City
Toronto's New Bicycle Parking Initiatives
Unless you're superhuman, biking across the city to work seems absurd. We all walk, bike, drive or use transit to get to work, but by using a combination of the four, we can usually get there a bit more efficiently. Plus it definitely doesn't hurt to burn that lunchtime poutine off.
Luckily, the TTC is slowly making it easier to couple bikes and public transit together. For years Red Rocket users have been able to lock up their bikes at the station and on buses, but many feared damage to their wheels of steel. This is why the City of Toronto has stepped in to open private bike parking earlier this week.
Instead of locking a bike up on public street racks, commuters can now store their bikes securely with peace of mind. The bikes are locked behind glass and under video surveillance. The doors can be accessed by electronic key card 24 hours a day, but staff are only available from Monday to Friday between 7 AM to 7 PM. At a rate of $2/day or $20/month and with an initial fee of $25, the city is starting to shift in the right direction - and I gotta say I love the idea of a bicycle part vending machine and free air pump.
As Toronto Bike Month continues, the city is searching for alternatives in transportation. In an effort to increase the amount of cyclists on roads, the city has released a guide showing citizens how to create their own successful parking. The .pdf includes different types of parking, with general spacing guidelines for various styles of parking. It is definitely refreshing to see the city lead by example.
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I think the scope should consider outside downtown. Out in suburbia, I just wish I had some solid object to chain my bike to. I don't know of any plaza in my neighbourhood that has a bike rack. Many have gone to these flexible sign posts that you can't even lean a bike on. Bike racks need to be mandated since plaza owners aren't providing them and store owners have little say.
I shouldn't be bitter that my foreign-born wife has given up her cycling habits, because this city is too dangerous? I shouldn't be bitter that I have to gird myself for combat each time I ride? I should be happy that Toronto is one of the best... 'major Canadian cities'?
Wow, don't aim too high!
It would be good too if cycling groups could raise funding for small lockable bike racks in empty space within TTC stations (so that bikes could be stored off street in bad weather) rather than insisting on a manned operation by a private sector company with tenders, contracts and all that stuff.
Oh, I must be a hypocrite because I will not throw away feeding my family for my cycling ideals.