City
Morning Brew: May 28th, 2008
Photo: "*" by cl-s, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
Your Toronto morning news roundup for Wednesday May 28th, 2008:
It's going to take a lot longer to bring samosas and sandwiches to the streets, and until then the hot dog, the sausage, and the veggie dog will remain street food monopoly/podium sitters. I understand the food safety and fair competition measures that need to be considered, but for crying out loud, why do we need so much red-tape to do something so simple. A five year pilot project?
Happy 75th birthday, Ted. I was going to send you a cake and a card, but having already sent you $200 this month I was only left with enough pennies to insert my $0.02 into the Morning Brew today.
Leon's plans for incorporating their "home furnishings for urban spaces" retail showroom at the historic Roundhouse have been given the green light by Toronto's City Planning Division. Have a first look at some of the planned signage and restoration proposed (PDF1, PDF2). I think they've done a decent job of making it fit in with subtlety (and thanks for the tip, Sean).
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The Toronto leg of the Just for Laughs comedy festival had its inauguration just last year, and this year the July laugh-parade returns with a really stellar lineup of popular comedians. Jason Alexander, Jimmy Fallon, and Martin Short are just a few of the many stars who are slated to appear, and crack us up.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has been ordered by the high courts to pay a cool $25,000 in retribution to mega-nightclub CiRCA for a failed injunction to halt their liquor license. I wonder how many tax payer dollars were involved in this kerfuffle from start to finish, with the net result being nada.
Bad drivers beware. The police are on a bad driver blitz, and aim to catch you in the act this week. [typical Torontonian response]And I hope they do, because I'm a good driver, even at 140km/hr, and you guys are all to blame for all the accidents on our streets[/typical Torontonian response].
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For once, Doug Holyday is and has been spot on - the city should be issuing permits and making inspections and let vendors do the rest.
"The zero-tolerance policy also applies to pedestrians who don't use crosswalks and cyclists who don't follow the rules of the road."
But of course it's the drivers who get the negative headlines. (Typical Torontonian snark.)
Re the CIRCA article, points for using the word "kerfuffle"!
I guess I always missed the summer cycling season downtown and I suppose even when I worked downtown during the summer, I tended to be in areas with fewer cyclists. I didn't realize how bad some cyclists are with disregard for their own and other people's safety.
I'm usually one of the first people to defend cyclists, but I was almost run down twice in the span of an hour in the Annex this weekend. Cycling laws definitely need to be enforced to stop these jerks from ruining all cyclist's reputations.
Improper turn, disobey traffic control, fail to yield right of way, improper passing, lost control, improper lane change.
In 49% of collisions the driver was "driving properly." The vast majority of collisions as a whole also occur during clear, daytime conditions. Most of speeding infractions are cash grabs.
I can't wait for the day that police decides to crack down on "keep right to pass." It'll be like a Viagara commercial as I go out to my car.
The kicker is that I usually see them on the sidewalk at off peak hours or on streets without cars on them at the time.
The crazy thing I saw this morning was a biker on College Street, in the bike lane, but cycling towards oncoming traffic.
Now I can have a nice fresh pint of independently brewed beer, see a Jay's game, and buy cheap "Made in China" furniture all at once!
Thank you LEONS--and thank you City of Toronto "Heritage" Department!
I often find myself frustrated in my commute with cyclists WITH headphones and WITHOUT a helmet....not able to hear my bell as I say "on your left" - so I too share some aggravation to cyclists. Jerrold's comments though are quite true - to separate cyclists from traffic I hope would solve some of these problems.
Well here's an idea: obey the rules of the road!
Pull up your socks, folks. Let's make this car/bike thing work.
But last night, during two short car trips, I nearly bagged THREE cyclists. One passed me on the right, I pulled out in front of one with a RED light on the front of his bike (making it look like he was moving away from the intersection), and a third with no light at all nearly got the door prize.
Pull up your socks, folks. Let's make this car/bike thing work.
"Okay, I'm going to admit my ignorance here and hope someone can answer me this... what's wrong with passing on the right?"
Passing on the left is the rule on all roads and for all vehicles.
If the car you're passing on your bike makes a right turn you're going to get creamed.
If the driver is signalling a right turn (like s/he should), then obviously I'll pass on the left. Also, I'm always careful when going through intersections.
But let's say it's rush hour and there's a major traffic jam. You really expect me to get in line with all the cars and not speed by on the right? Why should I be slowed down by all the single-occupancy vehicles clogging up our roads?
I meant to include that the cyclist passed me on the right as I made an indicated turn.
well then you're right - the guy's an idiot.
A lot of people get upset with cars passing on the right on highways, too, though. I don't get it. As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to switch lanes, it's your responsibility to do a full shoulder check before proceeding. If you see someone passing on the right, you wait until it's safe. What's the big deal?
So many cyclists are totally clueless about being predictable and visible. We're so quick to blame drivers, when we ourselves have not been riding defensively.
But to Jerrold's point, yes, let's also have some dedicated, separate bike lanes, too.
Listen to Spiderman - "With great power comes great responsibility."
Wow. Well said! Don't be surprised if I swipe that remark for the next time this topic comes up (which it will).