Suburban cyclists needed

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.

<The contact form has been deactivated on the Dec 15, 2009 deadline>