Source: Rannie Turingan

On occasion I go for a lunch-time bike ride, to pick up fresh fruit and veggies, then go over to the park to eat. In front of the grocery store, I have to lock my bike to a tree. And I feel guilty.

This isn’t the only intersection in downtown Toronto where I’ve had to search for a bike rack.

Recently in New York City, 10 bike rack designs were announced for the CityRacks Design Competition. It is part of a move to increase bicycling as a way to commute. The City’s Department of Transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan, said the bike rack “that meets the City’s needs for usable bike parking [that] will also generate greater interest in bicycle use in the City.” From the 10 shortlisted designs, they seems to fit the criteria of being functional, secure and aesthetic. Prototypes are installed at various locations around the city.

Two racks look seem similar to the ones we have in Toronto.

If you build it they will come. Is this the idea behind New York’s DoT to double cycling commutes? Will it work? As a cyclist (but not a good one), I don’t think a competition to redesign bike racks will inspire automobile commuters to get on a bike (even if musician David Byrne is one of the jurors). But I do think that it’s important that the transportation department has raised the public profile of cycling to hold an international competition.

The competition was one part in a mix of approaches taken, which also includes “legislation that will require large commercial buildings to provide indoor bike parking”. That a transportation agency is entering the realm of land-use regulation to establish one piece of their mandate into building projects is something for Toronto – or any city in Ontario – to seriously consider. Looking through Cycling’s homepage, reading their policies and ‘latest’ bike plan, “Shifting Gears” – it can only get better. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Some Links:

NYCDoT Press Release

David Byrne’s bike racks designs

NYCDoT Strategic Plan for the New York City Department of Transportation 2008 and Beyond

Photos of bike racks on Flickr

Vaughan Mills, located north of Toronto at Highway 400 and Rutherford Road, is a shopping and entertainment complex of colossal proportions. With almost 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m²) of retail space, all on a single floor, it is the 13^th largest mall in Canada and 6^th largest in the GTA.[1] The big purple mall sign alongside highway 400 is a beacon for the countless mall-bound shoppers, and I too have journeyed to the oversized stores at Vaughan Mills in search of shopping glory. It has the world’s largest Tommy Hilfiger store, the largest Toys “R” Us in Canada, and of course, Bass Pro, an outdoor enthusiast’s one-stop shop.The mall first opened in 2004 and has been deemed a rousing success.It welcomed its two millionth visitor less than two months after its opening.[2]However, some shudder in disbelief at the short-sightedness of building this icon of urban sprawl.

Vaughan Mills was the first major shopping complex in the Greater Toronto Area since the Erin Mills Town Centre opened in 1990 [3]. The mall, located next to Canada’s Wonderland, attracts big crowds. Here, perhaps, is a grand opportunity for a New Mobility hub; one that connects various modes of transportation like walking, cycling, and transit. It has yet to achieve this, but hopefully it will evolve.

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It seems as though the TTC may be reading your comments. At least halfway.

In the previous post about commuter lots, many of you remarked that instead of building more parking lots or investing time and money into parking, transit systems across the Greater Toronto Area should instead “provide viable alternates like well-served feeder bus routes” and more.

The TTC seems to be taking half your comments to heart: tomorrow’s Commission meeting will feature a vote on eliminating free parking perks to Metropass holders. Instead, Metropass holders would have to pay the daily parking fee — which can range from $2-6 — like everyone else.

It’s obvious that $6 is much cheaper than the surrounding lots that charge almost three times that amount, but I’d argue that the change won’t do much to eliminate the crowding that’s already happening at the lots. What it will do, I’m guessing, is increase the amount of cars driving in to the downtown core.

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It’s 8:03am and you’ve just pulled up across the street from the south parking lot at Kipling TTC Station after dropping off your wife at work in Brampton and your kids at the day care in Mississauga. The north lot is always full by 7:30am, but you’re banking on the south lot to still have some spots left.

It doesn’t; the lot has been full since 7:45am, and now you’re stuck driving into downtown Toronto for work. Again.

This isn’t an isolated incident: commuter parking lots (adjacent to GO and TTC stations) do not have enough space to accommodate the multitude of commuters that are looking to leave their cars and take public transit to work every day.

Recently, I got a few friends together to find out just how hard it is to get parking at transit hubs in and around Toronto. The results are sad, but expected:

• Kipling Station (GO, TTC): Lots full at 7:48am.
• Etobicoke North Station (GO): Lots full at 7:39am.
• Cooksville Station (GO): Lots full at 8:06am.
• Finch Station (GO, TTC): Lots full at 8:42am.

Cars that try and squeeze into the lots — particularly those that try and take up the spots occupied by snowbanks in the winter — are actively ticketed by the lot attendants, and privately-owned lots surrounding these commuter lots often charge in excess of $25 to park for the work day.

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