Bell Malfunction

The bicycle bell. What a great invention....helps to warn others pedestrians and other cyclists of your position to ward off potential collisions. Often times people pleasantly thank me for ringing my bell. This is all great, except when that dreaded day comes AND the bell malfunctions. I was on the road, tried to ring my two tone bell and ....nothing happened. :( The ringer was stuck. I had to resort to yelling at the top of my lungs which isn't always pleasant.

Thankfully the good boys at Curbside Cycle got me back in the 'ring' of things with a new bell. :)

ELECTION DAY!!!!

Across the province of Ontario today citizens will be out in numbers to cast their ballot and be part of the democratic process. It is my hope that many will choose to ride their bicycle to travel to the destination point to cast that all important election ballot. The secret ballot and the right for people to choose their leaders is one of the corner stones of western society. Make your voice count and cast that ballot today...and, do it by bike :)

I rode my bicycle to the near by school to cast my ballot, and (sadly) since there were no bicycle racks I walked my bike right into the school and many who were there couldn't help but look at my Pashley and comment on how beautiful she was. It is always a nice feeling to receive comments on our bikes. I even received compliments by the crossing guards and from people at the local bank branch too :)

Questions questions and more questions

My bicycle bell. How little use we think of the bell...and how so important it is when we cycle. I will write more about the usefulness of a bell another time. But for now, I have something else to discuss. I found out first hand the other night as I cycled out on the town that my bell was stuck!!!! I was annoyed and confused. How does a perfectly functioning bell just get stuck? More importantly, was it something I did to it? Or was it violated by a passerby as it sat locked up and unattended? And why would someone want to damage someone else's property? I know these are questions that I will never get an answer for but one can't help but ask. Human nature I guess. Anyhow one quick phone call to curbside cycle and I was told more bells were on order. On a brighter side I guess I can consider this a reason to visit curbside, a great bicycle shop and of course where I purchased the Pashley :)

Public Spaces

Well Last week Toronto hosted the awe inspiring Jan Gehl from Gehl architects to host a free lecture at the Toronto Architecture Society at the University of Toronto. I've seen him before but only on youtube. This was the first time to appreciate him in person...well..sorta. I arrived just at 6pm when the lecture was going to start but I had no idea that hundreds of others also were planning to arrive at the same time. So Alas, I had to be happy with watching him over the live video feed.

I wish planners, engineers and city staff from Toronto and the suburbs were there to appreciate what he had to say, otherwise, his message may have fallen on deaf ears. He truly is a visionary - planning cities for people AT walking speed. If you are interested in Jan's message then search for him on youtube.

The Long Road Ahead!

The Long Road Ahead!

It looks like the city’s bicycle infrastructure is coming along nicely. It is by far not perfect and a WHOLE heck of a lot of work is needed in the coming years, but I think the city is finally taking bicycles seriously. I site the new Queensway trail as a great addition to Mississauga’s bicycle network. This is a roughly 13km bran new trail which was already getting use even before it was complete. The trail also incorporates a new bridge which crosses the Cooksville creek. Of course no picture or experience of the trail would be complete without a glimpse of my Pashley Sovereign :)

Mississauga Cycling Master Plan

Well the City of Mississauga released its long awaited Cycling Master Plan the other day. It was attended by roughly 40 people or so at Central Library. The plan is extensive and has a 20 year completion date. The cycling committee of course is hoping to get the plan completed in half that time.

I find the City talks a lot but shows very little action. Sometimes it seems as if the city's left hand doesn't know what its right hand is doing.

I guess the only thing to do is wait and see if they truly start to implement some of the proposed changes.

Milestone Achieved

As a cyclist commuter I achieved a milestone yesterday and snapped a photo for posterity. A grand total of 1000km reached on my Marin Fairfax.

Two Bikes - One Dog

Well...here I am, back at my regular Starbucks hang out this cool Sunday night. Sadly it has that title as it is the ONLY coffee shop in town, within biking distance. Now that I have anything against Starbucks...it is a really nice place. Its just nice to have some variety.

Anyhow, I locked up on the usual spot and moments later, another bike pulled up. Two bikes locked up against the Dog Leash holder. I don't understand why Starbucks can't 'get it' and provide some decent bicycle parking. It is not like they don't have the space. Heaven forbid another bike shows up..oh oh..where will it be parked? Anyhow the photo was snatched from my iphone, hence why it is a bit blurry. Maybe it's time for an SLR? Time will tell.