng of cyclists has not yet convinced city councillors that Bloor St. needs a bike lane to keep cyclists safe. On May 25, 2009, just prior to a scheduled discussion of the issue, the City quietly pre-empted the publication of a feasibility study of a Bloor-Danforth bikeway that had been ordered in October 2007. The issue of a bikeway on Bloor-Danforth will now be studied anew by an outside consultant - 17 years after a consultant first identified Bloor-Danforth as the preferred east-west cycling route.

bike parking in front of Toronto Free Gallery
photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Fundraiser for Chris Kasztelewicz - For the Love of Cycling

On May 23rd, the cycling community came together to party in support of Chris Kasztelewicz, the cyclist who was severely injured in a road rage incident involving a hit and run by a taxi driver in November of last year. The Toronto Free Gallery hosted 150 cyclists, two amazing DJ's, and an incredible video-enhanced GoldSprints roller race for a fun night celebrating The Love of Cycling. Chris was not able to attend due to his ongoing recovery, but his lawyer David Levy stopped in to raise a glass and say a few words about his client, and his appreciation of the strength of the cycling community. We raised $1800 for Chris, but more importantly, we showed him that hundreds of fellow cyclists are behind him and wishing him well. Big thanks to all the event sponsors who donated items for the raffle: Amsterdam Brewery, The Bike Joint, Cervélo, Duke's Cycle, GoldSprints by Navid, Janet Bike Girl, La Palette, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Push the Envelope, Steel Wool Bicycles, Toronto Cyclists Union, Toronto Free Gallery, and Urbane Cyclist. Thanks to all the folks who came out in support of Chris, and who worked hard to make the party come together so nicely! Photos of the party can be viewed here.

Cruising to the Leslie Spit lighthouse.
photo: Yvonne Bambrick

Bike Month kick-off Cruiser Ride - update & photos

About 45 cyclists joined us for our cruiser ride to the Leslie Spit on Saturday, May 30 - and what a ride! We began our outing with a tour of the new bike station now open at Union Station, and then hit the road southbound on York from Bremner. Just our luck, there were giant pylons set up for construction work, so we had a nice open lane to gather in before heading off on the green light. The weather was fantastic, but turned a bit on us as we were approaching the ferry docks, so only about a third of our group ended up heading over to the island for the Bikes Without Borders event. Good times were had by all participants - thanks for coming out!! We'll do another ride soon and suggestions are welcome. Cruiser ride photos can be viewed here.

Job Posting

Consultant Services - Cycling Master Plan for Kitchener

The City of Kitchener requests that the Consultants undertake a Study to create a Cycling Master Plan for the City of Kitchener. The Cycling Master Plan will provide the necessary policy and guidance to Council, staff and the Cycling Advisory Committee in terms of the design and construction of infrastructure, budgeting, establishment of programming and initiatives, as well as serving to ensure the ongoing promotion and support of cycling as a mode of transportation. http://www.kitchener.ca/tenders/tender.asp

• Newcomer Cycling Outreach - Program Launch (June 17th)
  
  Please join us for the launch of the Cycling: from back home to our new home campaign. Together with Culturelink, the Toronto Cyclists Union created a partnership for integration and sustainable transportation. The launch will be followed by open house activities celebrating Culturelink’s new location.
  
  When: June 17th, 2009 at 2 PM
  Where: 2340 Dundas St.W, Suite 301
  (Bloor/Dundas - Crossways Mall/Entrance by the Toronto Public Heath office)
  
  Campaign Launch Agenda
  
  • Welcome and opening remarks- Leehe Lev, Bicycling Outreach Coordinator (5 minutes)
  • Yvonne Bambrick – Executive Director - Toronto Cyclists Union (5 minutes)
  • Yu Li – A Newcomer Cyclist Perspective (5 minutes)
  • Peter Dorfman – Toronto Public Health – Keeping Good Habits from Back Home (5 minutes)
  • Keynote Speaker – Dr. Chris Cavacuiti - Cycling: An Inner City Physician’s Perspective (15 minutes)
  • Ibrahim Abriye – Final remarks about Culturelink going green and invites public to cut ribbon of new office (5 minutes)
    
  
  For more info, please call Leehe Lev, Cycling Outreach Coordinator at 416-588-6288 (x229) or email cycling@culturelink.net.
  
• Toronto Cyclists Union AGM & Anniversary Party (June 18)

  The Toronto Cyclists Union will be holding our first Annual General Meeting (AGM), followed by a party in celebration of our one-year anniversary. The AGM is intended for our members, but anyone interested in becoming a supporter of the bike union is welcome. Party is open to all - rsvp to info@bikeunion.to.
  
  What: Toronto Cyclists Union AGM & Anniversary Party
  When: Thursday, June 18, 2009
  Where: Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Ave. (N of Queen)
  AGM: doors at 6:30pm, meeting at 7:00pm - Suite 120

  Anniversary Party: 8:00pm - Suite 400

  Please feel free to Bring Your Own beverage of choice - wine, beer, anything goes :)
  Snacks will be provided.
• DIY Bike Beautification Workshop (June 20)
  

  Join Toronto Cyclists Union Executive Director Yvonne Bambrick for a DIY bike beautification, arts & crafts session. BYO inspiration & supplies: stickers, flowers, fun fur . . . anything goes!
  Zip-ties and tools will be supplied.
  
  Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
  When: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
  (*Rain date: Sunday, June 21st, same time)
  Where: Trinity Bellwoods Park - Bandstand in the pit
  For more information, contact 416-826-2964

• Bike Union's Monthly Cinq à Sept (June 25)
  

  Want to hear 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!

  Our monthly cinq à septs are 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. A cinq à sept is an informal gathering to bring us together for casual conversation, outside of a meeting context. It's a space where the union can meet, just for the sake of getting to know each other.

  Join us for the next cinq à sept - all are welcome!
  
  What: Monthly Bike Union Cinq à Sept
  When: Thursday, June 25, 2009 (and the last Thursday of every month)
  Hours: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
  Where: The Victory Cafe at 581 Markham St.