Toronto hosted two bike shows this past weekend: those being the Toronto Bicycle Show and E-Bike Expo and Gremlins’ Vintage MTB Show. The former returned to the CNE after being held at the International Centre near Pearson Airport in recent years, while the latter was next to Blood Brothers Brewery on Geary Avenue. I went to both shows yesterday morning and here are my thoughts.
Today marks the longstanding annual winter cycling tradition called the “Coldest Day of the Year” Ride. However, the Alex Pretti Solidarity Ride held on January 31 was more deserving of that title with today ended up being a balmy 5’C. Even so, over 60 cyclists took part while Helen and Mozzie came along as well. This year’s route started at Sugar Beach Park headed southeast to the Tommy Thompson Park entrance before returning to Sugar Beach.
Almost three weeks after the big snowstorm, there were still some parts of the Bloor bike lane that were blocked by snow including the eastbound lane in Koreatown. Since I had to do some errands in The Annex and Chinatown this morning, I helped Albert Koehl and some other TCBC volunteers with the bike lane clearing in Koreatown.
On Sunday, January 25, Toronto had a record-breaking snowfall with 46 cm reported at Pearson Airport and higher accumulations downtown. Seventeen days later, there are STILL a lot of bike lanes that have not been cleared! Since I had the day off today, I went to the east end to do some errands and get some takeout while reporting on the bike lane conditions along the way. Having above zero temperatures also helped.
After fifteen years of construction and more than $13 billion spent, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has finally opened to the public today! Since I haven’t rode a transit line on its opening day before, I did just that for Eglinton a.k.a. Line 5.
For far too long, Canada had studied the idea of high-speed rail; something which prompted a parody ad from Rick Mercer years ago. However, this latest round is the most serious one yet with actual funding, a contractor awarded called Cadence, and a new crown corporation called Alto which runs separately from VIA Rail. I attended a public consultation last night at St. Lawrence Market North which is also happening this afternoon (11 AM – 3 PM) and evening (5 – 9 PM) to learn more about the project, as well as how it could impact those who bike. Donna and Arthur with Toronto Centre Cyclists were also present to help ensure the interests of cyclists were represented.
On Saturday, January 24, 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis, making it the second ICE killing after Renee Nicole Good. Since Alex happened to be a cyclist, Angry Catfish of Minneapolis organized a memorial ride in Alex’s honour, while over 100 other cities around the world held their own rides in solidarity. Toronto’s ride saw over 60 people take part which started at Christie Pits Park and ended with a moment of silence in front of the US consulate on University Avenue.
