Although many HC Link staff cycle for much or all of the year, it’s nice to take time on Bike to Work day to celebrate our favourite mode of transportation. I asked a few HC Link staff and other colleagues for a few comments.
Toronto has several group rides that head downtown from various parts of the city, ending at City Hall for a pancake breakfast. Those festivities start too early for my night-owl habits, but lots of HC Link staff will be there.
What will you be doing for Bike to Work day?
Alison says: I’ll be at CPHA in Vancouver this year and not on a bike! But if I were in Toronto, I would be riding my bike to work and all other parts.
Sam: I’m going to bike to work. Unless it’s really pouring rain.
Sara: On Bike to Work day I will be riding with the pack and loving every moment of it.
Andrea: I will be biking to work- first ride of the season as I have been quite sick over the winter. I can’t wait!
Amanda: I will be commuting into Toronto on the GO train…I would rather be biking but it`s too far!
Lisa B: I will definitely be biking to work and I am planning on attending the Bike to Work Day Group Commute & Pancake Breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square.
One of the advantages of living in Toronto is its transit system — our buses, streetcars, subways, intercity trains, and ferries. Of course we all love to complain about it, but it gives us options that just don’t exist in some other parts of Ontario. If the weather is bad or if we’re tired or ill, we don’t have to ride our bikes or resort to car travel.
How do you usually get to work?
Lisa B: I commute to work by bike in spring, summer, and fall weather permitting. If it is raining or too cold I take the TTC. I now work at PAD and bike from High Park to north of Keele and Wilson! I ride on main streets with heavy traffic but go out of my way to stay off of Keele, the ride takes me about 45 minutes each way.
Alison: To get to work I take my bike on the Toronto Island ferry and then head up Bay Street if I am in a hurry or further west to Simcoe where there’s a bike lane — a much safer way to go.
Sara: I usually walk, TTC or ride depending on the weather and my body.
Sam: Bicycle! Mostly main streets, like Bathurst and Bloor
Andrea: Usually I bike from March to December and take public transit the rest of the time. The nice things about public transit are that a) I live in a city with public transit and b) that it allows me to “bookend” transit trips with walking. The not-so-nice thing is how crowded it is. Biking is THE BEST way to get to work!
Once people start cycling, it’s hard to get them to stop. But getting people to start can be challenging: it can seem scary and intimidating to put your small, squishy, un-armored self out there in traffic with large metal boxes on wheels.
Joanne: I just got a bike — it’s my mom’s old bike. I think it has 21 gears. I just need to work up the nerve to ride it to work! I’ve never ridden in the city.
Matthuschka: I’d have to work my way up to it. We can get down to the waterfront easily but not into the core.
Remember, though, that downtown traffic moves quite slowly much of the time, so the speed differential between bikes and cars is very low. In fact, cyclists typically find they’re faster from point A to point B than a car making the same trip.
What would you say to non-cyclists on Bike to Work day?
Sara: I would tell non-riders that riding in the city is not as scary as many believe. The benefits of riding extend beyond improving your mental and physical health, it is also great for getting to know your city, for reducing emissions and saving money. As well, the more cyclists there are, the better cars will get at sharing the road. Join the fun!
Alison: Try it, you’ll like it! Cycling is fun, fast and a healthy way to get around.
Sam: since you have to go to work anyway you might as well exercise and get there for free!
Matthuschka: support the bike to work movement! even if you can’t, make it so others can. If it’s fear, then find ways to get over that fear — work on creating a safe bike network in the core of the city.
Andrea: I’d say: be brave and give it a try. Bike to Work day is a great day to try it out especially if there is a group bike happening. Also the pancakes at City Hall are delicious. But really: map out your route and try it on a weekend; pay attention and be safe and: most importantly have an awesome ride!
Amanda: Share the road! Biking is fun and great exercise.
Lisa B: I would say try cycling! Especially if you live and work in the downtown core, it is not nearly as intimidating as you might think and a great way to get some fresh air and physical activity.
Want to give it a try? Here are a few resources to help you get started:
- Yvonne Bambrick’s book The urban cycling survival guide : need-to-know skills and strategies for biking in the city. Yvonne headed up Cycle Toronto for several years and is a sane, calm, and encouraging voice for beginning city riders.
- The City of Toronto runs CAN-Bike courses which cover both the legal and practical issues involved in city riding.
- Cycle Toronto has a Start Cycling site (http://startcycling.ca/) with stories and tips for new cyclists. Through Cycle Toronto you can keep up to date on cycling initiatives across Toronto or you can connect with your Ward group for more local updates.
Happy cycling!