Executive Director's Update

By Yvonne Bambrick

2009 was one of the most exciting years to date for cycling culture in Toronto.  The conversation about cycling as transportation is no longer a fringe concern thanks in large part to the Toronto Cyclists Union's frequent presence in all local media, the prominence of our voice in city hall, at community events across the city, and of course, thanks to the greater number of cyclists choosing cycling as transportation every year across the city, and throughout North America.

Other exciting developments include...

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Board Update

By Dave Meslin

On behalf of the bike union Board, I just want to thank all of our members for their continued support as our organisation grows and continues to evolve into a influential force in our city. Your contributions ensure that our projects continue to move forward. From the Toronto Bike Awards, to our CultureLink collaboration, to our advocacy at City Hall, we are trying to put cycling on the map and make Toronto more livable, safe and green for everyone. Our greatest assets are our volunteers, our members and our amazing Executive Director Yvonne Bambrick who continues to steer our ship and represent cyclists at City Hall as well as in the media. Thanks to all of you, and we look forward to another year of growth, advocacy and positive change.

Provincial Level Advocacy - Updating the Ontario Driver's Handbook

By Stephanie Tencer, TCAT News & Yvonne Bambrick

TCAT was recently involved in a Toronto Cyclists Union initiative to review the Ministry of Transportation's Drivers Manual.  This manual, which is currently scheduled for an update by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is read by anyone planning to obtain a driver's license in Ontario.  The Toronto Cyclists Union established a working group which included representatives from TCAT, City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation, the Toronto Police Services, City of Toronto Pedestrian Committee and the City of Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee.  This working group reviewed the document in detail and has outlined a series of proposed edits which would dramatically improve the legibility of the document with respect to the rights, roles and responsibilities of all road users in sharing the road. The working group paid specific attention to how and when cyclists and pedestrians are referenced in the text and also recommended improvements to the images in the document.  Currently, the City of Toronto Pedestrian Committee, Cycling Advisory Committee and Public Works & Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) have all endorsed the proposed changes.  Toronto City Council just adopted the recommendation by the PWIC to support the Working Group's proposed changes.  The proposal, letters of endorsement, and our short presentation about the need for this major update including the rationale for our proposed edits and additions, have been submitted to the Ministry of Transportation for their review.

TCAT is pleased to have been part of this important initiative.  Thanks to the Toronto Cyclists Union for their lead on this!

Major Funding Secured & A new F/T Cycling position

By Ajith Aluthwatta

We are very excited to announce that our Partnership for Integration and Sustainable Transportation, a joint project of the Toronto Cyclists Union and CultureLink Settlement Services to promote cycling amongst newcomer communities, will enter into the second phase of our outreach campaign in 2010. We jointly secured a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to hire a full time coordinator to serve our campaign and expand cycling outreach initiatives amongst newcomers to Toronto. During this year's Bike Month, the partnership hopes to release the Toronto Cyclists Handbook in 15 languages, as per our “From back home to our new home” poster series, and to distribute the handbook to newcomer communities thanks also to generous support from the Toronto Community Foundation. Through interactive workshops, the coordinator will start to mobilize cyclists from newcomer communities to actively engage in a grass-roots effort to make our city more bike-friendly. The Toronto Cyclists Union and CultureLink would like to welcome Kristin Schwartz, our new Cycling Outreach Coordinator, as she takes up this new and exciting challenge in February 2010. Kristin can be reached at cycling@culturelink.net or 416.588.6288 X229.

Volunteer Profiles – Moe and Julia

Membership Coordinator - Moe Berrigan

I arrived here from the holy land of Peterborough just as the summer commenced to start thinking about starches and lipids a little more seriously. As a newcomer to Toronto, I was stunned and encouraged: stunned by how insanely car-centric and therefore how anti-pedestrian this city’s infrastructure is (I wasn’t too stunned, mind you. I did grow up in Canada) and encouraged by the camaraderie of cyclists for active change. The bike union database was feeling a little dusty and I volunteered to shine it up a bit. I’m happy to be getting involved in a positive, goal-oriented organization. So please, get in touch and say hi! Let me know if we’ve spelled your name with three R’s or if you want to, know you, give just a little bit more - database@bikeunion.to.

Newsletter Coordinator - Julia Dow

A Toronto native, I've used a bike as my primary mode of transportation not only in Toronto but also in China, Brazil, France and on voyages in between.  I started cycling (without a helmet) more seriously when I moved back to the city in 2006 and joined the bike union as a volunteer this past fall. Now I cycle all winter.  I love meeting other cycling advocates the bike union attracts - some shy, not quite sure they're activists/advocates yet, some passionate.  I expect the newsletter will go through some permutations and grow and change as the bike union itself does, but feel free to get in touch with your good idea - and forgive me if I don't get back to you right away! newsletter@bikeunion.to

Bikeevents.to - Toronto's one-stop bike events site

By Herb van den Dool & Yvonne Bambrick

Toronto has a lot of cyclists and a lot of bike-related events. It's hard to keep track of what's going on, and many people have resorted to looking at multiple sites for information.  We thought it was time to make it easier to find out what's happening around town.

We'd like to present http://BikeEvents.TO -- the one-stop bike events site for Toronto!

So, be sure to bookmark the site so you can keep track of upcoming bike events.

    * You can also subscribe to the RSS news feed, or Follow events via the Twitter feed - twitter.com/bikeeventsto. 
    * In order to have all the latest bike related events on your own site, you can embed a "widget" of the events feed into your site or blog. Check out an example of how this will look at  http://bikeunion.to/calendar or http://communitybicyclenetwork.org (the widget info is found on the bikeevents.to site - it is a fairly simple procedure, but please get in touch if you need a hand)

This new site is a collaboration of the Toronto Cyclists Union, Community Bicycle Network and I Bike T.O.  It is still new and under development, but please note that a linked list of all the contributing cycling organisations, and businesses will be added soon as a main column.

We hope you will find this new tool useful in the busy cycling seasons ahead.

The Impact and Value of $2/mth... Why Membership Matters

By Yvonne Bambrick

Did you know that the Toronto Cyclists Union is funded almost entirely by member contributions?  While we have sought and received funding for specific projects, our core operations (staff, office and materials expenses primarily) are paid for through memberships.  The main reason for this member-funded model is to allow us the freedom to advocate without strings attached and in the areas that are most relevant.  The early support of our original members has been instrumental in getting us to where we are, but more that ever, we need to grow our member base. 

The greater our numbers, the greater our influence.  For me to be able to say I represent 800 fellow cyclists is outstanding, but to represent 2000, 3000, 5000... is all the more powerful.  What is it worth to you to have a trusted and respected representative advocating on your behalf - a direct line to decision makers? $0, $2, $5, $10/month…? If you have joined in the past and your membership has expired, please consider renewing.  If you are not a member yet, we would love to have you join the organization.  If you're uncertain about your membership status, please contact database@bikeunion.to and Moe, our membership coordinator will help you figure it out.  Getting this newsletter does not mean that you are a member, you could just be on our mailing list ;)  We are proud to be working on your behalf and would love (read: need) your financial support to continue doing so.  http://bikeunion.to/join

Toronto Bike Awards - What a show!

By Yvonne Bambrick

The 2009 Toronto Bike Awards event on Tuesday Jan 19th was a huge success and an absolute blast!  The event drew a full house to the Gladstone Hotel and given the turn-out and our growing support, we may need to look for a larger venue next year.  Local Councillors and city staff were in attendance to support and celebrate Toronto bike progress. 

The bike awards are presented in partnership with the City of Toronto's cycling staff, and are an opportunity to celebrate not only the bike friendly businesses in our city, but also the advocates and volunteers who are helping to grow our cycling culture. 

We would like to thank...

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Volunteer Opportunity at the Bike Union

Bicycle Service Station - Spring/Summer 2010:
We want to give something back to local cyclists, and give cycling advocacy an even bigger on-street presence this year.  We'll be rolling out our bike service station set up this spring and could use a couple of team leaders, certified bike mechanics, and advocacy / tabling volunteers.  Keep your eyes peeled for the big orange bike union tent on a busy cycling route near you! Contact yvonne@bikeunion.to if you are interested in participating on the bicycle service station team, or have ideas for where the service station could be set up in your neighbourhood.

Bikeway Network - Public Consultation Presentation Now Online

Many of you attended and contributed to the public consultation held by Cycling staff at Metro Hall on February 1st.

The presentation and display panels are now available online at
http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/public-consultations/bikeway_network_2010.htm

A summary of the comments which were submitted has also been compiled, and is linked on the same page.

Community News

BikeSauce, a new DIY bike repair space and community hub set to open this Spring in the east end of Toronto, wants your poor, your rusty, your jumbled mass of old bicycles.  They promise to breathe new life into them. This volunteer-run, registered not for profit organization has three goals: 

1. To refurbish old bikes, and to help people repair their own
2. To link more people to cycling.
3. To advocate for cycling issues.

Check their website for more details. http://bikesauce.org

Please check our new, amazing bike calendar (described in all its glory above) for important event details like the time, the place and contact info! http://BikeEvents.TO  Events are added to the calendar daily & subject to change, so check in frequently.

March 25 - Toronto Cyclists Union monthly drinks night (aka '5 a 7'). 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 from the road or current events that are of interest to your community? Join us at the Victory Cafe on the last Thursday of the month and raise a glass with your bike union!