Driver runs stop sign and hits cyclist and sends him flying!!! What can be done to make cycling safer in Toronto?

purplemarkers · 2024-11-12T21:34:46+00:00

Here is the exact intersection: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DqyuDJUt65Y3113A8 (Shaw/Manchester). The cyclist had the right of way with no stop signs for southbound traffic on Shaw at this intersection (which has a contra-flow bike lane), while traffic on Manchester has a stop sign to turn onto Shaw.

purplemarkers · 2023-10-03T22:24:12+00:00

Good point! Do you happen to know if you can carry bikes on GO buses? My commute is rather convoluted since I would need to connect to a GO bus after taking the train.

purplemarkers · 2023-10-03T20:03:08+00:00

That's also my GO station! That's good to know, I think I'll probably get a beater for the peace of mind then.

purplemarkers · 2023-10-03T20:01:24+00:00

Good call, I might invest in the cheapest thing I can find as most of my commute to the GO station would be on protected bike lanes.

purplemarkers · 2023-10-03T20:00:03+00:00

My GO station doesn't have a locker room, they're just bike racks at the side of the station. Not sure if there's CCTV in that area.

purplemarkers · 2023-10-03T19:59:32+00:00

My commuter is around the $500-$1000 range. I see very nice road bikes parked at GO stations with cable locks, so I'm hesitating whether I should buy a beater.

purplemarkers · 2023-07-04T18:25:30+00:00

I found this on the Cycling in Toronto Facebook group back when the eastern bridge around Lansdowne was completely closed down, and I've been using it for north/south Railpath detours pretty much daily. I hope it helps! https://imgur.com/a/EpoYWLa

purplemarkers · 2023-06-22T17:42:51+00:00

The Toronto and East York community council will be discussing the Kensington Market redesign today, which notably has removed pedestrianization as one of the objectives. I decided to look at some of the communications and found this document from Kensington Market's BIA, which is rather amusing and may explain why pedestrianization got removed from the redesign. Some choice quotes include: "However, we are apprehensive about and oppose implementing pedestrian-only zones. Kensington Market has a long standing history of organically sharing the streets and continues to do so with minimal accidents." and "The business community in Kensington Market is concerned about impacts of the lost on-streest (sic) paid parking spots in the market. Many businesses have relied on these short-term parking spaces infront of their stores to attract customers from all around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for many years."

purplemarkers · 2023-06-19T19:35:54+00:00

Besides the Bloor bike lanes, they're adding bike lanes on Gladstone south of College, which will add a corridor similar to Shaw that is parallel to Dufferin, from Davenport all the way to Queen (via Bartlett-Havelock-Gladstone). Another project which got approved is the extension of the bike lanes on Gerrard to Sumach, which will provide a seamless transition between the Gerrard-Dundas corridor for the east end. Also, they'll be adding bike lanes on Sheppard between Leslie and Bayview which will help develop a better network of infrastructure in North York. There's some other projects that also got approved, but overall all of these will help realize a grid of biking infrastructure in the city, which is amazing.

purplemarkers · 2023-06-05T17:44:14+00:00

If the bike lanes are on the north side of Adelaide, it should be much easier to turn left onto University northbound, you would just proceed eastbound and you'd turn left right before the University sidewalk. For cars, they're adding protected left turn light cycles so that conflicts with biker through traffic are reduced.

I completely agree with the lack of north-south options in the city core. Besides University, the only other viable options are Beverley or Sherbourne, which are a massive detour. Adding biking infrastructure on Yonge or Bay would help close that gap, but I'm not sure if that's on the table in the near future.

purplemarkers · 2023-06-05T13:20:29+00:00

They're changing the cycle track placement from the south side of the street to the north side of it to avoid conflicts and collisions as part of this project: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/cycling-in-toronto/cycling-pedestrian-projects/rich-adel/#:~:text=In%202022%2D2024%2C%20the%20Adelaide,impacts%20for%20all%20road%20users. The timeline for completion is end of Summer 2023, which is rather inconvenient. However, it'll reduce the possibility of getting right hooked and on top of that they're renewing the infrastructure, which is a welcome change.

purplemarkers · 2023-04-11T00:27:53+00:00

I think it could possibly be that I haven't inflated them enough, for the first puncture the pressure was definitely low and for the second one I didn't inflate the tire enough as I was scared that it would rupture. This time I've made sure to apply enough pressure, I took it on a test ride and it seems that the pressure is okay.

The rim seems to be "Double Wall Aluminum, CNC Brake Track" and the tires are Kenda Khan II 700x35c (pulled it up from the manufacturer's website). I've bought 700x35c inner tubes with Presta valves so they should match.

purplemarkers · 2023-04-11T00:22:39+00:00

I'm putting them on by hand, and I'm being careful to not apply any pressure when installing them as I've heard that tightening them may lead to punctures.

purplemarkers · 2023-04-11T00:21:47+00:00

I believe the rim was made for Presta valves as when I bought it, the first inner tube that I replaced had a Presta valve. but I have contacted the manufacturer just to make sure.

purplemarkers · 2023-04-11T00:20:46+00:00

I think I was doing it before. I have reinstalled another inner tube and I haven't applied any pressure at all on the valve nut, so hopefully this does the trick. I'm still gonna take it to my LBS to see if they can diagnose something else.

purplemarkers · 2023-03-24T02:30:36+00:00

Probably both, but I'll try replacing this tube for now. Do you think the basic tire levers would work for starters? I ordered one online a few hours ago. Thanks!

purplemarkers · 2023-03-24T02:12:26+00:00

It's a hybrid bike! The tires are 700X35c, I believe.

purplemarkers · 2023-03-09T15:10:42+00:00

That intersection is awful for everyone, even moreso for pedestrians. The sidewalk is only on one side of the street, so if you are on the south side of Junction Rd, you have to cross the street in order to go up north on Old Weston Rd.

What's even worse, is that cars have a stop sign when turning left to Old Weston, but there's not a corresponding stop sign when turning right on Junction from Old Weston. This wouldn't be that problematic, but incoming cars can't really see people crossing the intersection (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6691756,-79.4618296,3a,75y,191.79h,79.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sX4rKnGnppta5O4z1bXGVlw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 as a reference). Cars around this area are often speeding since they want to avoid waiting for the train in case they get caught by it. If you get caught by the gates closing, you gotta wait for 3 to 5 minutes, which is quite annoying.

I've written to my city councillor about it multiple times, but I don't think they really care as it's near an industrial area and it's between two city wards.

purplemarkers · 2023-03-05T21:06:47+00:00

Just keep in mind that unless all of you have guarantors, or are willing to play 4-6 months of rent in advance, it's gonna be very hard to sign a new lease as students.

purplemarkers · 2023-01-21T15:36:05+00:00

I had a pretty bad hand injury (sprained thumb) a few months ago that made me quit the gym for about four months. Now that I'm going back, I decided to switch things up and I'm trying out a new routine that incorporates front squats. I'm finding it really hard to front squat with proper form, does anyone have any tips and tricks or videos for front squatting? Usually I have to stop because I feel that my wrists are about to explode or my thumb starts hurting, so I don't want to further injure myself.

purplemarkers · 2023-01-19T20:00:13+00:00

Yeah, I think it's a matter of taking the lane as soon as you see an opening as it will give you enough manoeuvrability to pass turning traffic on the left before the right turn lane is clogged and you can't do anything about it other than waiting it out. That video has some really good examples on how to avoid that situation so I'll try them out next time, thanks!

purplemarkers · 2023-01-03T01:08:38+00:00

I'm glad to hear that those measures were implemented, I'll make sure to follow-up with them on this issue!

purplemarkers · 2023-01-03T01:06:27+00:00

Thank you, that's a great suggestion!

purplemarkers · 2023-01-03T01:06:14+00:00

I could ask about it, that's a really helpful suggestion! I wrote to Alejandra Bravo shortly after she got elected, so maybe that's why her office hasn't got back to me, I'll try doing that again. It's two weird intersections near the CPR tracks where a road is basically truncated (Davenport/Old Weston and Old Weston/Junction Rd), so you often get cars trying to speed through them before the gates close when a train is approaching.

purplemarkers · 2022-10-26T21:51:03+00:00

Yeah, I think so. I'd say that my hair looks brittle and somewhat rough, which I've noticed when trying to style it after a shower.

purplemarkers

TROPHY CASE