Rather surprinsgly, one thing that has taken me by storm in this city is the biking culture. Now, I wouldn't consider Toronto to be a wonderfully green, biking-friendly city. There isn't an extensive network of bike lanes to accomodate all of the cyclists (in fact, it was just announced they are removing more of the few and precious bike lanes downtown to "ease" traffic issues...) and it is a tight squeeze to ride on some of streets in the downtown core during rush hour. Nonetheless, once the snow melted and people emerged from hiding, an army of cyclists appeared all over the city!
Now, as a suburban girl from SC, I never imagined I would take to those dangerous city streets by bike - on the road, with other cars, pedestrians, dogs, manholes, etc in the road ready to throw me over my handlebars. Also, I couldn't possibly ride my bike and get all sweaty just before shopping or work! The horror. Anyway, with a little encouragement from my good friend/former roommate who loved her bike, I have joined the ranks and taken to the streets on my clunky little bicycle.
I have to admit, in the beginning I was terrified. My history on a bike consisted of riding around my neighborhood and maybe along the sidewalk to the library. Never on the street. This had also been a good 10+ years ago. Now, they always say "it's like learning to ride a bike - you never forget", but I don't find this to be completely true. I felt like I had to learn to ride all over again - find my balance, start and stop in an instant, how to maneuver through traffic, use the curb to push yourself off, and generally gain some confidence. So this did take some practice.
After going out on the bike and not getting hit or run over, I began to realize I can do this. And I fell in love. It's an amazing way to see so much of the city while getting some exercise, and takes the frustration out of waiting on public transit. Also it's pretty satisfying to sail past the line of cars during rush hour. My commute to work takes an hour on the streetcar, but only 35 minutes by bike! So great.
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| My 80's-tastic bicycle! |
However, one thing cyclists in this city probably fear the most - even more than crashing into an open car door - are the Toronto streetcar tracks. They are lethal. I'm pretty sure everyone I know who bikes regularly has fallen (literally) victim to their grasp. Apparently, if you don't cross these tracks at perfect 90-degree angle, they will reach up and grab you and pull you down. Now, after a lovely summer of riding around the city, paying careful attention to how my wheels cross the tracks, a few weeks ago on Canadian Thanksgiving I was finally taken down. I was riding along, thinking about how great life is, then prepared to cross the tracks. The next thing I knew I hit the ground, my fall cushioned by my poor left shoulder. Yes, I was wearing my helmet so I avoided a possible concussion, but I hurt my shoulder pretty badly and have been forced to abandon my bike for the past few weeks. Luckily it seems to be recovering well, so I don't think I did any real damage, but, lesson learned.
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| Fear the Tracks |
Anyway, I'm hoping one day I will be able to afford proper equipment and can do some longer rides. But I am happy cruising along on my clunky little bike for now!
Cheers,
E
Gorgeous photos. I too found my commute to be DRAMATICALLY shortened by bicycle. I'm not in Toronto, so I don't know what their rules are, but I got a folding bike so that I could take my bike on public transportation when I needed to too. Also - about the street car tracks - I think the trick is to hit them at exactly 90 degrees. If you hit them at any other kind of angle, it can be really ugly, especially if it's at all wet. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris- though I have to admit I'm not sure who you are?
ReplyDeleteAnyway I thought you could sneak by at a 60-degree angle but apparently not! In Toronto you can just carry your bike around on transit if you need to, and you can attach a bike to the front of most buses. A folding bike would be much more convenient though!