As part of the planned work on the East Don portion of the Toronto Trails Plan, the City of Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation are hosting an open house from 6:00-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at Blessed John 23rd Catholic School (175 Grenoble Drive, near Don Mills Rd. & Overlea Blvd.). The proposed East Don Trail will run from near the Forks of the Don in E.T. Seton Park to the Gatineau Hydro Corridor near Victoria Park and Eglinton Aves. This is an important link in Toronto’s trail system that will fill the biggest gap in an off-road bike route that connects downtown to northeast Scarborough. The city wants your feedback for the Environmental Assessment and we encourage all area cyclists to attend the open house.
What’s better than riding your bike in the winter? Why, talking about riding your bike in the winter, of course. And even better than that is talking about anything that strikes your fancy with other people who happen to like cycling. This Thursday night, you can do just that from the comfort of your pub stool or booth. Please join us at Remarks Bar & Grill on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. for our Annual Quarterly East End Pub Night event. Members of Ward 29 Bikes, SoDa Bikes, and 32 Spokes along with many other interesting people will be attending this informal get-together. Join us to talk shop, talk bike, talk sports, or just have some good conversations. Everyone is welcome, even if you drive to the pub. On-street parking is available.
Remarks Bar & Grill
1926 Coxwell Avenue (West side of Coxwell Avenue, ½ block south of O’Connor Drive)
From 7:00 p.m. until whenever.
Everyone is welcome. Contact us if you have any questions.
(What’s an annual quarterly pub night, you ask? It’s a meet-and-greet that we try to have quarterly but end up having annually. Usually, we’d rather be outside riding than inside talking about riding. Typical cyclists!)
[Update, December 5: The location of the second meeting has been corrected.]
Following up on the initial meeting in September, the City of Toronto is hosting a pair of public meetings (PDF) this week about planned upgrades and improvements to the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail. The first meeting is at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4 at St. Paul’s Church (227 Bloor Street East, between Church and Jarvis Streets). This meeting will focus on the plans for the southern portion of the trail through the Moore Park Ravine and David Balfour Park. A second meeting to look at plans for the trail north of Mount Pleasant Cemetery is being held on Wednesday, December 5 at the West Preparatory Junior Public School (70 Ridge Hill Drive). If you’re unable to attend at least one meeting in person, you can still give feedback through email. The project website will have this week’s presentations and feedback forms online in a couple of days.
Brick beach on the Leslie Street Spit. The trails are a little smoother than this.
Our Thursday Night Ride series this past June was so popular that we’ve decided to run a Sunday morning autumn ride to the Leslie Street Spit next Sunday, October 28. Meet at the East York Community Centre at the corner of Pape and Torrens Avenues on Sunday, October 28 at 10:45 a.m. The ride leaves at 11:00 a.m. rain or shine.
This ride will take us through the streets of Riverdale and the Port Lands to the Leslie Street Spit, where we’ll continue all the way out to the lighthouse at the southern tip. Fall colours and cooler temperatures make autumn a wonderful time to cycle on Toronto’s streets and trails.
It can be chilly on autumn mornings, so we’ll be bringing a supply of warm (non-alcoholic) apple cider for riders who join us. Bring a snack for yourself and dress in layers if it’s cold. Remember that it may be a few degrees cooler by the water than it is in the rest of the city.
You should bring:
- a bike in good working order,
- clothing appropriate for the weather,
- a bottle of water and a small snack, and
- TTC fare in case you get tired and need a lift home.
Contact us if you have any questions, and we hope to see you next Sunday.
Ward 29 Bikes will be offering free basic bicycle tune-ups, maintenance, and advice at the Withrow Park Farmers’ Market this Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bring your bike to us! We can fix many simple problems in just a couple of minutes.
With the first cold weather upon us, are you thinking about putting your bike away for the season? Why not try extending your cycling season a little bit this year? We’ll be giving advice on winter riding: with some common sense and clothes that you already have in your closet, it may be easier than you think.
What: Free basic bike tune-ups and maintenance and winter cycling advice
Where: Withrow Park Farmers’ Market, at the corner of Carlaw and McConnell Avenues.
When: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Saturday, October 13, 2012
The City of Toronto is hosting a public meeting about planned upgrades and improvements to the Kay Gardner Beltline trail. This initial public meeting is being held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September 10 at the Northern District Library (40 Orchard View Boulevard one block north of Eglinton Ave, one block west of Yonge St.). Part of the Beltline runs through Ward 29 beside the Brick Works and the entire trail is part of important commuting and recreational routes. This is your opportunity to help guide the future of one of Toronto’s best cycling trails.
Ward 29 Bikes and our friends from 32 Spokes are offering free basic bike tune-ups and maintenance tips at the Withrow Park Farmers’ Market Harvest Festival this Saturday, September 8th, from 10 am to 1 pm. Bring your bike for a tune-up! Celebrate fresh local food and help us support the market’s Fresh Food Drive (PDF) with a donation, which will go to the Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre food bank.
Our next regular organizing meeting is on Wednesday, September 12 at Timothy’s coffee shop in Carrot Common. We get started at 6 p.m. and usually wind up business before 8 p.m. Our agenda will include upcoming events for this autumn, new community outreach initiatives, and a recap of our summer activities. Please join us for the evening if you’d like to help lead the cycling community in Ward 29. Contact us if you need more information.
Just a reminder that we’re running a bonus Thursday night ride this week. The route is the same as the ride that was cancelled on June 21 and you can find the details in the original announcement for that ride. This will be our final formal ride for this summer. If you’ve enjoyed the rides and would like to see more of them throughout the cycling season, you should join us at an organizing meeting. Our next one is coming up on Wednesday, July 18; see the calendar listing for details.
As always, riders should meet at the East York Community Centre at the corner of Pape and Torrens Avenues on Thursday, July 12 at 6:15 p.m. The ride leaves at 6:30 p.m. rain or shine, but will be cancelled if thunderstorms are likely. Email info@29bikes.ca before 5:00 p.m. if you want confirmation of the status of the ride; final determination will be made by 5:30 p.m.
You should bring:
- a bike in good working order,
- clothing appropriate for the weather,
- a bottle of water,
- money for refreshments after the ride, and
- TTC fare in case you get tired and need a lift home.
Contact us if you have any questions, and we hope to see you on Thursday.
Thanks to all of the Ward 29 Bikes members and supporters who joined us for the East York Canada Day parade on Sunday morning. With sunny skies and low humidity, it was a beautiful day for for a bike ride through the streets of East York surrounded by Shriners, Rotarians, marching bands, and many other East York community groups. Following the parade, even more cyclists approached us and asked if they could ride with us next year. Of course you can; everyone is welcome to join us. Let’s make next year’s parade entry the biggest ever!
Here’s a gallery of pictures from this year’s parade. Click on any picture to view it full size. Thanks for all of your support!
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- Ward 29 Bikes supporter Felicity arrives as a vision in red and white. Her finery and attention to detail won her the prize for best decorated bike. (Photo by Risa Gluskin.)
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- Ward 29 Bikes supporters Sandra and Tim are decked out and ready for the Canada Day parade to get underway. (Photo by Kathy Chung.)
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- Ward 29 Bikes members Val and Risa strike a pose surrounded by balloons and wearing their ceremonial headdresses. (Photo by Kathy Chung.)
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- The bikes in the staging area are festooned with red and white balloons, flags, and ribbons. (Photo by Risa Gluskin.)
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- Ward 29 Bikes members and supporters display their decorated bikes before getting underway. (Photo by Risa Gluskin.)
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- Everyone saddle up! The parade is starting any minute now. (Photo by Kathy Chung.)
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- The parade pauses at Dieppe Park for a marching band performance. (Photo by Risa Gluskin.)
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- Ward 29 Bikes supporters were not only the most colourful entry in the parade, but we also had the most fun. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- Risa smiles and shows off her red, white, and Ward 29 blue. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- Val and Risa flying the colours on Cosburn Ave. (Photo by Kathy Chung.)
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- Ward 29 Bikes member Charlotte and her bike are even more colourful and decorated than usual. She looks like she's hatching a plan. Maybe something to do with the Shriners just ahead of us in the parade. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- Charlotte joins the Shriners as they twist and turn along Cosburn Ave. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- The Shriners try to shake their tail loose, but Charlotte sticks to them through all of their loops and turns. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- We're not sure what's more fun than those little Shriner cars, but cycling along with them must rank right up there. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- Cyclists discover that riding around in circles is not only fun, but also generates a cooling breeze. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- With her drag chute of balloons deployed behind her, Felicity leads the group through another round. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- A young family watches Kathy go by on Sammon Ave. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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- This intersection isn't normally a roundabout, but we won't let that stop us from turning it into one for a few minutes. (Photo by Val Dodge.)
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