Dundas Cycle Path Opening

Today started out kinda rough for me. The new medication I am on is playing havoc with the way I feel but I pressed on. I woke up at 5:30 had my coffee and got ready to ride out to Dundas for the opening of the Cycle Path along Governors Road. I took one of my favourite routes out to MacMaster which is the Waterfront Trail from Bayfront to Princess Point. This really is a very scenic ride with the sun coming up behind you and the beautiful fall colours. I got the added bonus of watching rowers out practicing.

I was passed by quite a few people riding bikes on my way out to Dundas a few I know, a few I didn’t. One of the people was the former Co-Chair of Cycle Hamilton
Kate and someone that helped push me over the edge to get involved and volunteer my time and expereince to the cycling community in Hamilton. We talked a bit about upcoming projects while we rode out to the event. When I was growing up Governors Road was not someplace that would be considered cycling friendly (I know I rode on it almost 40 years ago.)
Then hills got the better of me and Kate went off ahead and I continued on (Also when did Dundas get all those hills I certainly don’t remember them being there) Remember I ride far I don’t ride fast (thanks @RideJamesRide for the saying we need T-Shirts)

After the group ride and before the opening remarks I had a chance to talk with Kate and get caught up a little. In my way of thanking her for her dedication, encouragement, and inspiration I blamed her for the awesome summer. I know it should have been more of a Thank You but with out her words of encouragement and inspiration over the last year or so of my new found involvment with Cycle Hamilton and the call out for volunteers at the AGM. I really think I might have taken a different path and not be as involved as I am today with Everyone Rides Initiative, Cycle Hamilton, Smart Commute Hamilton @STRCycling or cycling in general in the Hamilton Area. Now there are new mentors, inspirations and fellow riders that are there to push, encourage, teach and care about the cycling community in the greater Hamilton Area. Oh almost forgot. The ride home was along part of new favourite area the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail. The fall colours in the mid morning sunlight is spectacular and is well worth the detour.

Leaving a Cyclist 1 Metre When Passing

I read this article one morning https://genderpolicyreport.umn.edu/bicycles-gender-and-risk/ and while it speaks about women not getting 3 feet or 1 metre when being passed by a motor vehicle. I can't speak to this as I am a guy but I have heard numerous stories about it happening to women in Hamilton and elsewhere.

A major barrier to cycling is feeling safe. Motorists have a legal obligation to give 1 full metre when passing any cyclist and is one of the few instances when they may cross the centre median line. Cyclists should be 1 metre away from the curb and may take up the full lane this gives them some maneuverability to avoid obstacles and obstructions in their path. One of the things most cycling courses teach is to ride in a straight line and be predictable.
Always use your hand signals and while it may be tempting to cut into the curb around park cars or bump outs don't do this as you are no longer being predictable and you can lose your visibility to other road users.
Cyclists do not have to give a metre when passing vehicles but must obey the rules of the road and it is advised to pull in a little to the right when being passed. When passing parked cars you want to be able to avoid someone opening their vehicle door so use your own discretion.
There are many online resources that can help cyclists learn including
@canbikecanada your local cycle advocacy group @CycleHamilton and @Everyone_Rides_ offers mentoring.

September 22 2019. I took part in #GregsRide hosted by
@STRCycling and thanks to Jamie and David I now have my third picture of me riding a bike that you can see my face. Though I didn't get to ride the 80 km like I wanted to I did get to ride the 10 km and meet some interesting people.

It was also a great way to catch up and connect with people that you don't always get to see in your travels. Not everyone that rides in #GregsRide is an advocate but we all ride our bikes. Thanks Share The Road for all you do including bringing all of us together for a ride.

Photo By David Keogh

When I went to attend the Cycle Hamilton monthly meeting on March 25th, it was because I had been hankering to get more involved in the cycling community through volunteering. As luck would have it, Theron from the Everyone Rides Initiative (ERI) team was at the meeting to discuss the ERI program, and asked for volunteers for group rides. I jumped at the chance- I think I even waited a few days and then emailed Theron, to be a pest!
Soon enough, I found myself taking Can-Bike Level 4 training, a Canadian bike safety training program whose classes were sponsored by the ERI team. This course was spread over 2 days- the first day being theory and safety, then the second day being practical training, or learning how to ride bikes around the city safely. It was an optional course for me, but I got to put those skills to good use, when I joined the ERI team as a group ride volunteer and mentor.
My Group Rides
My first group ride with the ERI team was the Spring Roll Ride, to the Cycle Hamilton Annual Meeting. The Cannon Street bike lanes being shut down made it an interesting route. After the ride, I spend some time with Thea and Theron at different pop-up locations, learning more about Hamilton Bike Share and the Everyone Rides Initiative.
The next group ride I went on was the Pride Ride; which went from the Bike Rodeo at Carter Park to the Pride Celebration at Gage Park. I rode as a ride anchor for this ride, and got the chance to talk to a young man who was riding on the sidewalk as the ride went east, even though the majority of the ride was on the road in bike lanes. He said that his mom wouldn't let him ride in bike lanes, because they were dangerous- so we talked a bit about biking, specifically braking and shifting gears. This ride really increased my desire to mentor people on bike riding, safety, and route planning.
The next group ride the ERI team held was for the Pride Rally, and I rode with them from Powell Park to City Hall. We had just met with the Gibson and Landsdale Association (GALA) and wanted to include them, so the ride was held one of GALA’s neighbourhoods, which was a nice way to connect with community.
My time as an ERI Connector
Working with partner organizations, such as going to the 541 Eatery & Exchange to staff the ERI pop-up desk, was a big part of my summer. I had the chance to meet lots of people who, if it wasn’t for the ERI program and partner organizations, might not have gotten the chance to ride a bike. There are so many barriers to riding a bike, and the ERI program helps eliminate a majority of them.
We also met with neighbourhood associations at their community meetings, and talked about Bike Share and ERI- there were always passionate discussions about bikes, bike safety, and issues we want to fix in Hamilton.
Though rides are generally my favorite activity, getting out at events, meeting people, and sharing all we had to offer was also pretty awesome. The smile on someone's face when they learned they could get a $1 a month Pedal Pass, or a free Tandem membership through a partner organization, was the best part (OK, riding the 3-wheeled bike from the ERI office to Gage Park was pretty great as well).
I know that my summer as an ERI Community Connector was just the start of my involvement with the Everyone Rides Initiative, and Hamilton Bike Share.

Be Safe, Be Seen, And Pedal On

Working with Everyone Rides as a connector but us in contact with neighbourhood associations. One of the many discussions at one neighbourhood association meeting with  meeting yesterday was about bicycles on the sidewalk. Boy was I not expecting that. Riding on the sidewalk is prohibited for adults under the Highway Traffic Act and different municipality has there own rules. If a adult is riding on the sidewalk, you have to ask why. The most common reason is that the rider doesn't feel safe riding in the infrastructure or lack of. This falls on the City. If you feel you lack the confidence to safely ride on the road
@Everyone_Rides_, Cycle Hamilton and New Hope Bikes all have instruction and or resources that can help with this.

So every once in awhile you get those moments that make you think. This happened to me Monday May 27 at Bike Day. I was involved in a conversation with a Councillor who shall remain nameless. And the similarities in our ways of thinking just hit me. Through my own readings, ponderings and mostly listening to people around me, my thinking around cycling and cycling infrastructure has changed in the 3 years I have been actively trying to ride my bike safely.
Growing older (I refuse to say growing up because it hasn't happened yet) in the late 1970's my bicycle was my best friend. Because of a problem I was born with it made it difficult to be around other kids my age. But my trusty bike was always there and it helped build a few friendships, after having surgery that would change the way I stood and walked I was devastated to learn I would not be able to skate again. Like other kids I dreamed of being the next NHL star. My bike was there. When I had problems running after I took up swimming my bike was there for dry land conditioning. When I was 15 I had a very long dark period that included a couple of Hospitalizations for mental health issues. I found that music and cycling changed my mood and perspective on my life.
I got older in Burlington, before bike lanes and safe cycling infrastructure. So this got me thinking why the push for bike lanes now. Lets see if I can shed some light.
In 1999 there were 8,878,036 registered motor vehicles on the roads in Ontario. In 2017 there were 12,273,788 registered motor vehicles. That is a increase of 38% in less than 20 years. And I believe that though a lot of the laws surrounding motor vehicles haven’t really changed the way we view them and general enforcement has. We have become very motor vehicle centric.
It was just 3 and a half years ago that I stopped driving completely. And decided to walk or mostly right my bike again. Mostly for my health but as I grew as a cyclist or a person who rides a bike I learned of the other benefits. When I was driving I would even drive to the corner store for a bag of milk or a loaf of bread. In my younger days I was even one of those guys that would rev my engine and race on city streets. Interesting fact I had more accidents or crashes driving a car or pick-up than I ever had riding a bike. My wake up call to ride again was for my health. A cancer scare and a diabetes diagnosis will do that to a person. I don’t want to become a person that talks a bunch of cliches or facts. I have memories of friends that lost their lives just because they wanted to ride their bikes to and from school and I have been fortunate that I have not had a major cycling incident.
We need to make our streets safer and friendlier for all.
Sorry for the novel but I blame it on the bike 🚵‍♂️🚵‍♂️🚲
Published on Twitter May 30, 2019

What do bike lanes mean to me?
 With the recent discussion on allowing cars to park in the bike lanes during off peak hours. I thought I would give my thoughts on what #HamOnt's bike lanes mean to me.
I ride my bike daily. Having the bike lanes gives me a relatively safe network of bike lanes to get me around town and to appointments. Yes the frequency of vehicles stopped in the bike lanes is more than annoying. But what is even more annoying is that the deterrent for this is a fine of $30. If we want to truly encourage multi-modal travel than we should be making more continuous protected bike lanes especially around schools and parks. Not studying how to take away from what we have. I remember growing up the bike racks at the schools I attended were almost always full. As a aging adult the freedom bike lanes give me mean I don't have to ride during day light hours. If I have a sleepless night or my blood sugar is to high I can hop on my bike and peddle it out.

#CyclingMattersHamOnt a few years ago I got the wake up call to get healthier so I started cycling at first it was just a mile then 2 and so on. I was so dependent on the car I would drive everywhere including the corner store. I was overweight, out of shape, had mobility issues. Now I can ride 30+ miles from time to time and spend time on my bike almost every day and on rainy days I have healthier choices for doing things. I needed to clear my head a bit this morning and get blood work done. So instead of driving (which I can't do anymore by choice). I put on a ball cap and a rain coat and walked. Cycling has given me back the freedom of mobility. Yes I am a far way from being as mobile as I should be but it is a start.

Published On Twitter Oct 1 2018

Todays #GregsRide This was a absolutely grueling ride. It seemed like most of it was uphill but there was some downhill moments. The staff and volunteers from @STRCycling were all absolutely awesome.
A couple of times they saw me walking up a hill and drove by asking if I was all right and if I needed a ride, and the volunteers at the rest stop making sure you were properly fueled and ready to go even giving some pointers on the ride.
All in all it was a great ride for a great cause and I am so glad I did it.

Gregs Ride Originally Published on Twitter Sept 23, 2018

#CyclingMattersHamOnt #WorldSuicidePreventionDay I battle with depression almost constantly. Riding my Bike helps me to change my focus of what is bothering me to what is around me. In the spring there is nothing like riding the Waterfront trail to Princess Point. Seeing the Goslings and watching them grow. And all the new life that starts. Riding up the Escarpment Rail Trail or the Chedoke Radial Trail and looking at all the beautiful views of our beautiful city. Riding the Lakefront Trail and hearing the waves of Lake Ontario.
These are all things that help lift my spirits and change my focus. So #HamOnt why does cycling matter to you?

Originally  Published On Twitter on September 10, 2018