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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

I wonder if they think doing that brings in nearly as many people as it alienates? Obviously there's a bunch of people who will avoid the place now at all costs, but is anyone really going to be like "The Old Sod? The guys who sold those Fuck Cyclists T-Shirts? Let's go their instead of somewhere else!"?
I certainly will avoid that trashy business going forward. They're on my shit-list for such a stunt.
 
Seems like it's usually the owners that scream about the loss of parking in front of their establishments.

Which seems odd to me because in a busy area, you are rarely able to park in front of your destination so what difference would it make to them if we needed to park in a nearby garage / lot / side street?
They claim that their customers need the parking. The reality is that the parking is used by the owners and their staff.
 
Who needs bike lanes when we just need to start wearing our helmets correctly?

Ont. sports minister says wearing helmets properly is more important than bike lanes

After much discussion about bike lanes following Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plan to potentially reduce them, Ontario sports minister Neil Lumsden weighed in. Instead of acknowledging that bike lanes help reduce cyclist injuries, he focused on helmet use.


“What we need to start considering when individuals ride a bike or scooter is to first put on a helmet and fasten it properly,” he said, avoiding other preventive measures.
 
Helmets are meaningless when you are struck by high speed car traffic.
In hindsight, I regret not wearing mine the one time a careless jaywalker didn't bother to look before crossing and ran out right in front of me, forcing me to slam on the brakes which unfortunately sent me flying over the handlebars. Of course, the one time some shit like that does go down, is also when I wasn't wearing it (I didn't bother wearing it if my route consists primarily of bike lanes or trails, but after this incident I'd wear it every time going forward). At least cars, for the most part, are far more predictable and don't typically jump out right in front of you like some jaywalkers or wildlife. Ironically, this is one huge downside of curb-protected bike lanes, they are a breeding ground for such jaywalkers waiting to jump out from in-between parked cars (or car doors opening unexpectedly).

When a jaywalker jumps out in front of you you may take a spill. When a car hits you you're not posting on urbantoronto the next day or possibly ever.
Not necessarily. Not all car accidents are equal, if it's just a "gentle" tap at a relatively low speed, and the car quickly stops to avoid running you over, you also may "take a spill" that ofc wouldn't be pleasant, but not necessarily worse than falling off your bike due to hard braking/swerving to dodge a reckless jaywalker/wildlife. Some people are suggesting introducing mandatory licenses to ride bikes (much like driver licenses), but apparently some people should require mandatory licenses to be pedestrians in this city too. And no, this is not meant to be a dig at that one jaywalker who cut me off, I know they feel bad enough already, this is just me venting my general frustration at the amount of people who literally pay zero attention when intruding onto bike lanes, causing things like this to happen.
 
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In hindsight, I regret not wearing mine the one time a careless jaywalker didn't bother to look before crossing and ran out right in front of me, forcing me to slam on the brakes which unfortunately sent me flying over the handlebars. Of course, the one time some shit like that does go down, is also when I wasn't wearing it (I didn't bother wearing it if my route consists primarily of bike lanes or trails, but after this incident I'd wear it every time going forward). At least cars, for the most part, are far more predictable and don't typically jump out right in front of you like some jaywalkers or wildlife. Ironically, this is one huge downside of curb-protected bike lanes, they are a breeding ground for such jaywalkers waiting to jump out from in-between parked cars (or car doors opening unexpectedly).
Maybe it's survival bias. When a jaywalker jumps out in front of you you may take a spill. When a car hits you you're not posting on urbantoronto the next day or possibly ever.

As a cyclist in complex urban environments, I'm not trying to set any speed records much less win the mailot jaune. If I see pedestrians stumbling into my path I slow down and use my bell. When it's kids or pets, I usually slow to a walking speed or stop altogether.
 
Anyone going to this? I saw it posted on Reddit.


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