The City of Toronto Official Plan envisions a city where active transportation helps to relieve congestion and improve air quality. Yet, right now less than 2 per cent of the City of Toronto Transportation budget is dedicated to walking and cycling infrastructure. Tomorrow, Thursday March 6th, the City of Toronto's budget committee will meet to wrap up the 2008 Operating Budget. The Operating Budget pays for the staff that runs programs and services. For several years now cycling activists have been trying to get increases in this area without success. Although we welcome the 2008 capital budget increase in transportation services from $3.0 million to $5.5 million for cycling infrastructure (needed to install the substantial increased amount of 50 km of on-street bike lanes scheduled for this year) it is now time to ask that the cycling safety, education and promotion programs also receive a similar much-needed boost. Martin Koob of biketoronto.ca has posted a succinct summary. It includes an outline of the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation's (TCAT) bike-related recommendations (Read TCAT's full letter to the Budget Committee). They asked council to: Double the current funding dedicated to cycling promotion, safety and education staff and programs — like Bike Month and Kids CAN-Bike Camps — from $164,000 to $328,000 in the City Planning operating budget. Fund a full-time trails and pathways planner to coordinate the planning, consultation, construction and maintenance of bikeway network infrastructure projects in Toronto's parks — approximately $80,000 in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation operating budget.

Name / Occupation / Age Alex Gatien / Bikechain coordinator / 22 What do you use your bike for? Everything. I commute year-round and do a fair bit of road riding in the nicer seasons. How often do you ride? Almost every day. I'm wary of rain and lots of snow. How long have you been commuting by bicycle and what made you decide to start? About three and a half years. Cycling runs in the family, and riding a bike is just so much better than transit -- and much, much faster than walking. When did you start commuting in winter and why? Just this winter. I've ridden in the winter in the past two years as long as there was no snow, but this is the first time I've had a dedicated winter bike. What are the biggest challenges for winter bikers in Toronto? I find drivers are less forgiving in the winter. That safety-in-numbers feeling that's present during the summer just isn't there. Narrower roads and the downright pitiful state of bike infrastructure in this city don't help either.

Name / Occupation / Age Geoffrey Bercarich/ Student / 23 What do you use your bike for? I bike to and fro between York University and my home at Queen and Shaw. How often do you ride? Every chance I get I ride my bicycle. How long have you been commuting by bicycle? Since 2001. I started riding a Bike Share bike to and fro between home and high school. What would you say to convince someone who is considering commuting by bicycle to go for it? It's cheap and effective. It brings speed, liberty and freedom to persons in transit. You're not trapped in a tunnel or encased in a car's cage. When did you start commuting in winter and why? Since 2001. I never saw a problem with riding in winter. What are the biggest challenges for winter bikers in Toronto? The disappearance of poor city street infrastructure under plowed snow, like bike lanes and much needed curbside. You must take your place as a cyclist in the lane-way, sometimes blocking the cars. What could the City do to make winter biking better? Plow the roads to the curb. Plow the bike trails that are not connected by roadways.

Following the City's Bike Winter promotion and the Coldest Day of the Year ride, the Toronto Star featured an article paraphrasing the cycling committee chair on winter cycling. Plowed bike lanes and secure storage at transit stations are vital to persuading people to take their bikes to work in the winter, said Councillor Adrian Heaps, chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee. "It's all part of our target of bike lanes this year and making sure transportation[department] looks at bike lanes as public thoroughfares, just like roads," Heaps said. Although I have been greatly inspired (and educated) by the winter cyclist profiles I've been posting here on Spacing, I feel it is time for full disclosure. I am still only a part-time winter cyclist. Although inspired (and I do ride my mini beater bike in winter) I'm still not up to the lengthy commute during rush hour in winter. I have done it, but it wasn't pleasant. The main reason being lack of space on the road. I did not feel that I belonged. Sadly, it would appear that there are many motorists who share that feeling (and are willing to express it via honking horns or other methods.) As noted in many of the profiles, winter cyclists in Toronto must take the lane. Winter cyclists need to ride in the middle of the road due to conditions. These deplorable conditions following this latest storm have been documented by Martin Reis, a sort of Peter Parker in the cycling community, if you will. See them by following the 'continued reading' link below.

Name / Occupation / Age Yvonne Bambrick / Community Animator at the Center for Social Innovation /31 What do you use your bike for? Getting everywhere and anywhere. How often do you ride? All the time -- several times a day. How long have you been commuting by bicycle in winter and what made you decide to start? I started riding regularly when I was 16. I'd commute from the east end to my high school downtown and to my summer job at Harbourfront, and also just to get around the city with friends. I didn't used to ride in the winter as much. I would just ride until it got cold and then take the TTC. I lived in Australia for just over 3 years and got quite accustomed to year-round cycling. I taught skiing for ages, but don't ski at all anymore, so in a way, cycling has become my new winter sport! This is my fourth winter and I don't see myself giving it up anytime soon.

Name / Occupation / Age Leehe Lev / Self Employed Personal Trainer and Lifestyle Coach, Owner of Whole Self Fitness / 34 What do you use your bike for? Transportation. How often do you ride? Whenever I need to go somewhere that's not within a few blocks from me...which is everyday. How long have you been commuting by bicycle and what made you decide to start? I've been commuting most of my adult life. I started because I like cycling and the freedom that comes with it. What would you say to convince someone who is considering commuting by bicycle to go for it? It's cheaper than TTC and driving. It keeps you in shape and, most importantly, it's one less car on the streets! When did you start commuting in winter and why? I've always commuted in the winter if there wasn't snow. I started riding through snow four winters ago. I gave it a try, overcame my fears that try and it's been all weather riding from there.

Name / Occupation / Age Brandon Z / Statistical Consultant / 34 What do you use your bike for? How about what do I *not* use my bike for? Hmmmm... nothing really. Okay, I don't use my bike when moving houses. I have stuff. A lot of it. How often do you ride? Every day. 100-150 km per week. How long have you been commuting by bicycle and what made you decide to start? I've been commuting for 10 years. It has always been about convenience. Nothing is more convenient than a bike in the city. If you have kids it's another story. What would you say to convince someone who is considering commuting by bicycle? I am done trying to convince people. Too frustrating. I present facts. Bikes are healthier, better for the environment, and sexy. Just facts.

TorontoCranks has posted a lengthy interview with Toronto Cyclists Union project coordinator, Dave Meslin. Here's a small snippet of one of Dave's answers to whet your appetite: ...we have a city that treats cyclists like crap. There's a lot of talk about bikes at City Hall, but little action. People are angry. They demand more. They want it now. I'm planning on tapping into that energy with the same strategy that I've used with my other projects: Think big. No compromise. Make it fun. Make it sexy. Fight for real change. Operate within a hybrid model ...

A lot happened in Toronto's bikeosphere in 2007. After a year of dormancy, the City's cycling committee was finally reformed into the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee (TCAC) and a new chair was appointed. Councillor Adrian Heaps has been doing his darndest to get things done for cyclists since his appointment, but despite his efforts Heaps was unable to keep his promise -- documented by the Toronto Star (and others) -- to have 27 kilometres of on-street bike lanes installed in 2007. We learned at the first TCAC meeting that the delay in installation is in part due to the fact that a request for proposals to paint the lanes did not attract any bidders, so they had to be included with other painting contracts. Another factor is that the approvals for bike lanes came too late in the year to work on them before the end of construction season. So then, what is the final kilometer count of white stripes for 2007? According to Lukasz Pawlowski, a senior engineer in Transportation Services, there were 7.7 km of new on-street bike lanes installed in '07. That is an additional 5.1 km since my last report of 2.6 km in October 2007. The total includes: Logan 0.2 + Christie 1.2 + Chester Hill 0.1* + Knox 0.2 + Roselawn 0.7 + Greenwood 2.1 + Queensway 1.5 + Sentinel 1.7 * Chester Hill is really only half done. It has not been stencilled. Thanks to Val Dodge for the most recent report. The City also installed 41.4 km of signed, shared roadway routes. This includes the sharrows on Lansdowne and Dundas East. (The latter were partially washed away by weather soon after installation.) A sharrow is a bicycle symbol with two white chevrons painted on the road -- typically used where the road is too narrow for a full, dedicated bike lane. They are intended to show both cyclists and motorists the ideal cyclist position in the lane.

Name / Occupation / Age Keegan Barker / PhD Student / 31 What do you use your bike for? Transportation, fun, exercise, freedom. How often do you ride? Now that I am working at home most days, a little less than every day, but I ride whenever I go out and about. How long have you been commuting by bicycle and what made you decide to start? I started cycling around the city in summer of 2001. I'd just moved to Toronto the year before and my lovely roommate Kathy professed that riding her bike was the best way to get around the city. I was working downtown at the time, and construction was going on in front of the place where I worked. For a few weeks, they'd notified folks that all bikes needed to be removed from the bike posts. No one came to claim a little purple bike with stickers on it. My boss asked me if I'd have it, and with some fear I said yes. I wanted to get to know the city a little better. I started pedaling and a love affair began! What would you say to convince someone who is considering commuting by bicycle to go for it? Freedom. No waiting around for late transit. Exhilaration. Feeling great about doing your part for the environment. It's cheap. And of course, the feeling of the first warm day of spring on your bike is like no other -- sunshine, soft air, birds singing...it reminds me of all that is good in the world. When did you start commuting in winter and why? I started commuting in winter 2004. I was living at Dupont and Ossington and working at Bathurst and Dundas. The transit travel time took about 1 hour in the winter. Biking took 20 minutes. The bus was smelly, while the air was crisp. The bus was soggy, while (with the right gear) I was dry and warm.