GoogleMap and Go

If you think about it, you couldn’t blame Cyclists for hoping that at least a few intriguing new technological developments might come out of a geek-powered event named the Sustainable Mobility Summit.  Thankfully that’s exactly what happened this past week at the 2010 Summit held in Ottawa Ontario, where Google Maps announced that its new Bike Directions service, which had already launched in the United States this past March, is now also coming to eight Canadian cities as well.  Conference-goers were the first to learn that Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton Calgary, Winnipeg, Gatineau, and Waterloo, and Vancouver, will all be getting mapped out with Google’s Bike Directions. Furthermore, as the host city for the Summit, Ottawa will have the distinct honour of being the first bike-friendly urban center to boast GoogleMap’s new Bike Directions features here in Canada!

What’s interesting though, isn’t just what this service offers us here in the Present, but what it can evolve into in the very near Future…

A Pedestrian’s Prerogatives?

In a Perfect World ?!?

From the very outset, let’s be perfectly clear… Pedestrians on our city streets are assured the inalienable and basic human right to safe and secure access to our public spaces…Except when this access encroaches upon the open roadways, and contrary to traffic laws of course. The key issue here is the assurance of the Personal Responsibility required from all road users in assuring the protection of each other and ourselves. So if everyone is keeping public safety first in mind, then many other issues can more easily fall into place by default…Especially if we could evolve some of our traffic flow protocols along the way, once we can assure that the basics are being properly respected!

So what we’d like to consider here are not ways to limit the free reign that Pedestrians enjoy at Green lights (and sometimes abuse, just like any others on the road), but rather how Pedestrians can be more aware and participative in contributing to the smooth flow of traffic when things get abit tricky. Thus making our streets safer for everyone.

Of course we’ll be looking at this from the Cyclists point of view, and focusing on the one tool that we have to communicate danger to Pedestrians by learning to use our bike bells in a way that Pedestrians can appreciate, and respond more positively to…Perhaps from there maybe even considering a few basic signals as well

Protocols: Bike Bells

Personally, I quite like the sound of those tinkly little bell’s on kids bikes, but if we’re talking about cycling through urban road traffic, bike bells are pretty damned-well near useless when it comes to getting the attention of a hermetically sealed Motorist. They do however serve a (somewhat flawed) purpose with other Cyclists and Pedestrians, but since the results and reactions are so unpredictable, perhaps we could all benefit from a better shared understanding of what we can realistically expect from the use of bike bells, and how they can still serve to raise awareness, despite the risks of just adding to the overall confusion…

Hell is Other People…Driving Badly

Even good Drivers (Motorists and Cyclists alike) know that there are times when they lapse into bad behavior, and anyone with a sense off conscience will usually correct themselves, and probably thank the stars that nothing worse than a good scare came of their foolishness. Bad drivers, on the other hand, seem to be in their own little world, which I suspect is the main reason that they’re a menace to begin with. Being unable to even consider others around them, let alone communicate non-verbally from inside their metallic glass bubbles, Bad Drivers not only create road hazards, they also drag the average down for all those around them by creating the frustrations and anxiety that can take hold and spread further down the road to corrupt other interactions, and ultimately even act as the tipping point for disaster. Unfortunately, since bad Drivers are likely accustomed to getting nasty looks from others, these types of Drivers aren’t likely to actually respond to negative visual feedback, much less actually correct their bad habits. So…Short of installing hood-mounted paintball guns to clearly mark the cars of these bad drivers, how do we get their attention, and get them to cooperate with us in making the roads safer for everyone?

Obviously Darcy Sheppard’s aggressive approach to getting a drivers attention stemmed from his vulnerable position as a naked Cyclists, and exasperated by mounting frustrations with Bad Drivers, but his dangerous behavior was apparently exasperated by other personal circumstances, and those unhealthy responses to perceived threats from bad drivers on the road were clearly allowed to escalate to the point where his own fate was sealed – by one driver who was clearly willing to use his car as a weapon, oblivious as he may have been to Sheppard’s past, or any future legal consequences to his own actions.

Confessions of an Urban Cyclist

I hate to admit it out loud…but as an Urban Cyclist here in Toronto, I actually enjoy city traffic! Now most people can derive vicarious thrills from the safety of sofa’s or when securely held in by seatbelts, but I’ve come to only appreciate a true challenge if I know I’m risking something real. Of course I would never endanger others, and only ever gamble with my own hide, bike, and pelt because the constant challenge of NEVER impacting the smooth flow of people and traffic around me is what keeps me honest. But that’s not the main reason that I can enjoy traffic…

It’s mainly because, like almost all bicycle riders in the city, I actually bend the rules just enough to make MUCH better time through the downtown core by slipping past those who need to queue up at signal lights, and crawl along in traffic. I also get enormous satisfaction from the challenges of slaloming through obstacles and dangers, and putting my ass on the line with every calculated gamble I make. Since the consequences for a misstep by a Cyclist will always be far worse, the hard pavement keeps me dead honest.

But I digress…
Let’s get back to finding our way past our collective hatred of Traffic…

Us and Them

Or:   How I Stopped Worrying, and Learned to Love Traffic!

As discussed in “Confessions of and Urban Cyclist”, our traffic flow issues could actually represent what’s wrong with our Society in general! So, by focusing on fixxing traffic issues, we could also trigger other inter-dependent solutions, and unleash a wave of positive Social and Ecological changes that would roll right across the board! Before leaning into this potential tipping point though, first let’s try to eliminate one of the main sources of stress caused by our growing traffic problems.

You see, as an Urban Cyclist, I seriously resent the simplistic Us & Them rhetoric that the Media and Politicians like to foist on ALL of us, in order to polarize traffic  issues into ‘sides’ – mostly just to further the agenda’s of pandering politics, and partisan “journalists” as  it would seem.

Whether it’s Motorists killing Pedestrians, or ‘Transit’ sidetracking funds needed for roadway upgrades, or Cyclists trying to hog the already congested roads, there’s no end to the ways people can be turned against each other in Traffic. This is obviously an artificial fabrication (manipulation?) that’s meant to segregate people’s needs, so that they can be more easily sold on ideas, and encouraged to adopt simplified personal positions on larger and more complex issues. It also strikes me as rather parasitic (of the Press and Politicians) to prey on the frustrations of Motorists, and the fears of Cyclists in order to win suburban votes, or offer a forum to vent their pent up aggravations about Transit failures. Or just to gain short-term credibility with the “Green” demographics.

So even though I distrust many politicians, and the bureaucratic tax-trough artists who surround them, I can still see the positive potential behind developing a common cause here, and applying civic and communicative processes of Politics and Public Relations to somehow alleviate our pervasive traffic issues. Not just because it will make our streets safer, friendlier, and cleaner. Not because the manner in which we address “Car Culture” will eventually also save our Ecosystem from certain doom at the hands of Petro-Chemical Giants. But because, I just want to be able to enjoy motoring out of town without being constantly astounded by the appalling driving habits of others. Which brings me to why I needed to stop hating traffic so much, before I became entirely disenfranchised with Humanity in general…

Sidewalk Sissies

People who endanger others by riding on sidewalks should take heed of the many reasons why they will get nailed eventually. Even though it’s easy to presume that other people already share a sense of self-preservation when traveling on public roads, this isn’t the case on sidewalks.

On the road, we subconsciously trust in everyone else’s basic instincts to avoid damages and personal harm, with cyclists being especially vulnerable and acutely aware of this implicit agreement to avoid catastrophe. This basic and unspoken agreement leaves us feeling optimistic enough to venture about in traffic on 2-wheels, knowing that only the most careless of people (or the rare sociopath) might willingly endanger us while we’re on our merry way. Never thinking for a moment that it would be better to risk harming others, in exchange for a false sense of added-security on the sidewalk.

Yet deep down, most of us will admit that chaos still reigns supreme. So we’re left to trust in each others best intentions, while keeping an eye out for the effects of ignorance, accidents, or most of the time,  just self-absorbed carelessness…And that’s out on the open roadways!  Where we all expect stupid things to happen sooner or later!

What’s entirely unexpected are people who’re willing to take such selfish liberties with their vehicle on busy downtown walkways, where NOBODY but pedestrians hold rights to travel freely. Where the only wheeled vehicles you should EVER come across should be ridden by children, infants, or the disabled. Obviously, there’s still a gap between what is, and what should be…and it takes an especially self-absorbed  person not to see the differences around them.

Collaborative Bike Routes

Have you heard about any good bike routes lately? Would you prefer to have things planned out in detail as you ride the City? Or do you prefer finding your bearings from a map and/or exploring your way around by the seat of your pants like you did as a Kid? Do you prefer navigating by street signs, by the Sun, or some instinctive combination of the two? Do you ever get abit ‘lost ‘ to discover something unexpected! If you’re looking for inspiring new reasons to ride your bike, then Network technology is already available to help re-create the kind of social intelligence that we just shared socially and incidentally as kids when it came to finding our way around!

Nowadays we almost take for granted the tools that would have seemed almost space-aged years ago, even compared to the occasional appearance of bulky walkie-talkies, or the first digital speedometers, otherwise there were always a few quarters for payphones and videogames to fill teh ‘technology gap’. What would we have thought then of the greatly extended reach that we know now with our mobile devices, the added and shared value of Social Network tools, and of course the superb mapping that’s now available online. In fact, here in the Future (arriving as recently as this past month) Toronto is now ‘on the map’ at Ride the City and we can now consider how to re-socialize bike riding in a significant way. What’s more, is that by using the Community feedback methods and social interactions that are available on this site to suggest ideal paths and warn against riskier routes, we might also be reminded all over again of how effectively we managed to get around as fun-loving and free-spirited kids, and regain abit of that joie de vie that came with our freedom to ride. Often armed with nothing more than some small change for snacks, and a general sense of direction passed on from someone who’d been there before!

As urban Cyclists nowadays, we still enjoy a level of flexibility and freedom to travel like no other mode of transport, and now thanks to social media tools like cellphones (‘smart’ or otherwise) and online maps we can also share our collective knowledge about routes, roadways, (and shortcuts!) like never before as well. So let’s consider where we came from, and learn about what we might have forgotten since we were kids, and perhaps even discover some exciting new possibilities along the way.

Bike-Lane Boondoggles

K…

Where do begin to clear the air?

Let’s begin by stating the obvious. Clearly cyclists have a vested interest in seeing more bikes and  fewer cars on our already over-congested roads here in Toronto, or anywhere else for that matter. Not only would more Cyclists on the road do wonders for our air quality index, and overall ecological standards for living, but with fewer cars getting driven and parked, it would also improve traffic flow for everyone else right across the board. Of course, everyone’s got ideas about how this can be accomplished (or at least attempted) so I’ve started compiling some of the top suggestions and opinions. The trouble here is that ‘opinions’ are like, uhm…hairdos. Everyone’s got their preferences, and inevitably they keep growing and changing all the time anyways, so where do you begin making the cuts!  Instead, let’s just start the running list somewhere in the middle of the pack, and come up with a presentable outlook on the currently hot subject of Bikelanes. Hopefully by looking at this one solution, we’ll come up with a realistic view that can make Cyclists (and other HelmetHeads) look good in Public, while not embarrassing us in front of the Motorists and Pedestrians of Toronto with any ridiculous fashions, or self-centered zeal.

The reason we’re starting with Bikelanes, is because it seems as though certain “traffic” issues in Toronto are coming full circle again. First we had Bikers vs. Pedestrians (thanks mostly to thoughtless side-walk riders who give all good Cyclists a black-eye), then it became Bikers vs. Cars (R.I.P. Darcy), then it was Pedestrians vs. Cars (with a horrible run of Pedestrian deaths last month), and now with the fracas on Jarvis Street, and pandering politics from people like Rocco Rossi, it seems that we’re getting back to Bikers vs. Cars again.  Of course, with this subject gaining refreshed visibility,  every frustrated Motorist in the congested core of the City wants to weigh in with their beefs as well…Especially virulent are the opinions from those politically potent Motorists and Retailers from affluent neighborhoods, and the countless transient businesspeople who come in from the 905 to complain about traffic, smog, and the perceived hindrance of any Cyclists who might disrupt their downtown driving schedule.