Mississauga Cycling » Cycling News

MCAC makes Annual Report to Council: ‘Connecting Communities Safely’

tomiukd — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:39:46 +0000

MCAC made its annual report to Council on November 23, 2011, entitled ‘Connecting Communities Safely‘. In the presentation we discussed priorities for fostering a Cycling CULTURE and building the Cycling NETWORK in Mississauga, and the need to put SAFETY FIRST in implementing the Cycling Master Plan, which was approved a year ago and has resulted in the creation of a new Cycling Office.

In particular, we emphasized the GAPS in our present cycling network, and where the “Critical Kilometers” need to be completed in order to provide five (5) major east-west routes and four (4) major north-south routes to continuously connect one end of the City to the other. See pages 23-25 of the presentation (link below) for details about the gaps and a map.

Click to view the MCAC Annual Report to Council: Nov 23, 2011 (41-slide PDF)

Click to view the Nov. 23, 2011 archived video stream on Rogers TV (starting at 3:08:30 in the stream).

Below: Members of MCAC present the 2011 Tour de Mississauga banner, signed with comments by participants on September 18, to Councillor Chris Fonseca (Council rep on MCAC), along with Mayor Hazel McCallion and the other Councillors (click image for enlargement).

What did The Banner Say?

- Great ride but please close some roads next year
- Awesome 1st time ride
- Perfect day, perfect ride, perfect city
- Zero miles per gallon
- Absolutely fantastic day and ride!
- Lots of fun! Keep riding Mississauga
- 4th time – loved it again!
- I can’t feel my legs… see you next year!
- Great ride – more bike lanes!
- Malton’s Victory Hall lemonade stand was a treasure
- 2 first time riders – we’ll be back next year! Thx!
- Woohoo! (Got lost)
- WOW Mississauga really is cycling!
- Fabulous 60km
- Nice with the Barbeque – Tasty!
- Yes Mayor, I will pay more taxes for better cycling in Mississauga – Do it!
- My first Tour de Mississauga!! Awesome 100k
- Thank you organizers and volunteers! Great day and ride
- 60k is really long. But we DID IT!
- I survived
- Fun day volunteering here

Ontario Coroner to Study Cycling Deaths

tomiukd — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:13:16 +0000

Dr. Andrew McCallum, Chief Coroner for Ontario announced on October 24, 2011 that the Office of the Chief Coroner will be conducting a review of cycling deaths across the province. This review is being undertaken as a result of public concern surrounding the issue of cycling safety, given that 15 – 20 cyclists die annually in Ontario as a result of accidental injuries.

Ghost bikes (painted white) that are erected around the world in memory of cyclists killed in traffic accidents are a reminder of the dangers cyclists face when going up against cars without adequate lane separation in many cases. An example is shown in this photo from http://ghostbikes.org
► Wikipedia article: Ghost bike.

The provincial review of cycling will be led by Dr. Dan Cass, Regional Supervising Coroner – Toronto West Region, and will include deaths from 2006 to 2010. The purpose of the review is to identify common factors that may have played a role in the deaths, and where possible, to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths. The review is expected to be completed in Spring 2012. A report will be issued at its conclusion.

“Cycling activity is increasing in many parts of the province and like other users of our roadways, cyclists ought to be safe. By examining these deaths, we hope to find ways to increase their safety.”
– Dr. Andrew McCallum, Chief Coroner for Ontario

Members of the public are invited to offer comments or recommendations to the review panel before November 30, 2011, by writing to:

Dr. Dan Cass – Regional Supervising Coroner – Toronto West Region
Office of the Chief Coroner
26 Grenville Street
Toronto ON M7A 2G7
Occo.inquiries@ontario.ca

Ride the Tour… Ride the Earth

Allan Harder — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:31:21 +0000

Donate your old bikes at the Tour de Mississauga!

Many cyclists have an old bike or two in their garage, and often the question is how to get rid of them in an appropriate way.

There is an organization called Ride the Earth Cycles, located in the Niagara Region, which is dedicated to helping youth develop skills and providing bicycles to those who need them through their Youth Development Project.

The bicycle is a powerful mode of transportation to individuals around the world — from the far reaches of Africa where it can mean getting an education, access to water and even access to health care, to the local Niagara region where migrant workers require bicycles to access meaningful work. They will value your refurbished old bike!

Your donated bicycle will be distributed to organizations where youth are gaining the skills and experience in repairing bicycles to then be distributed to those in need around the globe. In doing so they will also be gaining an appreciation for the bicycle’s immense power and importance to others around the world and discovering how they can effect social change.

And meanwhile…. the old bikes are out of your garage! It’s a WIN WIN WIN situation!

DROP-OFF: We are so pleased that U-Haul has agreed to be a Tour sponsor and is donating the use of a truck to collect the old bikes on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 am – 2 pm (Tour registration package pick-up day) at Mississauga Celebration Square, Glass Pavilion, attached to the Central Library, and the day of the Tour itself: Sunday, September 18. All the old bikes will then be delivered to Ride the Earth Cycles in Niagara.

NOTE: There is a drop-off location in Port Credit, should you prefer to drop off your old bikes there, during the week of Sept. 10-17. E-mail: topca@topca.net.

LET’S FILL THE TRUCK WITH BIKES, and provide others in need with the joy and freedom of owning their own bike!

Tour de Mississauga 2011

Allan Harder — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:36:34 +0000

The 4th annual Tour takes place on Sunday, September 18, 2011 and will introduce cyclists to the best off-road trails and on-road bike routes available throughout the north-east quadrant of the City, starting and ending at the newly renovated Mississauga Celebration Square. Click for full-sized POSTER.

SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL CYCLISTS, September 15 at 11:59 p.m. THE DEADLINE FOR USING THE CITY’S ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM HAS COME. We are now getting e-mails from would-be registrants that they didn’t get their PIN in time to meet the deadline to register. MCAC volunteer citizen members have decided to hold a WALK-IN registration on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 @ 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. YOU MUST COME IN-PERSON, YOURSELF, as you will have to physically sign the City waiver. This is at the same time and place where we will be providing pre-Tour CHECK-IN for the over 1000 cyclists registered so far. We are now developing a process to handle the manual registrations on Saturday, and appreciate your patience in advance! We want everyone on the Tour who wants to come. The weather forecast looks even better than 2 days ago! See you! E-mail contact@mississaugacycling.ca if you think you’ll go this manual route, so we can better prepare! Thanks! Click here for Registration info.

THIS IS NOT A RACE! The journey is the destination! Cyclists of any ability or age (recommended 10+), on any kind of bike (including electric assist), are welcome to participate in this non-competitive cycling tour. Discover Mississauga’s hidden gems which you can only see by bike!

Go to the TOUR HOME PAGE for complete information about the 2011 Tour. Below is a synopsis.

ROUTE PREVIEW: MCAC volunteers were out since late Winter, scouting routes for the 2011 Tour through the north-east quadrant and taking photos.

Click to view the PHOTO ALBUM: Etobicoke Creek Trail (66p PDF — may take a few seconds to download), which shows the adventure in store on the 30km and 60km routes, along with some MCAC comments.

Note the 50m ‘land portage’. Note also that the Edward Scarlett Park leg of the Trail was simply a meadow back in the Spring, and cyclists had to ride along a truck rut — trail construction has been proceeding all Summer, to prepare for the Tour riders! Apart from 2 inclines (walk your bike if you like) the route is fairly flat. HYBRID BIKES are fine to handle the trail.

The 100km route is on this trail for only 1km, and road bikes can handle that portion, as noted on the 100km map.

Much is new for this year, and we listened carefully to your comments from last year in making changes for the better….so read all about it and we will see you in September!

New Registration

We are really pleased that we have been able to keep the Tour Registration FREE again this year, and again provide a FREE BBQ compliments of the Region of Peel (open until 3:00 p.m. for later arrivals — we heard you!!). There will also be SWAG from our sponsors, all delivered on one small convenient card (no waste or messy papers like last year!). And to further streamline check-in on the day of the Tour, your participation package can be picked-up the day before, on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Square’s Glass Pavilion attached to the Central Library. Yes, someone can pick-up for you if they have your registration receipt.

New Routes

We say it every year, but these are the BEST. ROUTES. EVER. We have designed separate 30km, 60km and 100km events, leaving at staggered times from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Points of interest include the Airport, Britannia Farm, the Hershey complex and IceLand, and the downtown core. Ride through vast industrial employment areas (very quiet on Sundays — you will be amazed). Explore the beautiful natural areas along a 10km stretch of the Etobicoke Creek Trail (shown at left). Discover the old village of Malton and see beautiful Wildwood Park. Tunnels, bridges, natural areas and urban pavements: these routes have got it all! Most of the riding is fairly flat: any reasonably in-shape adult will be able to complete the 60 km route (might be an idea to get out riding a few times beforehand…). The shorter 30km route (ideal for families) is incorporated into the first leg of the 60 km Tour, which gives participants a chance to decide if they’d like to continue and do the longer ride, or take the shorter route back to the finish. There is also a new 100km road-only route for this year, designed with last year’s roadie comments in mind. There are ‘get back quick’ options for all routes, if you are in a hurry for the BBQ! Maps will be posted online prior to the event and will be included in your registration package. But of course we’re road-spraying the colour-coded routes again since that was so popular last year! Click for full information and MAPS for the Routes.

New Apparel

By popular demand, a Louis Garneau cycling jersey will be made available before the Tour for $65. We’re getting e-mails about size availability, and here’s what we ordered…. 77 jerseys: 1-XS; 3-S; 21-M; 23-L; 22-XL; 6-XXL; 1-XXXL (Pro Reflective, no elastics, full zipper, Diamond fabric). We’ll have them FOR SALE on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 am – 2 pm (CHECK-IN DAY at the Glass Pavilion attached to the Central Library) and on Sunday, September 18 (TOUR DAY at Celebration Square). CASH ONLY PLEASE AND EXACT CHANGE IF POSSIBLE. After that, the jerseys will be for sale through the City’s e-Store.

New Venue

Mississauga Celebration Square is the new START and FINISH for all Tour routes. The Square opened officially on June 22, and already it has become the premier destination in the City, with a summer-long schedule of events. The City Centre has been featured as a ride-by on all previous Tour routes, but now we plan to fill the Square with bikes on Sept. 18 and send the clearest possible message that ‘Mississauga is Cycling’. With two giant video screens to help convey information to participants and better facilities to keep us organized as the Tour grows, we sure plan to make ourselves at home, permanently! How does the Square look right NOW? Check it out 24/7 on the City’s LIVE WEBCAM.

VOTE WITH YOUR WHEELS

By participating in the Tour, participants can vote with their wheels for a bike-friendly City. As the Tour grows, so does biking visibility and the impetus for more road and trail improvements. Construction/upgrades are underway on key parts of the 2011 Tour routes even as you read this! So, come out, enjoy our City, meet others in a relaxed event and vote with your wheels for more cycling infrastructure.

Please stay tuned for ongoing updates from your cycling colleagues at MCAC! Questions? E-mail: contact@mississaugacycling.ca

Note: There is even an opportunity to donate old bikes for a good cause as well!

Questions?
[contact-form-7]

Bridging the Credit River gap

Allan Harder — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:32:32 +0000

Who: Mississauga cycling citizens.
What: QEW Credit River Bridge Study
When: Saturday, March 5, 2011
Where: Huron Park Recreation Centre, Ojibway A Room, 830 Paisley Blvd W, Mississauga, Ontario (click for map).
Why? We need your voice to be heard on this one! The QEW Credit River Bridge Environmental Assessement is a very significant infrastructure mega-project in Mississauga. It has the potential to improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity and create a more liveable city. Mississauga needs cycling individuals there NOW to turn that potential into a reality. Imagine the increase of active transportation use if a key route in this location can be established. Thanks to some MCAC presence in July 2010, cycling issues were kept front and centre. For example:

Requesting that heritage brackets that once supported a cycling route in the past be re-installed.
To alternatively develop an under-bridge solution for cyclist and pedestrian traffic.

Many interested stakeholder group reps and individuals are expected to attend to hear an update on the provincial study process and evaluation of preferred alternatives to conduct the project, e.g. whether to twin the existing QEW bridge on the north or south side in order to reroute traffic while the deck on the existing bridge is repaired — consensus at the first workshop favoured the north side option. The south side twinning option, whether temporary or permanent, wasn’t favoured for these reasons:

Consolidating traffic on the south side would disrupt recreation use on the Credit River, e.g. kayaking.
Local homes would be destroyed on the south side.
Closest neighborhoods to the bridge would be ruined.

MCAC is as much dependent on the participation of Mississauga cyclists (you) as it is on its staff and citizen volunteers. If people show up, it makes a strong statement that the people care. Here is what needs to be accomplished:

Find a workable solution on how to modify the permanent bridge to include cycling.
Advance the plea from cyclists NOW before any construction work begins. If not now, it could be years or even decades before another opportunity like this presents itself in that area.
Come up with suggestions on how cycling can be accomodated during construction.

Here is a map showing the geographical area of discussion:

For more information on the study, visit the Credit River Bridge page on the QEW Imporovements site. HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE.

Bicycles boost Mississauga

MCAC — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:04:09 +0000

Bridges are a favourite metaphor for MCAC. Bike bridges close gaps and with them, bicycles become the ultimate shortcut to where you want to be.

Whew! We are in our final week gearing up for the 3rd annual Tour de Mississauga: Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. The weather is looking promising (knocking on wood BIG TIME here). The online registrations are pacing at more than double this time last year with hundreds already received (four came in while typing this far; wait, now it’s six, oops, seven…. well, you get the idea).

We are excited and humbled at the same time that folks from all over the City are willing to get out of their houses, come to Streetsville with their bikes, and try out the routes we’ve created to showcase the cycling infrastructure already in place. No road closures, nothing special — it’s all here, everyday of the year.

But of course “infrastructure” is a stuffy word, and for the participants, it’s about having an interesting, safe and continuous ride, and seeing the hidden gems and wonderful natural areas that can’t be known from a car.

Our Tour subcommittee is making a visual presentation to Council this Wed morning (right after the Cycling Master Plan presentation by Staff, who have been outstanding in their work on this project). The synergy is amazing between the Tour and the Master Plan. There is also a mind-body connection being made here against the landscape of the City itself, which expresses the spirit of our residents, and reveals as false the trashing of Mississauga and its citizens that we’ve seen in two recent Toronto Star articles: “Mississauga remains an abjectly car-dependent community that faces an uncertain future” (Hume); “Mississauga is a city without an identity” (Persichilli). BALONEY! (tempered reaction), and the rapidly growing Tour is but one sign of our unique and growing public culture of participation in a City we love. We live here intentionally, y’know.

This City may have been designed around the car (hey, it was the seventies), but the cycling retrofit is happening and MCAC is advocating hard for soonest implementation. The citizens want this, as shown during the Strategic Plan visioning exercise and the Cycling Master Plan, and Council gets it.

You may have read our previous e-mail blast to the cycling community (Sept. 10) where we said:

VOTE WITH YOUR WHEELS: By participating in the Tour, you help to show the importance of cycling in our City. MCAC is advocating for cycling participation, safety and connectivity. The Tour is a way we can showcase the great cycling infrastructure our City already has, and encourage more! When you register, you support the increasingly connected cycling community. Click to view our presentation ‘Mississauga IS Cycling’, made at Council in November 2009.

Just one of the many "hidden gems" in Mississauga you will encounter on the 3rd annual Tour de Mississauga Signature and Challenge rides.

We have followed this up with a lead item on our website citing the Mississauga News article of Sept. 10: Cyclists want bike network sped up and we are suggesting that riding on the Tour would support this effort.

It is a chance to learn about other neighbourhoods and see how we all live. The cycling community also enjoys an opportunity to meet one another and there is a definite social aspect to this. There is a camaraderie amongst cyclists, regardless of age, sex or level of athleticism, and being out en masse is inspiring and a source of communal strength (we’re used to the feeling of vulnerability when being up against the cars).

The Tour de Mississauga sub-committee is making a presentation to Council on Wed. Sept 15, 2010 with a slide deck that gives a sneak peek at the Tour (Download the PDF).

Vote with your Wheels

Allan Harder — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:32:42 +0000

City cycling plan. Jeff Wachman, left, chair of the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee, and John Sabiston, another member of the committee, are keen to have the City’s cycling masterplan implemented. Torstar photo

By participating in the Tour de Mississauga (register here), you help to show the importance of cycling in our City. MCAC is advocating for cycling participation, safety and connectivity. The Tour is a way we can showcase the great cycling infrastructure our City already has, and encourage more! When you register, you support the increasingly connected cycling community. View our presentation ‘Mississauga IS Cycling’, made at Council in November 2009. See the Mississauga News article ‘Cyclists want bike network sped up’, Sept. 10, 2010, which describes MCAC efforts to speed implementation of the new Cycling Master Plan for the City of Mississauga:

Avid cyclists don’t want to wait 20 years for the City of Mississauga’s bike masterplan to be fully implemented.
But is City Hall willing to come up with the cash to accelerate the process?
It’s an issue councillors are wrestling with now that City staff has crunched the numbers. At Wednesday’s meeting of General Committee, they had a first look at all the zeroes, and despite the hefty price tag it seems they, too, want to shift into high gear sooner rather than later. Read more of the Mississauga News article…

Designing the Tour’s 100km route

Allan Harder — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:12:02 +0000

On Aug 31, 2010 The Mississauga News released an article called “Cycling tour adds 100-km route” about the 3rd annual Tour de Mississauga. It brings attention to the new 100km road-only route called the Gears Challenge Road Ride. This route came into existence based on suggestions from participants, as well as non-participants, in past Tour de Mississauga events. You see, the MCAC strives to represent all cyclists in Mississauga; and we want the Tour de Mississauga to be a cross-section that truly represents the cyclists of Mississauga streets.

Pedal power. A lone cyclist winds her way over the Erindale Park bridge during the second annual Tour de Mississauga. This year's event highlights off-road trails and on-road cycling routes in the northwest part of the city. File photo courtesy of Mississauga News

There have been cyclists on all styles of bikes in past Tours which even included road racing and fixed-gear bikes. Truth be told, there were even more cyclists with those styles of bicycles that didn’t participate because our signature route followed packed limestone trails that they considered “unsavory” for their narrow high-pressure tires. As a road racer myself, I had the luxury of also owning a mountain bike which I chose to ride. The signature route has always been a real eye-opening experience for me who normally spends all my cycling on the roads. It let me see a new and beautiful side to the city of Mississauga that I never had seen before. However, MCAC wants to give the more seasoned cyclists in the city a new challenge. This new challenge also presented me with challenges.

As one of the key designers of the new Challenge Road Ride, we reconciled the following guidelines in order to hold true to the spirit of the Tour de Mississauga:

The route should stay within Mississauga city limits. The Tour sets out to showcase new and existing bike infrastructures in Mississauga. Another secondary reason to this may be for insurance requirements for the Tour. I knew a sizable portion of Challenge Road Ride participants may spend much of their cycling time out in the Halton region. I had to avoid the temptation of sending cyclists out that way to some of my favourite rural roads while still keeping the epic ride interesting and non-disruptive.
The 3rd annual 2010 route should focus on the north-west quadrant of Mississauga. 100km inside just one quarter of any city is going to tie the hands of the planner. We were able to centre the ride on the NW quadrant with leeway to extend the Challenge Ride outside the quadrant. This balance of form and function made it quite easy to get a good ride put together.
Long rides should allow cyclists to “open up” without unnecessary stops. This would normally be tough if I wasn’t always out on a search for streets that let me turn up the speed when training for an upcoming event. I often don’t have time to cycle far from home so knowing from experience the safer non-disruptive corridors was helpful. We also tried to pick streets that had all-way stops instead of traffic lights so wait times aren’t long at intersections. Streets with long right-of-ways were also preferred. Roads that may be quite busy on weekdays were chosen if their Sunday morning traffic loads proved to be light. This gives the cyclist more confidence on the road to use the space they need for safer cycling.
The Challenge Road Ride must be only on roads. With Mississauga’s expanding cycling network, this was much easier today than it would have been even 3 years ago. Much of the Challenge Road Ride touches on bike lanes or signed bike routes. With the Mississauga Cycling Master Plan coming close to completion, we are expecting the cycling network to even more rapidly gain connectivity.
The route should be fun and informative. The Challenge Road Road touches on interesting sites, scenery, and villages within the city. Even if you’ve taken the road a hundred times before in a car, taking it once on a bike will surely reveal new features and a better understanding of getting around an area. Perhaps a fitness cyclist who just takes a single route in and out of the city on their bike may now realize that there are other cycling opportunities in Mississauga. After the Tour, they may be encouraged to ride their bicycle to work, community centre, stores, or gym instead of driving after seeing new ways of getting around.

Riding a metric century is certainly a challenge. Creating a metric century route within a city is almost as challenging. Mississauga’s cycling network is coming of age. The fact that viable long routes can be created all within city limits is a testimony to that.

Mississauga is cycling!

Burnhamthorpe Bridge SHOWCASE Event

Allan Harder — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:30:34 +0000

Mayor Hazel McCallion, C.M., LL.D. and Members of Council of the City of Mississauga invite you to the Showcase Event for the Completion of Burnhamthorpe Road Bridges, Lookout Points and Cycling & Pedestrian Trails Tuesday, July 6, 2010 10:00 a.m. rain or shine.

Burnhamthorpe Bridge is a rare river crossing in Mississauga for cyclists. As long as I have seen, it has never really been considered a safe crossing by cyclists. Here are some qualities to examine while at the showcase:

Will this party announce no need for the signs that read: “CYCLISTS DISMOUNT – WALK BICYCLE ACROSS BRIDGE”?

Will trail cyclists have their very own trail that doesn’t merge in with the sidewalk across the bridge?

Will road cyclists have room on the road via bike lanes, sharrows, or even a paved shoulder to cycle across the bridge on the road?

Will the railings be tall enough for trail cyclists to feel safe from falling yet still not block out the fabulous view of the Credit Valley?

Now this event is a party, so show up there with bike bells on. Even if this new bridge doesn’t have everything we’re looking for, the city should be applauded for the efforts they have made. If you have a critiquing comment (good or bad), please send it to your councilor and a copy to the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee. Let’s hope there’s time in the showcase for a little Q & A.

For full details on the showcase event, view this PDF invitation.

Tour de Mississauga 2010

Allan Harder — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:05:14 +0000

The 3rd Annual Cycling Tour de Mississauga takes place on: Sunday, September 19, 2010

This FREE Registration event will take you through the northwest quadrant of Mississauga, Ontario beginning and ending in Streetsville. Once again, participants will enjoy a FREE BBQ at Streetsville Memorial Park at the Tour’s end, compliments of the Region of Peel, which is promoting active transportation and lifestyle choices. Click here for the Region of Peel’s Walk and Roll program.

We will be providing a selection of different touring routes based on participants’ input from last years 2nd annual Tour de Mississauga.

Visit our official Tour de Mississauga section for more information on routes and registration.