Toronto Cycling

Hey guys, just a quick update regarding my question: https://lemmy.ca/post/22882437

I did end up successfully riding from Oshawa to Vaughan and back over the weekend, using Finch as the bridge between Pickering and Scarborough.

For the most part, I'm really happy with my route choice. The total trip was just over 162 km, and some highlights included:

• The trans-Canada trail along Duffins Creek in Pickering was amazing.
• There's a long-ass hill on Old Finch, just west of the zoo, that almost killed me on the way back (my folding bike is NOT geared at all for climbing, and I burned off any glycogen reserves by that point).
• The Finch hydro corridor was nice... taking McNicoll before and after was not. Poor roads and aggressive drivers.
• The Duncan Creek trail is also stunning. I'd 100% do this trail again if I'm in the area.
• The cycling infrastructure in Vaughan was great... until it's not. There's a section of road along HWY 7 West of Centre St and east of the 400 that's just downright terrible. Where there is no bike lane, the roads are garbage and traffic is fast and aggressive. Where there is a separated bike lane, it was COVERED in rocks, metal, plastic, wire, and pretty much everything else you can imagine; the road, FYI, looked as if it was cleaned using a toothbrush. The raised cycling lanes west of the 400 were really, really nice.

Overall, a really great ride. I'm not sure if I'll attempt the same ride using Taunton/Steeles at some point, since aggressive motorists going far in excess of 80 km/h just doesn't sound like fun.

As a side note, my Varia radar clocked one guy going 126km/h...

Hey guys, hopefully this isn't too far out of the city to offer suggestions, but here's my problem:

I'm planning a ride from East Oshawa to central Vaughan.

I'd like to keep the route safe, but don't want to detour so far out-of-the-way, so a 4h one-way trip becomes a 7-hour one, since I'll still need to come back on the same day.

I'll obviously need to avoid the waterfront trail, as it's quite out of my way. So, my options are either taking HWY 7 or Taunton/Steeles.

Google street view shows me some pros and cons to both, but they also lead to totally different parts of Markham, and some cycling infrastructure there seems either disconnected or forces me to take some rather busy roads.

Has anyone taken HWY 7 or Taunton/Steeles between Pickering and Markham by bike? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

EDIT: Finch Ave. looks to be another option.

event webpage

“The police can park where they need to. If they wanted to park upside down, inside out, or on top of a building, that would be acceptable.”

The 32-year-old cyclist stared at the email in disbelief. She wondered if the Toronto Police unit complaint co-ordinator who sent it to her been hacked, or was he just having a bad day? ...

This happened earlier this week (April 8th). A ghost bike procession is being held on April 15th.

Truly a disturbing letter. All aspects of it.

A new one in my cycling experience in Toronto. I got rear ended by a food delivery cyclist. They were too busy looking at their phone to notice the light was red. After hitting me, appologiesing, they continued on their way running the red light while looking at their phone.

60 year-old was struck and later died when a car making a left turn hit her in broad daylight on Jan 29th.

**I will note that the area of McNicoll Avenue and Brimley Road has no cycling infrastructure to speak of. **

It's most typical for fires to start when the battery is being charged. For it to catch fire just sitting there either means it was damaged or was some shoddy, not-certified, battery that shouldn't have been sold in Canada.

This could have ended up much worse.

> Supporters of safe cycling in Toronto are rquestioning the why cyclists are on trial for speeding while a motorist who was involved in a collision with a rider is having their charges dropped.

I do agree that accessibility for the blind should have been considered by the city, although raised surfaces would impact the accessibility of other sidewalk and bike lane users, too (i.e. mobility devices).

This could be one of those situations where every option will impact someone, and the city might have gone with the option that impacts the fewer number of users.

But I should also add that David Lepofsky has a history of being vocally against all forms of micromobility and cycling.

If you do any form of cycling in Toronto, then it's worth submitting your feedback.

I guess we'll have to wait and see 🫰

I think it's a great idea. Since bikes are more agile than cars, it should make bylaw ticketing more efficient.

Here's to hoping that bylaw officers can also relay any feedback to their higher-ups about gaps in cycling infrastructure around the city.

The scenario described is disturbing to say the least. If cyclists have no protection or recourse when an accident does happen, we are left completely vulnerable to life-altering consequences of motorists, even beyond injuries sustained.

Why can't Toronto do better?

I feel nauseated every time I hear of another cyclist being murdered. And ANOTHER hit-and-run, too.

For the record, this area does not appear to have cycling infrastructure in place. So yeah, City of Mississauga, this one is partially on you.

>The police took action on Friday by arresting Yuri Karpenko, 28, who now faces charges of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm.

Yeah, anyone who saw the video would say that it was clearly attempted murder. These charges make it seems like minor negligence.

I'm planning a bike visit to see my folks... Oshawa to Vaughan.

I'd really rather not take the waterfront trail and then twist around through residential roads, as it would easily add 20km and quite a bit more time to the ride.

But... Taunton/Steeles, HWY 7, and other options either seem to have half-measures for cyclists or sections of nothing (not even a shoulder).

All the heatmaps (Strava, Ridewithgps, Garmin) seem to suggest that people cycle on all the east to west roads, but I find that really hard to believe.

Any ideas or suggestions?

> A garbage truck driver hit Meredith Wilkinson on her bike in Toronto in 2017. She lost her right leg as a result. The driver was charged with careless driving at the scene, but the case couldn't proceed because of a clerical error.

You know, if we fined careless drivers 5x what the cost of enforcing and prosecuting careless drivers is, then public safety would be dramatically improved.

The fact that most drivers will likely get away with dangerous driving just reinforces this behaviour.

But Toronto sure as shit has the resources to fine cyclists for trying to be safe by using the head start signal at intersections... /s

The Biking Lawyer explains why this is crazy stupid.

"Meaning, as the law presently stands, advancing with the Pedestrian Head Start Signal is illegal on a bicycle."

Yup, that head start signal that's been shown to dramatically improve safety of anyone crossing intersections, including cyclists, is not allowed to be used by cyclists in Toronto.

Seems like Toronto police are intentionally targeting the city's vulnerable population, instead of ticketing people in death machines who are breaking any and all laws.

I'm planning another ride to Toronto (from Oshawa), and was just exploring the map beyond the Martin Goodman trail, and it looks like some roads cover great distances across the city with no breaks in continuity.

I'd love to cut straight across to High Park. Is that actually doable from the far west end??

> The claim states Ferreira was distracted, looking for cigarettes, when he hit Woods.

I can't even imagine losing a loved one over this.

> "The provincial offences court ordered Ferreira to pay a $12,500 fine, perform 100 hours of community service and not drive for two years (except when driving to the GO train for work) — a ruling Shellnutt and the family call an "injustice" that "deserves to be rebuked.""

It's more than an injustice, it's an insult to the victim and his family.

Of course they did. 🤭

Side note, the new bridge is really nice, the bike lanes are separated and wide. When there are no cars on them.