BikingToronto

Tomorrow is BikeFriday!

2008-05-29T15:47:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the last friday of May - so it's BikeFriday:

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote (and encourage) bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto "Bike Day" that happens once a month.

Here's what is scheduled for tomorrow:

8:00 - 9:30 AM:

Grassroots Bikers Breakfast

Join Grassroots staff and customers for a free Bikers Breakfast! We'll have organic fruit and juice, fair trade coffee, and other delicious breakfast snacks. Get there early to ensure plenty of breakfast treats are left at Grassroots Environmental Products
Click for more info
Location: 372 Danforth (at Chester)

8:00 - 9:30 AM:

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists

Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet (or other proof you biked there!) at Alternative Grounds Cafe
Click for more info
Location: 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier)

12:00 - 8:00 PM:

Janet Bike Girl - Open Studio

Local Toronto Bicycle Stencil Artist, Janet Bike Girl invites the public to see her bicycle art studio. Photos of Janet's Work
Click for more info
Location: 401 Richmond St West (Studio S-26)

5:30 - 9:00 PM:

Toronto Criterium Race

The Toronto Criterium kicks off with a Children's Race at 5:45 pm. Anyone under 18 is welcome to participate. Competitive cycling begins at 6:00 pm with Masters level amateur races. The professional and elite athletes race at 7:30 pm. Each of the competitive races last for one and a half hours.
Click for more info
Location: St. Lawrence Market (Start/Finish line near Front & Church)

6:00 PM:

Take the Tooker Takes Bloor

Take the Tooker will unfurl 44 metres of a pre-fab bike lane to give cyclists a real sense what bike lanes along Bloor would look and feel like. Ride the lane with us, and then join us for the monthly Critical Mass Ride through city streets.
Click for more info
Location: Bloor and Spadina

6:00 - 8:00 PM:

Critical Mass Toronto

Critical Mass is an event typically held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world where bicyclists take to the streets en masse. The purpose of Critical Mass is not formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city or town streets. [from Wikipedia]
Click for more info
Location: Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30

6:30 - 8:30 PM:

TBN Friday Night Ride

Join the Friday Night Riders on this popular social ride ending at a local eatery. Bring lights. Helmets are mandatory.
Click for more info
Location: Broadview and Riverdale (Park north of Bridgepoint Health)

10 PM - Midnight

Critical Ass

A great big party like Critical Mass, but without all the clothes. CAUTION: IF YOU PARTICPATE IN THIS RIDE YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF SURROUNDED BY CRAZY CYCLISTS WHO ARE NOT WEARING ENOUGH CLOTHES!
Click for more info
Location: Bloor and Spadina

More info and a map on the BikeFriday site.

Photos of the Morning Commute

2008-04-25T17:38:00.003-04:00

Being BikeFriday, I thought I'd take a circuitous route to work today and stop at a couple popular points for cyclists to take their photos as they commuted to work on two wheels.

Here's some of them.

First from Broadview and Danforth ... this was around 8 AM... it was just starting to get busy with cyclists (the time just after 8:30 is usually busiest) funneling together to go over the Bloor Viaduct.

Then I tried a few angles at College and Spadina, an always busy spot for cyclists, it seems, with the College bikelane (although I found out that cars treat Spadina from Bloor to College like an expressway - going by me way too fast and close) to downtown from the west end. This was about 8:30 AM. I suppose it gets busiest just before 9.

You can see all the photos on flickr.

Tomorrow, April 25th is BikeFriday!

2008-04-24T17:45:00.000-04:00

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote (and encourage) bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto "Bike Day" that happens once a month.

Citizens, politicians and businesses in Toronto all want our air to be cleaner, or streets to be less congested, and our kids to be healthier... and a good way to help achieve these goals is to promote the bicycle as a way of making short trips around the city.

THE SCHEDULE:

8:00 - 9:30 AM:

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists

Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet (or other proof you biked there!) at Alternative Grounds Cafe - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM:

Toronto Bike Summit 2008

Join leading thinkers, practitioners and decision-makers who are on the fast track to creating bikeable communities. Bike Summit 2008 will be held on Friday April 25th at the St. Lawrence Hall in Toronto. Bike Summit Website

6:00 - 8:00 PM:

Critical Mass Toronto

Tomorrow, March 28th is BikeFriday!

2008-03-27T10:37:00.003-04:00

Yes, it's BikeFriday again! The site has been cleaned up and re-designed too. :)

8:00 - 9:30 AM:

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists

Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet (or other proof you biked there!) at Alternative Grounds Cafe - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM

6:00 - 8:00 PM:

Critical Mass Toronto

8:00 - 9:00 PM:

Speaker Series: Bicycle Bob

"If you've never heard Bob speak, you're in for a treat. He's passionate, radical, poetic, inspirational. He's really the grand daddy of the bicycle movement in Canada. As founder of Le Monde a Bicyclette in Montreal in the 70's alongside Claire Morrisette, he kicked off the Canadian movement for cyclists rights. As Moses he parted the waters to protest cyclists not being allowed on the bridge, and the protests continued through the 80's to get access to the metro, buses, bike lanes, and much more. Cycling in Mtl is decades ahead of Smogtown because of his (and Claire's) visionary leadership. They paved the way for Velo Quebec which has moved cycling facilities to the best on the continent."
761 Queen St West

9:00 PM - 2:30 AM:

Navid'S Birthday Bicycle Cabaret !

Goldsprint races
DJs - Rollin Cash - Dope breaks, Jazz, funk, dub...(http://www.djrollincash.com)
DJ Anatone aka Mr. Jesse Morrison - Deep, dark, funky! (http://www.myspace.com/anatonemusic)
Bike Bondage! Check out our installation of art bikes beautifully bound in rope in the shibari tradition. Artfully done by Lord Morpheous. (http://www.lordmorpheous.com/)
Bike films, visuals and sexy surprises to come!

5$ at door
Free admission if you are dressed like a bicycle! :)

1300 Gerrard East (just east of Greenwood)

View Larger Map

Reminder: Tomorrow is BikeFriday

2008-02-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is BikeFriday, and thankfully the weather is supposed to be (relatively) balmy, with a high of around 0 degrees centigrade. Perfect biking weather.

Here's all the good stuff on tap for tomorrow that you and your bike can do:

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM

6:00 - 7:00 PM:
Critical Mass
Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30

7:00 - 10:00 PM:
Pirate Critical Bask and Film Night
457 Bathurst St. (South of College) - Hot Chocolate and food for thought are rewarded to anyone that bikes in the heart of the urban jungle. And if you miss the bike ride, come and partake in a screening of Beijing Bicycle at BikePirates!

The BikeFriday Schedule for January 25th

2008-01-23T17:52:00.000-05:00

Here's what going on this Friday, BikeFriday.

Each event also has a Facebook Event page set up, as everyone and their dog seems to be on facebook. :)

Grassroots-Danforth Bike Commuter Breakfast
The Last Hurrah before BikeWeek!

Date: Friday, January 25, 2008
Time: 8:00am - 9:30am
Location: Grassroots Danforth
Street: 372 Danforth Avenue (map)
Facebook Event Page

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Get a free IN-STORE coffee with your bike helmet!

Date: Friday, January 25, 2008
Time: 8:00am - 9:30am
Location: Alternative Grounds Cafe
Street: 333 Roncesvalles Avenue (map)
Facebook Event Page

Critical Mass - Toronto
Ride with others through downtown

Date: Friday, January 25, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
About: Wikipedia Article
Location: Spadina and Bloor (map)
Facebook Event Page

Jan 25th: The First BikeFriday of 2008!

2008-01-22T17:28:00.000-05:00

This friday is BikeFriday!

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote (and encourage) bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto “Bike Day” that happens once a month.

Citizens, politicians and businesses in Toronto all want our air to be cleaner, or streets to be less congested, and our kids to be healthier… and a good way to help achieve these goals is to promote the bicycle as a way of making short trips around the city.

Here's some of the stuff on tap for Friday:

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
The Grassroots' Bikers Breakfast
Ride your bike to a free breakfast courtesy of Grassroots at 372 Danforth Avenue (at Chester). Coffee supplied by Merchants of Green Coffee and food by The Big Carrot.

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM

6:00 - 8:00 PM:
Critical Mass
Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30

Cycling Events This Week: Jan. 21-27

2008-01-21T16:24:00.000-05:00

Keep up do date on all the cycle-tastic stuff happening in and around Toronto with the BikingToronto Calendar Page.

Here's what's on tap for this week:

Mon Jan 21 7pm – 10pm
Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee Meeting
Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St W

The Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee is designed to advise City Council and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, on the design, development and delivery of bicycle policies, programs and facilities to promote and enhance cycling within the City of Toronto. The goal of the committee is to provide a liveable and environmentally friendly city that is accessible and safe for people of all ages and abilities to get around by bicycle and to ensure the role of cycling in a transportation system appropriately balanced among all road users.

Phone: 416-395-7352
Web: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2008/agendas/cy.htm

Wed Jan 23 7pm – 9pm
Kingsway Neighbourhood Meeting - Traffic Management Plan
Lambton Kingsway Junior Middle School, Gym, 525 Prince Edward Dr N

Please attend to see a Presentation from Transportation
Services and Councillor Milczyn on the results and recommendations
resulting from the Kingsway Residents* Traffic Working Group and
Transportation Services traffic studies completed over the past year and
a half.

A phased-in approach for traffic and safety improvements will be
presented (improvements would begin Spring 2008). Feedback/comments and
support from the community, for these recommendations, is being sought.

Recommendations from Transportation Services Staff would then proceed
to Community Council for their approval in the next few months.

Fri Jan 25th - All Day
BikeFriday!

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote (and encourage) bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto “Bike Day” that happens once a month.

Citizens, politicians and businesses in Toronto all want our air to be cleaner, or streets to be less congested, and our kids to be healthier… and a good way to help achieve these goals is to promote the bicycle as a way of making short trips around the city.

More at BikeFriday.

If you know of stuff I've missed, let me know. As I add new stuff you'll find it on the calendar. :)

BikeFriday is Tomorrow, November 30th

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

BikeFriday is here again!

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote (and encourage) bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto “Bike Day” that happens once a month.

Citizens, politicians and businesses in Toronto all want our air to be cleaner, or streets to be less congested, and our kids to be healthier… and a good way to help achieve these goals is to promote the bicycle as a way of making short trips around the city.

Here are the events planned:

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM

6:00 - 8:00 PM:
Critical Mass
Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30

8:30 - 10:00 PM:
Post-Critical Mass Hot Chocolate and Movie Night
Enjoy Documentaries about Critical Mass in Toronto and Vancouver at 761 Queen West

BikeFriday is this Friday!

2007-10-24T17:44:00.000-04:00

BikeFriday is here again! Whee! Here's the schedule, and I've linked to the facebook pages for each event so you can see who you can meet at each event!

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Grassroots' Bikers Breakfast
Grassroots gives Free Breakfast Treats at 408 Bloor Street West (at Brunswick) from 8-9:30 AM
Facebook Event Page

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier) from 8-9:30 AM
Facebook Event Page

6:00 - 8:00 PM:
Critical Mass
Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30
Facebook Event Page

9:30 - 11:00 PM:
Toronto Premiere of You Never Bike Alone
Innis College Town Hall (2 Sussex Avenue) - Film Website.
Facebook Event Page

BikePools / Group Commutes

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

If you already ride your bike to work, why not invite others to join you. Email joe@bikingtoronto.com to have your BikeFriday route posted on this website.

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

Toronto Premiere of "You Never Bike Alone" on BikeFriday

2007-10-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

From the BikingToronto Inbox:

Toronto Premiere of You Never Bike Alone – Vancouver's Critical Masses

Planet in Focus Film Festival hosts the Toronto premiere of You Never Bike Alone at 9.30pm on Friday 26^th October 2007. (yes, it's on BikeFriday!)

You Never Bike Alone is looking at how cyclists are creating Critical Mass in Vancouver. Drawing on footage filmed in the city over the course of a decade and through interviews with people from all backgrounds, You Never Bike Alone captures the highs and the lows of riding a bike in Vancouver.

You Never Bike Alone charts the history of Vancouver's Critical Mass rides from the early “Tame the Lions” rides to the wild spectacle of Vancouver's freak bike collective and the World Naked Bike Ride in more recent times.

As well as a humorous and entertaining look at cycling in the city, it looks at the implications of transportation decisions by politicians at municipal and provincial levels and asks whether we are up to the challenge of making a truly liveable city.

Press about the Film:

“What Alstead's documentary captures is the absolutely exhilarating feeling of riding your bike with several hundred other cyclists on city streets.” The Vancouver Sun

“A compelling and intelligent film” The Vancouver Courier

“...a lovely piece of agitprop. It isn't didactic, nor proselytizing, but blunt and straightforward. The people interviewed seem so sane, so reasonable and so utterly practical that I wanted to ride off in the sunset with all of them.” Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee

Time: Fri 26th October at 9:30 pm. Bike Friday!

Venue: Innis College Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue

Web: www.planetinfocus.org, www.youneverbikealone.com

Movie Trailer:

BikeFriday on MTVLive Video

2007-10-09T13:13:00.000-04:00

BikeFriday was on MTVLive last month ... it's now up on YouTube. :)

Tomorrow is BikeFriday!

2007-09-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

BikeFriday is here again. Here's what's going on. :) I'll even include links to the facebook event listings for each, for any f'bookers out there:

7:00 - 9:00 AM:
BikePools / Group Commutes
See the BikeFriday site for ride details.

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Grassroots' Bikers Breakfast
Grassroots gives Free Breakfast Treats at 372 Danforth (at Chester)
[facebook link]

8:00 - 9:30 AM:
Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free IN-STORE coffee for anyone with bike helmet - 333 Roncesvalles (at Grenadier)
[facebook link]

12:00 - 4:00 PM:
Bike to YorkU: Tune-Up Event
FREE BIKE TUNE-UPS on the north side of the Health, Nursing, and Environmental Studies building on YorkU's Keele campus
[facebook link]

6:00 - 8:00 PM:
Critical Mass
Bloor & Spadina - meet at 6:00, ride at 6:30
[facebook link]

MTV Live Rocks the BikeFriday Tonight!

2007-09-06T14:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight at 6 PM, if you watch MTV Live, you'll see a segment all about bikes, including stuff from July's BikeFriday!

I know they interviewed Tammy T from Spacing, as well as Cheri Di Novo, the local MPP, who congregated at the Alternative Grounds Coffee Shop before BikePooling it downtown on the last friday in July (the 27th).

Watch it if you can... and if anyone knows how to record it and get it up on YouTube, I'd LOVE to hear from you.

BikeFriday is Tomorrow! Ride On!

2007-08-30T16:05:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's here again. Here's a quick rundown of what is going on.

BikePools! Commute together for safety and fun:
Complete details on the BikeFriday site.

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
dazjenx@gmail.com

8:45 AM - Roncesvalles & Grenadier (Alternative Grounds)
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

Events:

8 - 9:30 AM: Grassroot's Bikers Breakfast
Free Coffee and Treats for Cyclists at 408 Bloor West

8 - 9:30 AM: Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists
Free in-store coffee for anyone with a bike helmet at 333 Roncesvalles

6 - 8 PM: Critical Mass
Join hundreds of other cyclists for a fun social ride around downtown Toronto.
Southeast corner of Bloor & Spadina

BikeFriday: What's on for August 31st

2007-08-28T16:32:00.000-04:00

Great stuff happening in BikeFriday land :)

We've got all the crazy bikepools / group commutes happening (I'll list them below) all over Toronto (but you can add yours too, if you want), but here's a few events you'll want to check out:

Grassroot's Bikers Breakfast:
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Hop on your bike and find some two-wheeled solidarity this Friday among the folks at Grassroots-Annex (408 Bloor Street West, at Brunswick), for our monthly “Biker Breakfast” in support of Toronto's bicycle commuters.

Enjoy a delicious, wholesome breakfast snack donated by our friends at Organics on Bloor (468 Bloor St. W.) and Urban Herbivore (64 Oxford St.).

You can even bring your own coffee mug for extra-environmentally-friendly coffee drinking! :)

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists:
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Show up at Alternative Grounds (333 Roncesvalles) with your bike helmet and score yourself a free in-store (not take-out) coffee.

Critical Mass
6:00 - 8:00 PM

THE biking event for cyclist who want to show other road users that bikes belong on the streets.

Join hundreds of other Toronto cyclists for a sometimes civil, sometimes hell-raising ride around downtown.

Meet up on the south-east corner of Bloor & Spadina at 6:00, ride at 6:30.

BikePools / Group Commutes
7:00 - 9:00 AM

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

If you already ride your bike to work, why not invite others to join you. Email joe@bikingtoronto.com to have your BikeFriday route posted on this website.

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

8:45 AM - Roncesvalles & Grenadier
(Alternative Grounds Coffee Shop, 333 Roncy)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

BikeFriday Rocks, on MTV Live!

2007-08-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

While the next BikeFriday is less than two weeks away (Friday, August 31st), the last one saw a new event take place at Alternative Grounds on Roncesvalles... a breakfast with homemade muffins and fairtrade coffee, as well as Alex and Jesse from the City’s BUG program there providing lots of bike literature about City cycling info.

Afterwards there was a bike commute with you'll be able to watch on MTV Live on September 6th. Pretty cool, and just in time to get people psyched up for Friday, August 31st. Rock! :)

Rowena Santos, Cheri di Novo and Tammy Thorne

Alex and Jessie, from the City's BUG program

Photo's by Peter Foy, SNAP Bloor West

Two Weeks Until BikeFriday on August 31st!

2007-08-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

BikeFriday started a year ago in August 2006. This month it's on the 31st. Are you ready?

Here's what is going on:

BikePools / Group Commutes
The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

If you already ride your bike to work, why not invite others to join you. Email joe@bikingtoronto.com to have your BikeFriday route posted on this website.

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

9:00 AM - Roncy & Garden (just north of Queen)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

8:00-9:30 AM
Grassroots Bikers Breakfast
408 Bloor West (at Bathurst)
Join the friendly folks at Grassroots for some free breakfast treats!

6:00-8:00 PM
Critical Mass
Join lots of other Toronto cyclists for the downtown ride called ! Meet from 6:00 - 6:30 pm on the south-east corner of Bloor & Spadina.

The July 27th Edition of BikeFriday!

2007-07-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

This friday is the 12th monthly BikeFriday!

There's a lot of good stuff going on, so here's a quick run-down for you:

Free Breakfast on Roncy!

Free Breakfast on the Danforth!

Hop on your bike and find some two-wheeled solidarity this Friday among the folks at Grassroots-Danforth (372 Danforth Ave. at Chester), for our monthly “Biker Breakfast” in support of Toronto's bicycle commuters. You can even bring your own coffee mug for extra-environmentally-friendly coffee drinking! :)

BikePools / Group Commutes!

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

8:30 AM - Queen West!
(meet at Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) before heading east to Queen & McCaul)
To join this ride, email Jo at
jo@traffikedit.com

9:00 AM - Roncy & Garden (just north of Queen)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

Critical Mass

Bloor & Spadina
Meet at 6:00, Ride at 6:30

Enjoy an early evening ride with hundreds of other cyclists through downtown Toronto.

Reminder

There's a new cool interactive GoogleMap on the BikeFriday site. See all the above events plotted on a nice map.

New Map on BikeFriday!

2007-07-23T12:42:00.000-04:00

This friday is the 12th monthly BikeFriday!

Last friday I added a new feature to the BikeFriday site - a map that has all the group commutes / bikepools on it. There are little green bike icons at all the start points.

I've also put a red marker at the Grassroots-Annex store, as I think they're doing a Bikers Breakfast this friday, but am waiting for them to confirm it, so that's tentative at the moment...

There's another breakfast event in the works too... stay tuned!

Go to the BikeFriday site to see the new map! :)

BikeFriday in the Mississauga News!

2007-07-04T12:42:00.000-04:00

A couple articles appeared in the Mississauga News before and after the most recent BikeFriday (June 29th, 2007). Here they are for your reading enjoyment. :)

Pre-BikeFriday:

Pedal pushers back in style

When a large group of cyclists wend their way from Riverwood to City Hall this Friday in an historic ride, Smart Commute Mississauga’s Glenn Gumulka says they will be showing that riding a bike is a realistic way to get to work.

Post-BikeFriday:

Cyclists make smart commute

Two dozen cyclists made their way from Riverwood Park to City Hall on Friday morning, ushering in the first-ever local Bike Friday.

If you're interested in starting your own Group Commute / BikePool - see the BikeFriday site, or the BikeFriday page on I Bike T.O.

Tomorrow is BikeFriday

2007-06-28T13:04:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the 11th monthly BikeFriday... we've been doing it every last Friday of the month since August 2006... and now it's starting to pick up.

We've got BikePools / GroupCommutes all over the city, and even the City of Mississauga is getting in on the fun!

If you haven't been to the BikeFriday site lately, check it out. I've recently added maps of all the Commutes to the page - like my 8 AM one from Woodbine & Danforth below:

BikeFriday - Danforth-Woodbine

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Mississauga Embraces BikeFriday!

2007-06-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

Great news out of the city just west of Toronto!

The City of Mississauga and Smart Commute Mississauga is embracing the last Friday of every month as BikeFriday - with the inaugural ride (and breakfast!) scheduled for this Friday, June 29th!

All the details can be found on the Smart Commute site as well, but here they are:

The last Friday of each month is Bike Friday in Mississauga.

Smart Commute Mississauga is encouraging all cyclists to participate in the Bike Friday campaign by riding to work on the last Friday of each month. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

Inaugural Ride & Pancake Breakfast

Councilors Parrish and Mullin along with the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee and Smart Commute Mississauga invite you to the inaugural Bike Friday ride and pancake breakfast on Friday June 29th.

Ride Details

Cyclists will meet at the Barn in Riverwood Park (1447 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W.) for a reception from 7:00am to 7:30am. Cyclists will be given a registration patch and entered for random draw prizes.

Enter Riverwood Park from the north side of Burnhamthorpe Road. The park is located on the eastern bank of the Credit River. Proceed to the top of the hill and follow the signs to the Barn.

At 7:45am cyclists will leave for City Hall where they will be greeted with a pancake breakfast. Councilor Parrish will be serving pancakes for all cyclists.

The Route - Approximately 4.5 km.

Click here for a route map

From Riverwood west along Burnhamthorpe trail to Creditview Rd.
North on Creditview to Rathburn Rd.
East on Rathburn to Duke of York
South on Duke of York to City Hall

Organized Rides:

Lots posted on the Smart Commute Site!

Photos from the Grassroots Bikers Breakfast

2007-06-12T12:36:00.002-04:00

I stopped by the Grassroots - Danforth store for their Bikers Breakfast. There was a good turnout during the 10 minutes I was there, and I heard that last weeks (at their Annex store) was packed with people too. :)

Here are the few photos I snapped while I drank coffee before continuing on to work.

(Cross-posted to I Bike T.O.)

BikeFriday - June 8th Edition

2007-06-07T14:25:00.000-04:00

While officially, BikeFriday is the last Friday of every month, there's enough momentum out there that there are things starting to happen every friday:

The Schedule for tomorrow, June 8th:

Martino's Bloor West BikePool meets at Bloor W. and High Park for a nice jaunt downtown along Bloor. Meet at 8 AM.

Joe's Danforth BikePool meets at Danforth & Woodbine (northwest corner) for a nice roll along the Danforth. Meet at 8 AM.

Grassroots' Bikers Breakfast: 8-9:30 AM
In support of Toronto's Bicycle commuters, Grassroots is hosting an early morning bike commuter breakfast. Plan to stop by Grassroots (372 Danforth at Chester) for a delicious, organic breakfast snack provided by our friends at Merchants of Green Coffee, Urban Herbivore, Noah's Natural Foods and the Big Carrot.

Upcoming:

Smart Commute Mississauga is officially launching our BikeFriday program on Friday, June 29th. All cyclists are invited to join us for our inaugural ride and pancake breakfast at city hall. More details on SmartCommute Mississauga.

Also, Tammy and Cheri di Novo's (MPP) office are working on a Breakfast Event for later in June. More details to come as we know them. :)

(Cross-posted to I Bike T.O.)