Mississauga Cycling

Visit Us at the Toronto International Bicycle Show 2010

Allan Harder — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:08:49 +0000

On my commute yesterday I counted three cyclists out riding on the Mississauga roadways. Spring must be here – especially since the Toronto International Bicycle Show is happening – and the Cycling Committee will be there again. March 5 – 7, 2010.

The Mississauga Cycling Committee will be hosting a booth again at the show. We will be located in the most fun zone. Booth # 591 behind D’Ornellas and close to Toronto BMX Jam and the Mountain Bike Feature. Stop by on your way back to the events. Yes, we will have jellybeans again this year.

We want to be face to face with the cycling enthusiasts of the GTA. With the public presentation of the Mississauga Cycling Master Plan close at hand, we want to hear what’s on your mind. with all that’s going on:

Mississauga Transit has installed bike racks on the buses.
Downtown 21 is presenting a cycling & walking dreamscape for the City Centre.
The Mississauga Cycling Master Plan to bring their work to the public by this summer.
Tour de Mississauga 2010 is already in the planning stages for the North-West quadrant this year.
Bike to Work days will kickoff in May with a free pancake breakfast at City Hall.
Further connectivity is being constructed in our growing trail system, and a host of other grassroot initiatives are taking form from Malton to the beautiful south in Port Credit. Can you see the changes that are happening?

If none of that is reason enough for you to drop by, we will also be handing out the infamous Mississauga Bicycle Trail Map in its full glossy format. Even though we have plenty, there are popular items and move fast. Come by early to chat and sign up for our events and get your name on the Mississauga cycling contact list.

Let’s cycle ’sauga!

Show Info

Place

New Building
Better Living Centre
Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario
Get Map

Friday, March 5, 2010	Noon – 9pm
Saturday, March 6, 2010	10 am – 7pm
Sunday, March 7, 2010	10 am – 6pm

‘Crossrides’ are here

MCAC — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:30:09 +0000

What is a Crossride?

Riding a bicycle in or along a crosswalk is not permitted in Ontario as per the Highway Traffic
Act (HTA). Under the Act, a cyclist is required to stop, dismount, and walk their bicycle in the
crosswalk.

A Cross-ride is a separate bicycle crossing (separate from the pedestrian crosswalk). A combination of new pavement markings (zebra stripes and elephant feet) and signage has been implemented to clearly identify the marked bicycle crossing and to warn motorists of the potential for cyclists in the marked bicycle crossing.

This pilot project allows a cyclist to ride within the separate bicycle crossing. Riding a bicycle through a crosswalk without a separate facility continues to be prohibited. A cyclist must still obey the rules of the road.

Pilot Project (Location 1): Sheridan Park Drive & Homelands Drive/Speakman Drive (click for map)
Pilot Project (Location 2): Sheridan Park Drive & Fifth Line Wes (click for map)

Crossride at Sheridan Park Drive & Homelands Drive/Speakman Drive

Crossride at Sheridan Park Drive & Fifth Line West

The city of Mississauga is actively running a pilot project for crossrides at the time this article is posted. Try to plan your cycling route along one of these to test them out. Transportation & Works have representatives that sit on the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee, so sending your comments on your crossride experiences can be sent to the Mississauga Cycling Committee from our Contact Us General Inquiries section on this web site. If you find these to be favorable additions for cycling in Mississauga, please also let your ward councilor know.

Car-free Sundays: Could they work here?

Allan Harder — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:02:28 +0000

The Toronto Star published this article – and it couldn’t have been more timely.

You may already be familiar with Gil Penalosa of Walk and Bike for Life that was stationed in Port Credit. Just a few months ago, the organization has been re-branded as 8-80 Cities. If you have ever had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Penalosa speak, you would recognize that new name as the 8/80 Rule that encapsulates his philosophy of street design: Would you send an 8 year old that you love along with an 80 year old you love on a walk, or a bike ride on the existing infrastructure? If you would, then it is safe enough, if you would not, then it is not safe enough. A growing number of world renowned cities have taken this to heart.

There are signs of interest from Toronto and Hamilton for the Car-free Sundays concept. Despite its decades of car-dependent thinking, Mississauga is opening its arms to “complete” streets. Mississauga is being renewed. This isn’t just a theory. Take a look at the construction in downtown Mississauga led by the Downtown21 Master Plan. Close to the hearts of the current and future cyclists in Mississauga is the upcoming launch of the Mississauga Cycling Master Plan.

Except from the Toronto Star article: “This concept, which involves closing certain streets to make the paved space available for walking and cycling, has been slower to thrive here than in some places. In New York and Guadalajara, Mexico, the idea of Sunday ciclovias, a tradition in Bogota since the 1970s, has been embraced and modified to fit the landscape and residents. With the support of the Ontario minister of health promotion, Margarett Best, 8-80 Cities is pushing for more car-free Sundays in the Toronto region. And there are small signs of interest.”

Even just two years ago the resistance to such an idea of closing a stretch of street to cars for a day would have been too great in Mississauga. Now we are witnessing an awakening that can make this a reality. Thanks to the persistent work of 8-80 Cities (Walk and Bike For Life), passionate citizens who take the time to get involved, the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee, and the city and regional staff members who work diligently to improve the quality of life of the residents.

Suburban cyclists needed

MCAC — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:43:48 +0000

Wendy Gillis, a Master of Journalism student at Ryerson University, is looking for input from people who commute from the suburbs into downtown Toronto. With Mississaugans taking to the street more and more on their bikes, there should be plenty of experiences to share from cyclists in our city.

Ms. Gillis has been assigned to write a paper about an urban issue, and has chosen cycling infrastructure. As this is a journalism class, she also will be writing a feature article about a subject related to this paper. Gillis has decided to hone in on cycling from the GTA to downtown Toronto. “While the (Toronto) Bikeway Network is generally behind, it is particularly failing in terms of suburban cycling. While you might think this would get a lot of media play, there hasn’t been very much attention paid to suburban commuters’ needs in the mainstream media”. She wishes to find a few suburban commuters and talk about some of the issues they face.

Here are some of the topics to cover:

What route do you take?
Are there problematic sections in your route?
How direct is your route?
How safe do you feel on your ride?
Are there planned trails (ie. through the bikeway network) that would make your commute faster/safer/better?
Why do you choose to ride to work?
In general, do you feel that commuting is safe? Do you believe it is a reasonable form of transportation for those who live in the suburbs?
And perhaps most importantly, what improvements do you feel the city could make to promote cycling as a form of transportation for those who live in the GTA?

This is part of a larger thesis that Gillis is writing about cycling infrastructure in Toronto. Although seeking out stories from others, Wendy has some fascinating stories of her own. She recalls when moving to Toronto from Saskatoon that she had first bought a bike after the move – even before getting a bed. Doing field work is with its dangers, too. “Initially, I had wanted to do a ride along with a cyclist from the suburbs, but ironically enough, as I was cycling to class last week I was hit by a cabbie while biking in the bike lane, so my bike may not be in a condition where I can use it for a longer ride”.

We have provided an online form at the bottom of this article for you to send your comments and stories to Ms. Gillis. Send in your information before December 15, 2009.

Wendy Gillis moved to Toronto in August from Saskatoon, SK. Prior to moving to Toronto, she was the Editor-in-Chief of The Sheaf at the University of Saskatchewan, and was a reporter for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix (a Canwest paper) from 2008-2009.

Mississauga is cycling

MCAC — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:07:55 +0000

On November 25, 2009, the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee presented to Mississauga City Council. This year we focused on the theme: “Mississauga is cycling”.

We have made online annotated slides of the 2009 presentation to Council. The link uses Adobe Flash so you will need to acquire the free Flash plugin to view the slides. Click on the slides to advance through the presentation. If you prefer, the slides are also available as a PDF document.

Much to our delight, the entire presentation also has a spot in YouTube. Use the following links to view the entire presentation. Take special attention in the last parts featuring excellent comments from the Mayor and Councillors.

Part 1of 4 – MCAC Presentation to Council 2009

Part 2 of 4 – MCAC Presentation to Council 2009

Part 3 of 4 – MCAC Presentation to Council 2009

Part 4 of 4 – MCAC Presentation to Council 2009

Helmets save lives

MCAC — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:14:37 +0000

Helmets save lives.

Just ask seven-year-old Lakeview resident Connor Moogk.

On May 30, Connor was riding his bicycle near Orchard St. and Lakeshore Blvd. when he was struck by a pick-up truck. Connor, who was wearing a helmet, didn’t suffer any head injuries. He was rushed to hospital and, after a brief stay, was pronounced healthy — and lucky.

June 29, 2009 at the Dixie Rd./Dundas St. Canadian Tire, the Peel Paramedic Association and Canadian Tire gifted Connor with a new helmet and bicycle. They joined forces to recognize his bicycle safety smarts, hailing him a hero for donning a helmet.

Mississauga News covers upcoming Tour de Mississauga

MCAC — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:14:55 +0000

Mississauga News – Sept. 9, 2009
Organizers of the second annual Tour de Mississauga cycling event are on a roll.
The event, which attracted just 30 cyclists in its inaugural year, will this year offer an exhilarating ride to more than 100 riders of all ages and fitness levels.
The non-competitive cycling event is organized by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC). It leaves Sunday, Sept. 20 at 9 a.m. from J.C. Saddington Park in Port Credit.
The tour will wind its way through Rattray Marsh, spin around the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus on Mississauga Rd. and wind its way to the…

Cyclists on a trail bridge

Cycling Tour de Mississauga 2009

Allan Harder — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:08:12 +0000

The 2nd Annual Tour de Mississauga cycling adventure takes place on:

DATE: Sunday, September 20, 2009
FREE Registration @ 9:00 a.m. Departure @ 9:30 a.m.

RAIN DATE: Sunday, September 27, 2009
(an online notice will appear the night before the scheduled Tour date if there is to be a rain cancellation)

STARTS and ENDS at: J.C. Saddington Park (click for map) in Port Credit

ORGANIZED by: Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC)

REGISTRATION: www.mississaugacycling.ca/tour/register

ROUTE: There are so many trails and routes to discover in Mississauga that the Cycling Committee has decided to break the City into four quadrants, and design a cycling route for each that highlights points of interest and special trails in that part of the City. All four routes will lead to City Centre at some point along the way, and the resultant map of all the routes will resemble a four-leaf clover emanating from the City Centre. After a four-year cycle, Tour participants will know the entire City well!

This year, the Tour de Mississauga route will focus on the Southwest quadrant of the City. This 50 km course highlights the off-road trails and other cycling routes available throughout SW Mississauga, starting and ending in Port Credit, and featuring a free BBQ at Memorial Park near the Tour’s end, courtesy of the Sierra Club. Map and directions are now available.

We plan to break into 3 groups according to speed: the fast group may complete the route in as little as 3 hours; the middle group may come in at around 4 hours, and the more leisurely group at around 5 hours. These times include washroom and refreshment breaks along the way.

The 2009 Tour includes an amazing array of experiences: the Waterfront Trail, highlights of new trail work, routes with bike lanes, public art (murals and sculpture), gardens, a brief “bike portage” in the Rattray Marsh, spins around the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) and Sheridan Research Park, a fantastic view of the tall buildings in the urban core as well as a loop of City Hall and the Central Library. Part of the ride will be along the Culham Trail which gets riders up close to the (currently) raging Credit River, after all the rains. The last part of the ride features an easy cruise down the brand new Confederation Parkway bike route with all its fresh paving and paint. Tunnels, bridges, natural areas and urban pavements, and rides by three (3) GO Stations: this route has got it all.

After this Tour, you’ll feel like you’ve seen the whole City, yet it is still only one quadrant! And most of the route is fairly flat: any reasonably in-shape adult will be able to complete it. There is a shorter, approx. 20 km route incorporated into the first leg of the Tour, which gives participants a chance to decide if they’d like to continue and do the whole ride, or quickly make it back to the starting point. There is also a get-off point further along.

Come out on September 20 and see what you’ve been missing — learn a great route you can ride again and again! A great way to meet other cyclists and people from all over the City.

Further details and this year’s route are being finalized. Meanwhile, check out last year’s (1st Official) Tour on the MCAC website to read about the experience and view last year’s route map and Tour instructions.

NOTE: Every September 22 is World Car Free Day. MCAC is putting theory into practice and celebrating Car Free Day by creating and riding routes through the City that will help create permanant change in transportation planning and habits. The Tour de Mississauga takes place annually on the weekend before September 22. Get out and celebrate!

The Middle Road: Cycling a Better Way

MCAC — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:18:31 +0000

The Mississauga News printed an opinion article by MCAC member, Andrew Hamilton-Smith on July 21, 2009. The printed article was an edited version. Mississauga Cycling is pleased to post the full original article prepared by Mr. Hamilton Smith:

As the city puts the finishing touches on its Cycling Master Plan, cyclists are holding their collective breath in anticipation. Through public consultations held over the past year, the citizens of Mississauga have consistently identified one cycling priority above all others: connectivity. Basically, people want to be able to ride their bike to and from various destinations, in a way that is both safe and easy to navigate.

Various cities around the world are taking tremendous strides in accommodating cyclists, and have reaped substantial benefits for doing so. Riding a bicycle instead of driving a car reduces traffic congestion, emits no pollution, and it is in the health interests of the riders themselves.

Montreal appears to not only provide a well-connected cycling route system, but also have reserved some road spots for bicycle parking at popular destinations. Photo courtesy www.streetsblog.org

In Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and New York, bikes are given dedicated lanes on major roads – often protected by concrete barriers – which extend directly through their most dense and built-up areas. Where available space is scarce already, these cities are handing it over to cyclists and pedestrians. Why?

Once cyclists have a safe and direct route from one part of a city to another, the result is an immediate increase in the number of people cycling instead of driving. Rather than waiting for large numbers of people to start cycling before building the necessary infrastructure, the opposite appears to work far more effectively. To paraphrase Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will ride.”

However, there is much debate over how to integrate safe and direct cycling routes into a city which until now has been designed with automobiles primarily in mind.

Many voices in the city, notably VIVA Port Credit and Smart Commute, advocate for marked and/or dedicated cycling routes on nearly every major road, arguing that people will cycle on roads at any rate, and cyclist safety must be given priority. Several cyclists have been killed or injured by cars in Mississauga in the past few years, so this is a valid point.

City planners counter that major roadways are the last place cyclists should be under any circumstances. Until recently, the overwhelming bulk of Mississauga’s cycling trails have been built off-road, usually in parkland and along waterways. This may have been done originally to protect cyclists from traffic hazards, but the result is a fragmented and unconnected system of pathways. Cyclists can be seen with their bikes on their cars, driving to a park instead of riding to it, simply because there is no way to get safely from one trail system to another.

If the Master Plan aims to prioritize safety and connectivity, it will have to find a way to accommodate cyclists on the city’s streets, or some other way for bikes to get around.

One possible alternative is to use old rail and hydro transmission corridors for direct cycling routes, as the city of Mississauga is hesitantly doing by building two pathways through the hydro transmission corridors parallel to The Queensway and Speakman Drive. This is actually the same corridor, but is being planned as two projects because no effort is being made to bridge the Credit River. Thus, although these routes will safely remove cyclists from traffic, it is questionable whether they will provide the level of direct connectivity that is required to convince people to trade their car for a bike.

If bike routes are isolated and tucked away from major areas, and do not provide convenient access to a variety of destinations, they will simply not succeed in attracting large numbers of cyclists. The evidence from other cities speaks for itself. A bold cycling vision can pay off by drawing people out of their cars, which in turn creates a more human and livable city.

Andrew Hamilton-Smith has lived in Mississauga for 25 years and is a member of the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee. The opinions expressed in this article are his own.

Mississauga Transit Bus Bike Rack Demonstrations

Allan Harder — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:48:46 +0000

On Monday, June 22, 2009 all Mississauga Transit buses will be equipped with a bus bike rack. Mississauga Bike to Work Day celebration had a demonstration. If you missed that demonstration or want to investigate further if your bike will fit the racks, bring your bike out to one of these two demonstrations on Thursday, June 18th at the Square One bus terminal or at the Canada Day downtown celebration. The Canada Day celebration even features a draw for a new bicycle for those who participate.

Each bus’ bike rack will be able to hold two bicycles. These demonstations are a great way to become familiar with how they operate without the pressure of tight schedules and moving traffic. I have been using the GO Transit bus bike racks on various trips over the past week. I would say for all drivers, I was the first rider they encountered that used the bus bike rack. They are as new to the concept as all of us, so they were glad I had attended the Bike to Work demonstation beforehand.

The bus bike racks are simple to use once you have tried it once. It is also useful to learn expected courtesies and safety procedures:

Make eye contact with the driver and signal your intention to use the rack;
advance in front of the bus when acknowledged by the driver. This part was really appreciated by one GO Transit driver I was speaking with. He said, “there is one cyclist who uses the bus bike racks. She is quite petite. When she is in front securing the bike, I lose sight of the top of her helmet when I sit back in my seat. If a cyclist doesn’t signal they are going up in front, I get concerned that they might not be seen by the driver. It is very important to let us know you’re intention of going in front of the bus before doing so.”
Don’t lock your bike to the bus rack with your bicycle lock!
Double-check to make sure the wheel clamp is secure before boarding the bus
Remove saddlebags and any other accessories that could potentially come loose in transit.
As a cycling citizen, remember to be courteous to the bus operator. They have a great deal of responsibility in their job. Make it a pleasure for them to have cyclists use their transit vehicle.

Details

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time:6am to 6pm
Location: City Centre Bus Terminal (Square One)
Address: 200 Rathburn Road West

Date:Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Time: 1pm to 6pm
Location: This demonstration is part of the Mississauga downtown Canada Day celebrations
Address: City Centre Square

For more information on bikes on public transit, see Mississauga Cycling’s Bikes in Public Transit page.