As part of Bike Month, Ward 29 Bikes is hosting a leisurely group ride each Thursday evening this June, leaving from our East York neighbourhood to destinations within easy cycling distance. Each ride will be about 90 minutes long on streets and mixed-use paths and will end at a local restaurant or cafe for dessert and socializing. Each route may include riding (or walking!) up some hills, but we’ll try to keep the huffing and puffing to a minimum. If you’d like to join us, save the dates for our four Thursday night rides:
June 7: Lower Don trail, Port Lands, and the Beaches. Ride the Lower Don River path and the eastern section of the Martin Goodman Trail out to the Beaches.
June 14: The Don Valley to Sunnybrook Park. The classic Toronto family bike ride takes you up the Don Valley to the riding school at Sunnybrook Stables.
June 21: Rosedale Ravine, Cabbagetown, and Riverdale. Take the scenic route downtown, passing under bridges that carry city traffic far above you. Take a quick spin through Cabbagetown and Riverdale before heading back home.
June 28: Cedarvale Ravine and the Kay Gardner Beltline. Ride this bike-friendly circle route on streets and in parks through Forest Hill and Rosedale. You’d never know how close you are to downtown!
All rides start at the East York Community Centre (1081½ Pape Avenue at Torrens Avenue). Meet at the bike racks near the front door at 6:15 p.m.; the ride leaves at 6:30 p.m. sharp, rain or shine. We’ll post additional information a few days before each ride. If you have any questions, send us an email or ask in the comments section of this post.
And remember that when you’re on a bike, getting there is all the fun.
Representatives from the four cycling advocacy groups along the Danforth—Ward 29 Bikes, SoDa Bikes, DECA Bikes, and 32 Spokes—are joining forces this year to organize the inaugural Bells on Danforth bike ride, a family-friendly event to celebrate cycling on the Danforth. Join us for a leisurely group ride along Danforth Avenue and Bloor Street, where we’ll meet the Bells on Bloor and Bells on Yonge group rides before heading down to Queen’s Park to finish our ride at the Cycle and Sole rally. Watch the Bells on Danforth website for more information in coming weeks.
Our next regular organizing meeting is on Wednesday, April 25 at Timothy’s coffee shop in Carrot Common. We get started at 6 p.m. and usually wind up business before 8 p.m. This week’s agenda includes some planning for the Bells on Danforth ride and other upcoming events. Please join us for the evening if you’d like to get involved. Contact us if you need more information.
Ward 29 forms the northern half of the federal Toronto–Danforth riding and we’re in the final two weeks of the campaign to elect a new Member of Parliament on March 19. We asked all eleven registered candidates several questions about cycling issues and activities that affect Toronto–Danforth residents. Eight candidates sent us detailed responses. Read on for each candidate’s complete answers to our questions:
Our next regular organizing meeting is on Wednesday, February 29 at Timothy’s coffee shop in Carrot Common. We get started at 6 p.m. and usually wind up business before 8 p.m. This week’s agenda includes discussing a number of events and projects that we’re planning for the spring and summer. Please join us for the evening if you’d like to get involved. Contact us if you need more information.
When Pottery Road re-opened at the end of November, some drivers reported confusion about what the newly painted sharrows meant, with some thinking that the downhill lane was for bikes only. To help alleviate any confusion on Pottery Road, the City of Toronto has erected new signs to indicate that the lane is shared by cars and bikes, that bikes should ride down in the middle of the lane, and that drivers shouldn’t try to pass cyclists while going down the hill.
Because this kind of pavement marking is still relatively new, a lot of drivers and cyclists alike may not know exactly what to do when they encounter sharrows on the road. The City of Toronto has put together a FAQ explaining the ins and outs of sharrows. The City has also produced a video to introduce sharrows to all road users:
The City of Toronto is hosting a public meeting on Monday, February 6, 2012 where staff will present their recommendations for additions to the city’s off-road cycling network. Although none of the proposed routes are in Ward 29, a number of them do plug gaps in the Don Valley trail system or make connections to other routes like the Gatineau Hydro Corridor. Staff’s final report will be submitted to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in March, and for final approval by City Council after that. We encourage all interested cyclists to attend the meeting on Monday evening to examine the planned improvements and talk to staff. Ward 29 Bikes representatives will be attending; look us up if you’re there.
Who: City of Toronto Staff and you!
What: New multi-use trails public meeting
Where: Northern District Public Library
40 Orchard View Boulevard (1 block north of Eglinton Ave, east of Yonge) (map)
Have you always wanted to be in a parade? Wave to cheering crowds? Celebrate your community? This is your chance! Ward 29 Bikes invites you and your friends to join us in the East York Canada Day Parade, Friday 1 July 2011, starting time 9am.
For further information and staging details, please contact Kathy at kathy@29bikes.ca.
Join Ward 29 Bikes for the signature Bike Month event, the Group Commute to City Hall. Groups of riders from the east, west, and north will all converge on Nathan Phillips Square for the anual pancake breakfast and kick-off to a month-long celebration of cycling. The Danforth ride departs from Woodbine at 7:00 a.m. Members of Ward 29 Bikes will be joining the ride at the corner of Danforth and Chester Avenues (just to the east of Carrot Common) when it rolls by around 7:20 a.m. Hundreds of cyclists will cross the Bloor Viaduct and connect with the other groups heading to the morning’s festivities at City Hall. Contact us if you need any additional information. We hope you see you there!
Location: Beer Store parking lot, Greenwood & Danforth
Description: Create your own Danforth bike lane as part of this Art of the Danforth project. See the project website for more information: http://apieceofacity.com/author/deniseing
Location: Danforth Avenue between Woodbine and Broadview
Description: Join Ward 29 Bikes, the Toronto Cyclists Union, and the City of Toronto as we kick off Bike Month with the annual Group Commute to City Hall. Hundreds of cyclists will ride along Danforth Avenue starting at 7:00 a.m. from Woodbine Avenue. At Yonge Street, we'll meet groups coming from the west and north and converge into one large ride to Nathan Phillips Square for the traditional pancake breakfast.
If you don't want to start at Woodbine, you can join the ride anywhere along the way as it passes by. Most members of Ward 29 Bikes will be joining the group at Chester Avenue. No matter where you join, you still need to get up early: we're usually at Broadview and heading across the Bloor Viaduct before 7:15 a.m.
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