An application has been submitted to the City for a building totalling 69-storeys, featuring a glass and steel skyscraper rising behind a reconstruced 1890s heritage structure at the corner. Currently housing an Atmosphere sports store, the Jamieson building’s facade, now half hidden by aluminum panels from a partial restoration in the 1980s, would be fully restored, and would continue to be used for retail.

The tower above is proposed to contain 580 rental suites and a bicycle parking space for each. No car parking is proposed: the tower is located immediately adjacent to the Queen subway station in the heart of the city, and can claim a walk score of 100. The redevelopment presents opportunities to improve the building’s connection to the Toronto Eaton Centre and to provide better street access to the subway station below.

via Urban Toronto.

dandyhorse has been busy in preparation for our Spring Safety issue due out this June. We talked to cyclists at Bayview and Blythwood, Dupont Triangle, Queen and Cameron, York University, the Danforth and Chester, Regent Park and Queen and Dufferin, to learn about safety concerns throughout the city.

We asked: Do you feel safe biking here? What would you to to make it safer?

Here’s a sneak peek at this special Bike Spotting series done to compliment original research by U of T on bikeable neighbourhoods in the city, which will be featured in our Spring issue.

read full post: dandyhorse magazine.

Announcing the first Cupcake Ride for 2013!! We are co-hosting this ride with Councillor McMahon’s Office (thanks for all your help Kristin!) to celebrate Ward 32 during our upcoming Bike Month in Toronto!

Date: Saturday, June 8th

Time: 1:00pm

Start place: Tori’s Bakeshop (2188 Queen St East – between Maclean & Balsam Ave)

read full post:  Toronto Cupcake Ride.

2012 may be remembered as a game-changing year for cycling in Ontario. The summer coroner’s report from Dr. Andrew McCallum reminded the public of the human toll in failing to properly balance competing street uses, while the provincial government awoke to the fact that there had been no substantive changes to Ontario’s Bicycle Policy since introduced in 1992. Steps were being taken to improve cycling infrastructure and public awareness to boost cyclist safety, and Eleanor McMahon from Share the Road has been at the centre of it all.

read full post: dandyhorse magazine.

How do you get around your city? Do you cycle? Would you like to cycle? What influences your decision?

There have been numerous attempts to encourage a shift towards active transportation and cycling. The most high profile of these have focused on the construction of physical infrastructure such as separated bicycle lanes, bike parking and destination amenities such as change-rooms and showering facilities. Due to tight city budgets and the slow pace of infrastructure development, cities like Toronto have lagged behind other urban centres which have fast-tracked their cycling infrastructure. In spite of this, Toronto has greatly increased its cycling population. A recent Toronto study estimates the increase in the number of cyclists, from 2001 to 2006, to be as much as 30%. While this increase shows positive signs, there is still significant room to grow.

Researchers from the Toronto Cycling Think & Do Tank have been working on the development of A Toolkit to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation. This toolkit takes an original approach: linking behaviour change theory and cycling promotion.

continue reading the full story: Spacing National.

Few posts that I have written brought out so many commenters, so much debate, as my question, Should Cyclists be Allowed to Blow Go Through Stop Signs? and Why Cyclists Blow Through Stop Signs: It’s Physics. In both, I make the case that stop signs exist primarily as a form of speed control for cars rather than a right-of-way system; that’s why they have converted most of them to four way stops that don’t actually work as well for right-of-way as the old two way stops. It doesn’t matter, I am still an idiot.

Now TreeHugger Emeritus Ruben Anderson joins the fray with Three Cheers for the Idaho Stop!! (or, the Insanity of Over-regulating Parakeets.)

The Idaho Stop is defined by Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland:

This law would make it legal for bicyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs. A cyclist approaching an intersection controlled by a stop sign, would be permitted to roll through the stop sign after yielding the right of way if there are other vehicles at the intersection.

It makes sense; a different kind of vehicle needs a different kind of regulation and control. 

read full post: TreeHugger.

Commuters from around the City meet to ride together from start points and converge at Yonge and Bloor for 7:30a.m. City start points are staffed with ride coordinators and a Police escort to a celebration and pancake breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square. Riders will receive a Bike Month t-shirt as well as complimentary breakfast at City Hall (while supplies last). This event is organized by the City of Toronto and Cycle Toronto.

City Start Points:

• 7:00 am Bloor and High Park
• 7:00 am Yonge and Lawrence
• 7:00 am Danforth and Woodbine
• 7:30 am Bloor and Yonge
• 8:00 am Arrive at City Hall

Community Start Points:

• 6:30 am Humber River Waterfront Trail, Thunderbird Bridge
• 6:30 am Don Mills and Lawrence, Don Mills Centre
• 7:15 am Christie and St. Clair, Wychwood Barns
• 7:15 am Beaches East Waterfront Trail, Kew Garden Park
• 7:30 am Dundas East and Kingston Road

via Bike Month 2013.

In late 2012, the City of Toronto announced the completion of its first separated bike lanes (cycle tracks) on Sherbourne Street. By physically separating cyclists from motor vehicle traffic, cycle tracks are a key way to increase safety, de-stress cycling, boost ridership and reduce conflicts between road users in Toronto.

Cycle Toronto conducted an on-line survey of its members in January 2013 about the new Sherbourne Cycle Tracks. In response, 189 cyclists provided feedback on their experience of the Sherbourne cycle tracks. Generally, the majority of survey respondents felt safer with the cycle tracks and thought cycle tracks are visually distinct from the car lanes, which discourages cars. However, cyclists also recognized that design of the cycle track itself does not stop cars from entering the cycle tracks in all areas.

Unfortunately, motorists continue to illegally block the new cycle track. Due to insufficient separation, the Sherbourne Street cycle tracks allow motor vehicles to park in the lanes. Reports of cars parked in the cycle tracks have become common place.

Cycle Toronto now calls on the City to make a series of improvements…

read full story:  Cycle Toronto.

Photo from NOW Toronto

MEC Bikefest Toronto is coming to Trinity Bellwoods Park this Saturday May 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the fourth annual MEC Bikefest Toronto and after a couple stellar years at the Distillery District, we’re delighted to be bringing our community oriented event into a fantastic cycling community. The heart of Toronto’s cycling culture can be found at Trinity Bellwoods, from families with bike trailers, to hipsters with fixed gears, and dandies to boot, what more can be asked for of our new venue.

This year’s MEC Bikefest has attracted a few new players to the field, including Toronto’s own Gallant Bicycles. There will be a number of artists highlighting their cycling related art both as a medium and as a genre. We’ve been able to include some neighbourhood vendors into this years mix including Spectacle and Dufflet Pastries alongside our 30 vendor and community groups participating. Don’t forget to check out MEC Marketplace and Bike Demos!

full story: dandyhorse magazine.

“It is a bit counterintuitive that we don’t see an effect of helmet laws on head injuries,” said University of Toronto researcher Jessica Dennis, whose work was published Tuesday in the journal of the British Medical Association.

“But there’s so many other things going on at the same time a helmet law is passed that it’s really hard to say that helmet law was the reason head injuries decrease.”

full story: CityNews