Bikes, bikes, bikes

[raisethehammer]

I can't believe there is no thread for the greatest ever invention in personal transport - the bicycle.

Well, there is now.

To start things off, some absolutely sweet bike racks in Toronto.
Let's get these bad boys in Hamilton!
Anyone know someone in that cycling committee??

http://www.jamesstreetnorth.ca/blog/?p=207

[1ajs]

i love my bycle anyhow
• Video Link

[SteelTown]

Park your bike downtown, worry-free

June 05, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

Commuters now have a safe haven from bike thieves.

The city will unveil Hamilton's first secure bicycle parking facility downtown today.

The lot, which can hold 40 bikes, was paid for by funding from Metrolinx. The facility is on the first floor of the York Boulevard parkade. Users must buy a $40 permit.

A second bicycle lot is in the works for the Convention Centre. It is expected to open by late summer.

Metrolinx has given $160,000 to Hamilton for bike-related initiatives, including bike racks on all city buses.

The new facility will open today at noon following a short event as part of Commuter Challenge week.

Tomorrow is national ride your bike to work day. For more information on the week's biking events visit commuterchallenge.ca

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

The lot, which can hold 40 bikes, was paid for by funding from Metrolinx. The facility is on the first floor of the York Boulevard parkade. Users must buy a $40 permit.

As a bike lover, this sounds like a promising start, anyway. Is that an annual permit?

Would anyone be willing to swing by and take a photo or two of the facility for the benefit of ex-Hamiltonians like me?

[raisethehammer]

I saw this last weekend at the parkade. I wasn't sure what it was...looks more like a maintenance storage cage.
At any rate, good news. I know I can't get ahead of myself and expect top notch bike facilities like you see in Europe. The fact that we're getting two (even if they look like maintenance cages) is a good step forward.

[FairHamilton]

A good start, though I'm a little disappointed in the price point. I think that will be a big limiter to wide scale adoption.

Perhaps it will appeal more to people riding to work during the week then someone like me who would mostly ride to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays. At a cost of $40 x 2 for securing our bikes, my wife and I may as well stick with our HSR passes........

[SteelTown]

They are the same at McMaster. A grey box with a lock.

[SteelTown]

I think these bike storage is more for people that work in the downtown core (more specifically City Centre and City Hall) that commute by bike.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I think these bike storage is more for people that work in the downtown core (more specifically City Centre and City Hall) that commute by bike.

Yes, I agree. Unfortunately that means the bike storage will sit empty weekends when all the recreational riders are on the streets.

It's not going to promote people coming downtown by bike for recreational pursuits, i.e. Farmer's Market, lunch at a cafe, shopping, etc., and that's a crime.

[Gurnett71]

Another press release: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/a.../05/c8832.html

Cycling to Downtown Hamilton just got easier
City of Hamilton and Metrolinx open the city's first secure bicycle
parking facility

HAMILTON, ON, June 5 /CNW/ - As part of an ongoing commitment to promote
sustainable transportation options in Hamilton, the Public Works Department,
together with Metrolinx, officially opened Hamilton's first secure bicycle
parking facility today. Mayor Eisenberger, Councillors Bratina and McHattie,
Public Works General Manager Scott Stewart and representatives from the SmartCommute Initiative were joined by City staff and cycling enthusiasts at the event today.
The 12-foot by 20-foot lot located on the first floor of the York
Boulevard parkade downtown can accommodate over 40 bicycles and provides a safe and convenient facility for cycling commuters to store their bikes.
Opening this new bicycle parking facility is a great step in the right
direction for a cleaner and greener Hamilton," said Mayor Fred Eisenberger.
"It is another way to encourage Hamiltonians to make transportation choices
that are sustainable and healthy. I'm confident this new facility will be used
and enjoyed by many of our own City staff, as well as other downtown
businesses, Farmer's Market and Central Public Library customers."
A second bicycle parking facility is being planned for the Convention
Centre parking lot. It is expected to be open for public use by late summer
2008. Based on a preliminary review of land uses and cycling infrastructure,
it is anticipated that other secure bike parking facilities will be most
beneficial at transit hubs, shopping centres, educational facilities and
employment centres.
"We've been proactive in promoting sustainable transportation options in
Hamilton by installing bicycle racks on all our buses, enhancing and expanding
bicycle lanes on city streets, purchasing new hybrid buses to add to our
growing transit fleet and actively exploring rapid transit options for
Hamilton," said Scott Stewart, General Manager of Hamilton's Public Works
Department. "We've been very fortunate to have received funding from Metrolinx
to help bring these sustainable ideas to reality."
The City of Hamilton received over $160,000 in funding from Metrolinx to
be used to provide secure bicycle parking as part of the Metrolinx Bikelinx
program. Other Metrolinx funding dollars were used to install more bicycle
racks on city buses.
"At Metrolinx, we believe that active transportation is the most
sustainable way to get around," said Chair Rob MacIsaac. "By getting more
people to cycle, we are promoting a cleaner environment, a healthier
population, and more efficient use of expensive public infrastructure."
The new parking facility is now open for public use. Permits can be
purchased for $40 for the remainder of 2008. Cyclists can purchase a permit by calling 905-546-2424, ext. 1473.
The new facility appropriately opens to the public during National
Commuter Challenge week, just in time for National 'Bike to Work Day'
tomorrow.

[flar]

They could really encourage cycling if you could just give the parking attendant a loonie to park your bike whenever you want without having to call and buy a permit.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by flar

They could really encourage cycling if you could just give the parking attendant a loonie to park your bike whenever you want without having to call and buy a permit.

Great idea. And you wouldn't have to wait for the permit to arrive in the mail.

That would open the system to many more occasional, and recreational bicyclists, especially on weekends when I expect the lot will be pretty much empty for much of the day.

One thing I haven't seen is any mention of the hours of operation.

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by Gurnett71

Another press release: [url]
The new parking facility is now open for public use. Permits can be
purchased for $40 for the remainder of 2008. Cyclists can purchase a permit by calling 905-546-2424, ext. 1473.
The new facility appropriately opens to the public during National
Commuter Challenge week, just in time for National 'Bike to Work Day'
tomorrow.

Well, I rode my bike downtown this morning, and I'm still sweating. They couldn't have picked a hotter day for this challenge.

Anyway, I didn't use the bike locker, so I can't report on that. I work in a bike and dog friendly building.

[thistleclub]

Zoning By-Law Reform. Still, good sign. Especially if he's still at it in autumn.

National Post - Bike sales soar as drivers trade four wheels for two
"The number of Canadians bicycling to work jumped by 20% between 2001 and 2006, according to Statistics Canada, which pegs the figure at 195,500, or about 1.3% of the total commuting population."

[SteelTown]

City eyes new cycling master plan

October 02, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton is about to update the "modest" 1999 Shifting Gears plan for cycling in the city, to inject new life on two wheels.

Daryl Bender, city project manager handling cycling, said the months ahead will collect public input on how to improve routes, signage, promotion and more.

"Shifting Gears is modest by today's standards," said Bender. "The past 10 years have seen a big increase in the interest paid to active transportation." The sessions for input are not yet scheduled.

The new cycling master plan, to be done by spring, grows out of studies such as the 2007 Transportation Master Plan and 2006 West Hamilton Bicycle Network Review.

The Transportation Master Plan's near-term goal was to make bikes a choice for 10 per cent of trips (from 6 per cent currently); long term, the goal is 15 per cent, with better routes, shorter home/work distances, education and better urban planning.

Bender said the new plan will also satisfy some environmental assessment rules for a list of projects, so they don't spend years each in separate assessment processes.

Coming soon, Bender says, are improvements at Aberdeen and Longwood, King from Nash to Centennial, and the trickier CP Rail-Main Street West connection, where the city is about to submit an offer to purchase so it can negotiate cyclists across the 403 rail bridge.

It comes as regional transportation agency Metrolinx is also plotting an ambitious course for the future of Toronto and Hamilton.

In the region, Metrolinx estimates 17 per cent of all trips are walkable (less than two kilometres) and 40 per cent are bikable (less than five kilometres). But walking and cycling make up just 5 per cent of work trips and 32 per cent of school trips in the region.

Fifteen years into the Metrolinx transportation plan, the agency plans to invest up to $300 million in new walking and cycling infrastructure in the region, creating up to 4,500 kilometres of dedicated on- and off-road facilities.

From 16 to 25 years from now, a further $200 million will be invested in walking and cycling for an additional 3,000 kilometres.

Jill Stephen, city manager of strategic planning, said Metrolinx already sent $190,000 to Hamilton for bike racks on buses and secure storage at the York Boulevard parkade.She said the city will study its nodes and corridors -- major stops and lines in its network -- to see where more storage makes sense, possibly at GO stations, for example.

The city plans to open the next secure bike locker at the Hamilton Convention Centre in spring 2009. Without Metrolinx help, the city's annual budget for cycling initiatives is $300,000.

[SteelTown]

I think I have a picture of the bike storage somewhere on my computer.

Just picture a grey plastic box that has a key slot. You roll your bike inside and lock the door.

[block43]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I think I have a picture of the bike storage somewhere on my computer.

Just picture a grey plastic box that has a key slot. You roll your bike inside and lock the door.

This one is different....looks more like a chainlink cage.

[raisethehammer]

yea, like an old WWF cagematch.

[SteelTown]

The bike storage was on CH News. It's a cage and you hang your bike up from the front wheel. They should build one of these at the GO Station as well. Once the new downtown transit terminal is built they should do the same.

[matt602]

There's already a ton of bike lock things at the GO station under video surveillance that don't really seem to get used too often.