Ward 30 Bikes Spring 2017 Newsletter

Our spring newsletter is out.  Contact us if you would like to get on the email list. Enjoy! ****

Ward 30 Bikes Spring 2017 News  The Ward30 Bikes Newsletter is back! We've been super busy, but the much loved newsletter is here! Join our next meeting  Tuesday, June 13. 7:00 - 9:00 pm Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen St. E.) Join us at the Ralph Thornton Centre to find out more about bike projects and events in your community, and how you can contribute. See you there! Danforth Loves Bikes Campaign Update Door to Door Canvassing Has Begun! The Danforth Loves Bikes Campaign is in full swing!  In April last year the volunteers of the campaign hosted an amazing Bikes Mean Business Event.   Volunteers also canvassed local businesses, and supporters for Danforth Bike Lanes put stickers up in their windows - you can check out the full map here - please shop and give a thanks to our amazing business supporters!  In June Council approved the 10 year bike plan which included the recommendation to study bike lanes on Danforth in the third quarter of 2017! Big thanks to Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon who with our other east end councillors championed this. In September Open Streets came to the Danforth for the first time ever so we put together a pop-up bike lane - right here on the Danforth! Awesome right? Then in October Cycle Toronto did their big Bloor Danforth Fundraiser and safety awareness ride which was a huge success! And now in Spring... the momentum continues as we just kicked off door to door canvassing. Interested in helping out with canvassing?  Contact us asap! We'd love your help! Bike Month is on! Now - June 30th Bike to Work Day was on Monday.  People from all corners of the city rode into City Hall to officially kick off Bike Month. For the 2nd year in a row the Mayor rode in to join the festivities. Here's a pic of some east side people heading to city hall with our Councillor Paula Fletcher. It's also Bike to School Week! Today students and teachers from 6 schools gathered for a press conference at Bloor and Christie urging the city to make the Bloor Bike Lanes permanent - the next generation of Toronto wants safer streets! We thank them for their civic action! For full Bike Month listings, check out the event page there is so much cool stuff every day! Withrow Farmers Market - Opening Day  Saturday, June 3. 10:30am  Bring your bike to the Withrow Park Farmers' Market this weekend and get a FREE safety check/tune-up from our volunteers.  Cycling maps and Danforth campaign materials will be available. You can also ask us about Bells on Danforth! And ... new this year, as the market coincides with the councillors compost day, our volunteers will be offering a FREE compost delivery service by bike! Bells on Danforth Saturday, June 24. 10:30am  The pedal powered parade to celebrate cycling is back! The 2017 edition of Bells on Danforth is set for Saturday, June 24. More details will be posted on the ride page as we get closer to the big day. Also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   Other upcoming events Riverside Eats n Beats - June 3rd & 4th We couldn't make it this year to help out, but it's on and better than ever! Plus our good friends at Switchback Cyclery are doing their thing for a bike themed block party Saturday June 3rd 1pm onwards.  Full event list here Leslieville Tree Festival - June 17th Back again! 12pm - 4pm we'll be there! East York Canada Day Parade - July 1st Ward 29 Bikes is organizing a bike parade as part of the annual East York Canada Day Parade: //www.eycdc.ca/.

Community Safety Audit Walk - Memory Lane, Sears Street, Maple Leaf Forever Park

By Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes Outreach Coordinator,
New Hope Shelter Community Liaison Committee

COMMUNITY SAFETY AUDIT WALK

Please join Councillor McMahon, Ward 32, and Councillor Fletcher, Ward 30, along with City of Toronto staff and local community members from the Community Liaison Committee to conduct a safety audit around the Eastern Ave. and Leslie St. area.

When: Thursday June 8, 2017 | 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Where: Start and End at the Maple Leaf Cottage | 62 Laing Street Toronto, ON

Join us as we walk along the route outlined in the map below and learn about what issues to consider and plan for to help you feel safer in your neighbourhood.

Via City of Toronto | Hope Shelter - http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=e12e16841c91a510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=bad1ab2cedfb0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

I'm on the Community Liaison Committee, and I've proposed making Memory Lane and Sears Street more Pedestrian/Bike friendly -  by restricting motor vehicle through-traffic on both laneways - and thus making Maple Leaf Forever Park a better space for the community.

Improving the Park is a key ask by residents proximate to the Hope Shelter (29 Leslie St, Toronto, ON M4L - opening in the fall of this year). Making the park more accessible to the immediate neighbourhood will encourage more people to use the park - and thus create a safer environment by having more 'eyes on the street'.

Once the George Condo development (on Queen between Laing and Knox) opens, Memory Lane will experience a much higher volume of traffic because the condo's parking garage entrance is on Memory Lane near Knox Avenue.

Bollards at Ashbridges Bay Park - Google Street View

During the AM traffic peak car traffic from the George Condo (indicated on the map by the orange lines) will short-cut to Leslie via Memory Lane in order to avoid congested Queen. In the PM (indicated by the yellow lines) car traffic will short-cut on Memory Lane from Leslie to again, avoid congested Queen - and if there are bollards stopping that, they will short cut on Sears Street instead - so Sears Street laneway also needs to get bollards somewhere between Leslie and Laing.

One issue that might be of concern is Policing the park and the local laneway grid. Police Bicycle Corp would be better suited to patrol this area within this configuration, as police officers in cars would have to do three-point turns or back out, after reaching the bollards.

Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes Outreach Coordinator,
New Hope Shelter Community Liaison Committee



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Viaduct Protection is Back

The Toronto Cycling unit announced on twitter this morning that they are re-installing the bollards on the viaduct

You may remember that these were installed (much to our surprise) back in October and then removed after 6 weeks.

No word yet if this is another pilot, but it's a welcome return.   Share with us here on on twitter your feedback.  let us know what you think of the flexi-sticks.