Bikes are the _most_ energy efficient form of transportation humans have every developed. If you convert everything into kilocalories (the type we use for food), here's how stuff compares: Typical Gasoline car: 1,131 calories / mile Electric car: 258 calories / mile Walking: 100 calories Bicycle: 60 calories So cycling is still about 4x more energy efficient than our best electric cars, and about 19x more energy efficient than typical cars. A city is not serious about climate change if it makes the most efficient transportation technology we have dangerous to use.
To be fair Canada in general is not serious about climate change. They have incorporated a bunch of fuel taxes, and increased imports from China by over 35%. We actually have a bigger footprint now than pre-Trudeau.
I'm in Belleville. We don't have protected bike lanes but traffic is pretty light here so not a biggie. There is more ice and sloppy snow in the unplowed shoulders this year. I'm glad I have studded tires on.
Thanks for sharing the Belleville experience. Glad to know you're riding and that your experience has been good considering the lack of cycling infrastructure. Yes to those studded tires!
Your lanes are better than my city Glens Falls NY USA but we have a group meeting every Wednesday to hopefully make it better. Thanks for your time and work to film such a good video.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience as well. It's good to keep in mind that it could always be worse. Wishing your group best of luck to up the winter cycling standards in your city!
Thanks for this awesome report Agnieszka! While I was born and raised in Toronto and cycled till we left in the mid 80's for jobs in Cobourg, I have been struck at how far ahead our new home of Hamilton is! That said snow removal here this year has been dismal. I ride Hamilton streets daily and studded tires are a must. The dedicated/protected bike tracks are cleared similar to Toronto but the painted bike lanes are not cleared at all! I'm still riding but often I need to take the lane, frustrating motorists unnecessarily because the bike lane is literally not there because it is completely covered with snow and ice underneath. Glad you made this video which will show administrators that we DO RIDE IN WINTER. So much fun that I wouldn't miss it but Toronto, Hamilton, and Calgary have a ways to go to catch up to Oulu, Copenhagen, and Montreal! Happy winter adventures and yes, I would also walk that bit with the bus, especially because of those streetcar tracks!
Hamilton has great cycling infrastructure! You are lucky to live there. Yes, I think painted bike lanes in the winter are a write off. I hope that people from the City watch it, maybe I should tweet it at them. More and more people cycle in the winter here, and so it's just about keeping the lanes clear.
Amazing! Please say hi next time, although that may not be possible if we just zip by each other. Back at the office today, so I was on my commute. But yes, a stunning day for a bike ride.
We have no protected bike lanes in my city. Just some painted lines. Boston, the nearest big city doesn't have much more although that is slowly improving. Toronto looks like bike heaven to me.
Terrific report! I live in Bloor West Village and bike tracks and bike lanes out here are similarly inconsistent this winter. A lane will be completely covered with snow or a snowbank. A track will be badly maintained and then with no notice, not maintained at all, forcing us either into the car lanes or on foot. I find that car lanes have been very well cleared and maintained this year, so I have spent an inordinate amount of time riding there. Thanks for this video - very accurate portrayal of the state of affairs here.
Thank you for adding your experience as well. I'd love to meet with someone from the City to find out why the clearing is so inconsistent. For example, I've found that some sections of the bike paths are fantastic, whereas others are not maintained at all - all along the same route. How does that happen? I'd really like to know.
Nothing compared to the old days in the 70's in Toronto with no bike lanes at all , and you had to ride the gutters watching out for objects and storm drains your wheel would drop into. Drivers pretty near running you down. You had to be super alert in those days when I rode a bike everywhere, and no bike lanes anywhere. You got it good lady, compared to what Toronto used to be like. Don't complain, about a few inconveniences.
I was just downtown on Friday to University and Elm and noticed en route that many of the cycle paths were buried in snow. Of course that was that really snowy day. I would not have wanted to be cycling there, though!
My video was filmed a few weeks ago and I though that maybe things would've improved. But we did get additional snow fall recently. Something's been off with winter maintenance this year...
Your videos are simple but absolutely fantastic. I just got interested in bike touring and your channel has been recommended to me and I'm very happy to have clicked on it.
Yes! As far as I'm concerned, you should be able to ride bikes whenever you want to. It's the infrastructure that's questionable, especially in the winter time when it isn't cleared.
Studded tires make all the difference when there is ice but slush and deep snow can still throw you off. No doubt cyclists get the worst of in a collision with a car so erring on the side of caution is the best way to stay safe. Kudos to you for getting out in the wet and cold AND making a video
You are right. Studded tires are really only effective on ice, slush and snow - not so much. This is why I ended up pushing the bike through the slush because I would've wiped out for sure.
such a nice review, roads are still not bad. we live in Beijing and its a "bike heaven" here, with the widest lanes. but are going to move somewhere in Canada, and a riding-a-bike-around ability is one of strongest criteria to choose a city
Another good video. I was up to the Winter 2019 boat show in Toronto (from NJ USA), and stayed at the Westin by the ferries to the Islands. Plenty of snow and ice around. At that time, I saw wonderfully cleared (and separated) bike lanes in the area (and up to and including the exhibition center along the waterfront) and lots of riders in weather conditions I usually avoid riding in - including commuting on the ferries. I got a favorable impression of year-round good urban cycling infrastructure from that visit. But I guess to generalize that one time/one place to the whole city is too much. Until recently, I wasn't really aware you have a car-less lifestyle (I started by following your touring posts). I myself - riding in often miserable traffic conditions in NJ and elsewhere - can't really warm to doing hardcore urban cycling as a regular thing [pun intended]. Especially in winter. Ottawa, where my daughter lives, seems better in this regard, although even some areas there have winter challenges. There's another guy, the "shifter" channel here on UA-cam, that is based in Calgary, with a bunch of vids on winter cycling - as a commuter. Keep on pedaling and posting, thanks!
The area you stayed in is wonderful! The trail you saw in front of the hotel is the Martin Goodman Trail, which runs along thr waterfront. It's typically very well cleared, but something was off this year. Someone commented that maybe the city overpaid for the cleanup after the blizzard we had. Yes, I ride my bike year round, in addition to touring. I ended up selling my car some time ago. Ottawa has some great cycling infrastructure, from what I've seen on my visits, but it gets much colder there in the winter. Love Shifter and have been subscribed to that channel for years.
Yes, winter cycling is spooky. We have lots of snow in the winter as well. There are bike lanes in our small town but never specifically plowed so I have to ride in the streets. Less snow here than in your area but it is refreshing. I need some winter mits like yours so I can keep my hands warm. I usually just wear mittens or finger gloves so my rides are briefer.
Thanks for making this video. Please keep making winter cycling videos like this as you get a chance to. Your opinions and your experiences are valuable to us. In Oulu, Finland, the city asks companies with snow removal contracts to set up refreshment stations with hot chocolate and cider to ask them their opinions of how well they are doing their job, they get bonuses or penalties based on surveys from cyclists which rate their performance, and the company is expected to survey and audit their own work by the auditors riding bicycles. We don't have any of this in Toronto, so it should come as no surprise that our bike lane servicing is hit and miss. Since the big snowfall on January 16th, the plows missed sections of bike lanes. Ok, that's understandable. But they did the same every time it snowed after. It snowed 4 times where they cleared all the car lanes and they didn't have as much to remove. But they did not plow any more than before. Going through a second time with less to remove, it's logical to thing they would go back and remove snow to the curb, they way they usually do but they still didn't remove this snow. The low slush and snow I saw in your video is difficult/impossible to bike through but on Bloor the spots where the snow blocks up the bike lanes the snow is much higher. I want to figure out if they would be passable at all for an extreme fat mountain biker some time. It's that bad. Also, I tried the city's 311 system, which lets us make a request for snow removal at trouble spots. I did make a request for one spot on Bloor and it never changed. It's like they never got the request at all. Yonge had all but one spot at the very north cleared. So I know they can do it. It's hard to figure out how to sort this out with our current system. It looks like we need to make new policies, like what they did in Oulu to have a chance to have this reliable. It will make a big difference if we have more winter cyclists and I think we have seen this. But, of course, it's a vicious circle. More winter cyclists means we get more snow removal service but less snow removal service means more people are discouraged from winter cycling. The next few years will make a big difference. Again, I want to thank you so much for being a winter cyclist and for making this video presentation showing us what it's like.
Thank you for your comment! The system you describe in Oulu sounds excellent. Quality control and instant feedback where needed most. I think there was something wrong with the winter maintenance system this year. I noticed this not only on bike lanes, but also street plowing and sidewalk plowing, which is typically much better. The Martin Goodman Trail has typically received excellent maintenance, but this year, it's been very patchy. I, too, have contacted 311 about this, but I really should not have to do this every single time it snows. It's a bit much. And quite frankly, aside from that major snow storm, our snow fall has not been overly drastic this year.
@@WheelsonaBike I have the feeling they were over-charged for the January 16th snowfall dump. It was a lot. There is a drawback from city officials not talking openly when something does not go well. We can't offer solutions.
Sometimes people try to make something worse, so they can justify upgrading it. That could be what they did here. Do a bad job clearing the bike lanes then it's easier to ask for changes to the policy that will improve service. That's a long shot but possible.
@@WheelsonaBike Myself, I want to hope for the best but I don't want to count on it. We can use these examples of how this year's snow removal was bad and videos like yours show people exactly what needs to be done and your commentary tells people info on it and what effect that has on your cycling. A perfect example is how you shared you will get out of the saddle and walk your bike forward so you can get through a section. I don't know if you got right off the bike and walked beside it or walked with the bike between your legs but either way it would count as what someone said recently. He called it bicycle portage. Like when a canoeist portages past a waterfall or rapids, then gets back in and keeps going. We might do that for a patch of ice or, I found if I have studs it's easier to bike than walk. So in that case I don't need to portage. Your videos show people exactly what you see and need to bike through and you share how you deal with it. We can use that to convince the city, this is a good standard, we can bike through slush that's 2 inches high but not 3. Stuff like that. So if the people plowing see they left 3 inches of snow behind them they know it needs to be done again, for example. This becomes very practical and useful knowledge.
I'm not a winter rider, but I defend the rights for people to be able to commute safely on their bikes and EVs all season long and we do need more safe dedicated bike lanes. Stay safe! Unfortunaltey Doug Ford has decided to rip up to new bike lanes in Toronto for more cars.
Thank you for your comment. It's very sad our Premier focuses his attention on removing safe infrastructure for alternative modes of transport instead of, for example, fixing our healthcare system. It's such shocking ovverreach and waste of money.
There were definitely lots of "good sections". The biggest problem I've had is the lack of consistency. Fully plowed, clear passages and then icy, snowy sections. It's hard to plan for. But... Could always be worse. Spring should be excellent for riding in the city.
@@WanderingEyeOutdoorAdventures You'd rather go to Montréal in my humble opinion. Cycling there is nice. I just came back from Toronto and found it shite for cycling to the point that I'm gonna write a paper letter to Toronto city.
@@Davmm96 I cycled through Montreal last summer while riding across Canada. I enjoyed the ride. But the truth is I prefer not to ride in large cities whenever possible. Cheers
I think that if you have experience with better cycling infrastructure, then Toronto's is underwhelming. If you've lived in Toronto and experienced the recent progress, then you'd find the current infrastructure great. But I just saw what they have in Victoria, BC and I have to say Toronto has a long way to go.
This is a great overview of biking in Toronto in the winter, and highly representative of typical conditions with snow. Thankfully, there isn't usually so much snow here, so this is almost a worst-case scenario and still bikeable!
Great video. Nice to see Toronto getting better but still have a long way to go. The only reason why I don't ride in the winter in Winnipeg is because the cycling infrastructure is discontinuous. However, I would ride in Toronto!
Thank you for sharing. I think it's all about perspective. Those with better cycling infrastructure than that in Toronto mentioned that they would not ride there, you on the other hand see it more favourably.
I was JUST thinking I should make a video like this! You did such a good job capturing and narrating the various aspects of cycling around the city. I held my breath with you when you were squished between that snow bank and the streetcar tracks/bus. I recognize that familiar orange store decor ;) Some new camera gear for your channel?? Can't wait for more videos!
Thank you and yes, make a video like this. It's always excellent to see other people's perspective and experiences. Conditions change depending on the weather, neighbourhood and of course the rider and the gear. So here's my vote for you filming a video like this! I was just getting some wind muff stickers to secure a wind muff on my wireless microphone. Just a little hack and Henry's had exactly what I needed.
😂😂 It just depends on what you're used to. If the infrastructure were better I'd consider this unacceptable, but we have what we have and we make the best of it.
Nice video : I'm currently living in Dubai and use a Dutch style bicycle and will be coming to Toronto in a month as an international student, would like to know the best and cheapest bikes and where to get them.
Nice to hear that you're biking around Dubai. When I lived there 11 years ago, biking was definitely NOT something to do there. I'm not sure where to buy good cheap bikes. You can try Kijiji or Facebook marketplace or the plethora of bike shops in the city.
@@WheelsonaBike Thanks a lot , Biking infrastructure has been improved a lot and it mostly has been integrated with the well maintained pedestrian walk ways(footpaths) so instead of bikes being banned from side walks they have become a part of them.
I still ride in Kingston in winter, but your lanes are great compared to conditions here. I would have hoped a University city would have done better. In a word, it's "pathetic". Almost no effort appears to made in this city. I'm jealous. ;)
Thanks for adding the Kingston perspective. I think in the context you present, the cycling infrastructure maintenance in Toronto looks good. Something happened this year in Toronto - snow clearing in general has not been great.
Interesting about Kingston. I'm contemplating a tour from NY USA across to Wolfe Island and then on to Kingston afterwards. Sorry to hear they might have spotty cycling infrastructure. Of course, I'm thinking of a summer or Autumn trip ... were your comments more strictly applied to winter maintenance?
@@mikebauer9948 Yes. However, Kingston has mostly painted gutters for bike lanes and routes are rather disjointed. The path along the waterfront is the safest, but still disappears and reappears in sections. Our K&P rail trail is quite nice for leisure rides.
@@GordoGambler that was a rude an unnecessary comment. We’ve had these laws for years and they’ve saved lives. Countless lives. The conditions here are different to North America. Perhaps next time, it would be better if you either scrolled past or left a constructive comment.
@@WheelsonaBike snow seems romantic, but watching your videos and Tom’s certainly opens one’s eyes! In fairness, we do have incredible heatwaves and right now, we’re having some of the worst floods in a century. Thankfully it’s on the eastern side
I've been reading about the flooding. I'm glad to know that it's not affecting you. The power of nature - it's unstoppable. I actually find it more difficult to ride in a heatwave, as there's not much you can do to cool down. At least in the winter you can add or remove layers. In the summer though... Hot and hotter.
Glad you stayed safe while making this video. Thank you taking us along with you. Indeed, that bus passed you pretty close, too close. That happens with cars and trucks, too, no matter the weather cpnditions, as you know. The messy roads were not very inviting. Probably best not to ride a bike when there are so many hazards as shown in the video. I probably would not ride with traffic in such hazardous conditions. The bike paths where there weren't any cars would be okay if you absolutely wanted to get out of the house and ride your bike. Otherwise, it would be sensible to avoid riding when the roads are in such bad condition and all of the other risk factors are heightened in such wintry weather.
Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment. It's a bit of a predicament not riding when conditions are bad. If we don't ride, then that'll give the net sayers more fuel for their suggestion that "nobody rides a bike in the winter". If we don't ride and don't report these conditions, then they'll go unnoticed and there'll be no change as a result. I would never put my life at risk, but we all have a different risk tolerance. So it's a balance.
I live in North York and refuse to bike in the city during winter. I take the subway to Vaughan and bike on snow free roads for 30-40 kms and return by subway. Yes, I use my carbon road bike since they plow cleanly. It takes two days to clear with the plows and the sunshine to melt the roads dry after it snows.
Toronto in the 60s when I was teenager don't have bike lanes that I ride to & from work, school. Now it's must safer now. I had many cars door open fell. 70s I had moped small lawnmower engine can travel over 50 km/hr. Now Ebike fat tire only in Mississauga occasionally ride bike for exercise.
Winters are going to get rougher, solar cycle 24 saw less solar activity, 25 will be the same an ultimately a grand solar minimum well bring us back into a mini ice age. Bicycling in future winters will be harder with more snow, more snow clearing efforts on bike lanes which will cost more money and frigid winter weather. We should continue to push for pubic transit and or continue to use all gas or hybrid automobiles which are better than all electric because of the mining of lithium and lithium for the batteries is worse than gasoline. Feel free to watch Adapt 2030/David Dilley/Ice Age Farmer on youtube for more information on climate related topics.
Thank you, but I'm neither overly gutsy nor skilled. I do have studded tires and no, I've never fallen. Those studs are very grippy and have saved me from falling multiple times.
I would never ride my bike on any road in Toronto at any time of year--period! Maybe where you live or along the Lakeshore paths, it's okay in winter, but Toronto is too crowded, dangerous, people hit and run all the time. Do not end up in a hospital this time of year, especially in winter where you'll be staring up at the ceiling for 36 hours or more. Been there, done that. Sorry to sound so negative.
That's OK, no need to apologize. Our experiences always add some colour to what's happening. I prefer to ride on separated multi use trails as much as possible, because that is safest for me - although I've been cut off by turning cars when on a multi use trail as well.
what I've noticed is that they just don't deal with slush, so it freezes and thaws and freezes and thaws and freezes and gets snowed over and hidden... if they'd just do a bit of work to clear it when it's slush, it'd be so much easier than having to deal with it when it's slush... you should see Ward 5, almost all our facilities have been unusable almost every day for the past month and a half, it's bad
I now ride an ebike, so don't have a problem with them generally speaking. I think "ebikes" that are bikes in principle only, ie like motorcycles with fake little pedals should not use the trail. It all comes down to how people ride and how they ride with others.
I really don't know, as I've never ridden a fat bike in the city. I think any bike with wider tires would be better than one with skinny ones as they'd improve comfort. I've only ridden a fat bike on snow, on trails.
I was just thinking, if you had written a complaint to the city council about the bike lanes not being properly cleared (while the car lanes were), would there be any consequence? Maybe they just don't know that anyone is using those bike lanes during winter.
The tires I had on that bike are 45Nrth Gravdal studded on the front and Schwalbe Winter studded on the rear. Both great tires, minimal stud loss after 4 winter seasons.
Since having my child, I have been much more apprehensive to ride as I would and where I would, have done before, when I rode everywhere and did nearly everything by bike. Especially as my kid got old enough to ride. We have witnessed 3 times when a cyclist was hit. Including one in which the bike went flying high and it was quite scary for my kid. I bought new bikes in fall of 2019, but they have been barely ridden. My kidwho is now a teen, is scared because they are of the age where they are no longer excused for being on a side walk, and we have hills everywhere. There are some improvements, yet I am so so disgusted with how the city ignores cyclists telling them over and over that a separate from pedestrian (who consistently yell about bikes and sometimes decide we are the ones to tell off, and car lane, is needed, especially because of the hills. It just is not an encouragement for the average everyday person to ride.
I note that not everyone with kids are as apprehensive as I am. I see families on the roads even with really young ones, all of the time. I was just too fearful to do this after witnessing the accidents.
I can see how your experiences would make you apprehensive about riding a bike, but it's really too bad. I hope as the City improves its infrastructure and as cycling gets even more visibility in the GTA, attitudes will start shifting. I was involved in a bicycle accident when I was around 16. A woman hit me while making a right hand turn. She was petrified, I was embarrassed (why?!?), my bike was mangled. I had no skills to deal with that situation then, so I just walked away, pushing my mangled bike along. Nothing happened to me, but I would not want to witness a cycling accident. It'd for sure stay with me.
I fully understand what you are saying and I support you in this. But I want to share something that will sound bad when you hear it but hopefully it makes sense. The average driver or cyclist or pedestrian might not be so cautious and they will say so, saying, I never saw any accidents or close calls. There is merit to the idea that one requirement for getting your driver's license is volunteer at emergency departments at hospitals. When someone tells us how many people die in Toronto, in Canada or in the world every year, it doesn't mean so much to us. Seeing crashes and trying to help people who got hurt gives us a very different perspective. I have no idea how to convince people to be careful on the street just by talking to them but I want to figure this out. Again, sorry to hear you saw these things, stuff that made a strong impression on whether or not you want to ride a bike at all.
We ride on sidewalk at any age (long as we stay alive, what others say ... well, let's just say we do us and they do them). When there is a pedestrian, we stop cycling and start walking. And if we need to pass, we go on the road, pass, get back on. In essence, we ARE pedestrians when there is one. Been doing this years, only gotten yelled at once. Figured she was a troll who forgot to drink coffee that day or has a miserable life. We kept quiet and she kept on about it. What made it funny was a cop suv drove by, rolled down the window and waved hello at us with a smile. The troll quiet down with that cop's gesture. So, we are committed at this side-walk-pedestrian thing we do. Just walk when there are pedestrians. You'll get yelled at here and there but hey! Coffee helps. :)
I wil not ride in the winter in those conditions it look not safe at all here in Vancouver are bike lanes in downtown Vancouver are protected by a barrier they should do that in there bike lanes in downtown Toronto
Thank you for sharing your experience with bike lanes in Vancouver. Yes, I agree, it would be better if they were all protected and maintained. But interestingly, this is much better than what it used to be.
I would say that this is not yet a perfect experience of cycling in winter. But the only way to change this is to ride more in winter. It is important that the whole society understands that it is not only possible, but also normal. A good example is the Netherlands, where most people use bicycles down to -20C. And the city's infrastructure is ready to welcome cyclists at any time of the year.
Yes, I have BarMitts installed on the bike during winter and yes, it's sufficient to wear a liner glove inside. I do this all winter long. I made a video about BarMitts explaining their benefits.
@@WheelsonaBike Thanks for the response. I am going to live there soon and planning to bring my bike there. I am not used to cold countries and I have low threshold in cold weather. Anyway, thanks for the advise. I'll keep that in mind. You take care always. Ride safe :)
Hello Rheegan. Can you email me so that I have a better communication trail. If possible, please provide a bit of context as to how the video will be used and for which show. My email address is wheelsonabike at gmail.com.
@@WheelsonaBike I am a newcomer so trying to get acquainted with things around here. I completed 1 month 1 week in Canada today :) So you need to purchase your own lock? Where did you buy it from? Also, do you know how much a brand new bicycle costs in Toronto if I were to buy one of my own?
I see, ok. Welcome to Canada! Yes, it's best for you to get a good quality lock. Any bike shop will have them. I'd recommend to invest in the highest quality you can afford. While every lock can be broken, they are a solid deterrent for thieves. Regardinf buying a bicycle - again, any bike shop will sell them. Or Kijiji for used bikes. Regarding cost, that's very dependant on what type of bike you buy. Bike shops will be a good source of info on that.
It was quite cold and people who park illegally in a bike lane, just park right next to the curb and don't typically block a live lane of traffic. I really wanted to give people some benefit of doubt as it was so cold and cars could've easily stalled.
You might like a channel called "The North Outdoors" specifically his video entitled "E-Bike Wild Camping | My Gear List" is the one that got me to subscribe. Not as good as you but then again who is?
I'm 100% pro bike lanes. Torontos strategy for them is fatally flawed by not putting them on non main through ways that is the 5-6 main arteries to get through the city its just ludicrous. Also the removal of lanes when 1million people will be coming to the city means they are expecting everyone to walk everywhere cause it will be faster then the 3040kph expected in the city which you can't get with single lanes. It's assisine'. You may make more two lane streets one way like young south and university north. Cite Alberta. Montreal has a legacy and has a better downtown in many ways.
I often wonder if municipalities and provincea ever share ideas. There is better cycling infrastructure in many cities in Canada and I'm curious as to how much thought exchange goes on, if any.
It's not too costly at all to keep the bike lanes plowed regularly. Cities in Finland and Norway can afford it so why can't Toronto ? There are too many Doug Fords in Toronto that's why .
Bike lanes need to go and. Bike lanes only on side roads not on main streets. No one uses bikes in the wintertime Waste of money People are going to work and not for leisure
Excellent point. People going to work need bike lanes in winter. We're in agreement. Should we discuss the wasted space of parking lots in malls? No one uses them at night. They need to go. Waste of money. 😁
Bikes are the _most_ energy efficient form of transportation humans have every developed. If you convert everything into kilocalories (the type we use for food), here's how stuff compares:
Typical Gasoline car: 1,131 calories / mile
Electric car: 258 calories / mile
Walking: 100 calories
Bicycle: 60 calories
So cycling is still about 4x more energy efficient than our best electric cars, and about 19x more energy efficient than typical cars.
A city is not serious about climate change if it makes the most efficient transportation technology we have dangerous to use.
To be fair Canada in general is not serious about climate change. They have incorporated a bunch of fuel taxes, and increased imports from China by over 35%. We actually have a bigger footprint now than pre-Trudeau.
I agree
"Using a 4000 pound box to move a 200 pound man never gonna be efficient", Ryan F9
i wonder how public transit works for this
It was nice seeing the construction workers at 3:18 doing some touch-up snow shovelling.
They were so involved in their work, they almost walked into me. :):) But yes! It was nice to see.
I'm in Belleville. We don't have protected bike lanes but traffic is pretty light here so not a biggie. There is more ice and sloppy snow in the unplowed shoulders this year. I'm glad I have studded tires on.
Thanks for sharing the Belleville experience. Glad to know you're riding and that your experience has been good considering the lack of cycling infrastructure. Yes to those studded tires!
Your lanes are better than my city Glens Falls NY USA but we have a group meeting every Wednesday to hopefully make it better.
Thanks for your time and work to film such a good video.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience as well. It's good to keep in mind that it could always be worse. Wishing your group best of luck to up the winter cycling standards in your city!
@@WheelsonaBike good job
Thanks for this awesome report Agnieszka! While I was born and raised in Toronto and cycled till we left in the mid 80's for jobs in Cobourg, I have been struck at how far ahead our new home of Hamilton is! That said snow removal here this year has been dismal. I ride Hamilton streets daily and studded tires are a must. The dedicated/protected bike tracks are cleared similar to Toronto but the painted bike lanes are not cleared at all! I'm still riding but often I need to take the lane, frustrating motorists unnecessarily because the bike lane is literally not there because it is completely covered with snow and ice underneath. Glad you made this video which will show administrators that we DO RIDE IN WINTER. So much fun that I wouldn't miss it but Toronto, Hamilton, and Calgary have a ways to go to catch up to Oulu, Copenhagen, and Montreal! Happy winter adventures and yes, I would also walk that bit with the bus, especially because of those streetcar tracks!
Hamilton has great cycling infrastructure! You are lucky to live there. Yes, I think painted bike lanes in the winter are a write off. I hope that people from the City watch it, maybe I should tweet it at them. More and more people cycle in the winter here, and so it's just about keeping the lanes clear.
Thank you!
Thanks for the ride,figured the bike paths would be better maintained.Think I'll wait until it's dry before going downdown.
This was a couple of weeks ago. I'm thinking they'll be much better now. Although we did have some snow recently ...
@@WheelsonaBike We passed each other today down at the harbourfront.Nice day for a ride.
Amazing! Please say hi next time, although that may not be possible if we just zip by each other. Back at the office today, so I was on my commute. But yes, a stunning day for a bike ride.
We have no protected bike lanes in my city. Just some painted lines. Boston, the nearest big city doesn't have much more although that is slowly improving. Toronto looks like bike heaven to me.
Thank you for your comment. It's important I remember how far we've come as a city in terms of cycling infrastructure.
Terrific report! I live in Bloor West Village and bike tracks and bike lanes out here are similarly inconsistent this winter. A lane will be completely covered with snow or a snowbank. A track will be badly maintained and then with no notice, not maintained at all, forcing us either into the car lanes or on foot. I find that car lanes have been very well cleared and maintained this year, so I have spent an inordinate amount of time riding there. Thanks for this video - very accurate portrayal of the state of affairs here.
Thank you for adding your experience as well. I'd love to meet with someone from the City to find out why the clearing is so inconsistent. For example, I've found that some sections of the bike paths are fantastic, whereas others are not maintained at all - all along the same route. How does that happen? I'd really like to know.
Nothing compared to the old days in the 70's in Toronto with no bike lanes at all , and you had to ride the gutters watching out for objects and storm drains your wheel would drop into.
Drivers pretty near running you down.
You had to be super alert in those days when I rode a bike everywhere, and no bike lanes anywhere.
You got it good lady, compared to what Toronto used to be like.
Don't complain, about a few inconveniences.
Nothing like a bit of perspective. I am now temporarily living in Mississauga and wish they had Toronto level infrastructure here.
I was just downtown on Friday to University and Elm and noticed en route that many of the cycle paths were buried in snow. Of course that was that really snowy day. I would not have wanted to be cycling there, though!
My video was filmed a few weeks ago and I though that maybe things would've improved. But we did get additional snow fall recently. Something's been off with winter maintenance this year...
Your videos are simple but absolutely fantastic. I just got interested in bike touring and your channel has been recommended to me and I'm very happy to have clicked on it.
Thank you for the kind comment. I hope you continue exploring bike touring and enjoy your experiences!
I'm so happy to know there's no "line" drawn to when you can and cannot ride your bike in accordance to the season. Thanks for this share!!
Yes! As far as I'm concerned, you should be able to ride bikes whenever you want to. It's the infrastructure that's questionable, especially in the winter time when it isn't cleared.
Studded tires make all the difference when there is ice but slush and deep snow can still throw you off. No doubt cyclists get the worst of in a collision with a car so erring on the side of caution is the best way to stay safe. Kudos to you for getting out in the wet and cold AND making a video
You are right. Studded tires are really only effective on ice, slush and snow - not so much. This is why I ended up pushing the bike through the slush because I would've wiped out for sure.
Mad respect, great video! Let's ride!!! All season baby.
such a nice review, roads are still not bad. we live in Beijing and its a "bike heaven" here, with the widest lanes. but are going to move somewhere in Canada, and a riding-a-bike-around ability is one of strongest criteria to choose a city
Have you considered Victoria or Vancouver in BC? Also Montreal. Much better cycling and transportation infrastructure.
Merci beaucoup pour le partage l'amie de Toronto . 👍😉 🚴♀
Thank you for watching! I appreciate it.
Another good video. I was up to the Winter 2019 boat show in Toronto (from NJ USA), and stayed at the Westin by the ferries to the Islands. Plenty of snow and ice around. At that time, I saw wonderfully cleared (and separated) bike lanes in the area (and up to and including the exhibition center along the waterfront) and lots of riders in weather conditions I usually avoid riding in - including commuting on the ferries. I got a favorable impression of year-round good urban cycling infrastructure from that visit. But I guess to generalize that one time/one place to the whole city is too much. Until recently, I wasn't really aware you have a car-less lifestyle (I started by following your touring posts). I myself - riding in often miserable traffic conditions in NJ and elsewhere - can't really warm to doing hardcore urban cycling as a regular thing [pun intended]. Especially in winter. Ottawa, where my daughter lives, seems better in this regard, although even some areas there have winter challenges. There's another guy, the "shifter" channel here on UA-cam, that is based in Calgary, with a bunch of vids on winter cycling - as a commuter. Keep on pedaling and posting, thanks!
The area you stayed in is wonderful! The trail you saw in front of the hotel is the Martin Goodman Trail, which runs along thr waterfront. It's typically very well cleared, but something was off this year. Someone commented that maybe the city overpaid for the cleanup after the blizzard we had. Yes, I ride my bike year round, in addition to touring. I ended up selling my car some time ago. Ottawa has some great cycling infrastructure, from what I've seen on my visits, but it gets much colder there in the winter. Love Shifter and have been subscribed to that channel for years.
Yes, winter cycling is spooky. We have lots of snow in the winter as well. There are bike lanes in our small town but never specifically plowed so I have to ride in the streets. Less snow here than in your area but it is refreshing. I need some winter mits like yours so I can keep my hands warm. I usually just wear mittens or finger gloves so my rides are briefer.
Thanks for making this video. Please keep making winter cycling videos like this as you get a chance to. Your opinions and your experiences are valuable to us. In Oulu, Finland, the city asks companies with snow removal contracts to set up refreshment stations with hot chocolate and cider to ask them their opinions of how well they are doing their job, they get bonuses or penalties based on surveys from cyclists which rate their performance, and the company is expected to survey and audit their own work by the auditors riding bicycles. We don't have any of this in Toronto, so it should come as no surprise that our bike lane servicing is hit and miss.
Since the big snowfall on January 16th, the plows missed sections of bike lanes. Ok, that's understandable. But they did the same every time it snowed after. It snowed 4 times where they cleared all the car lanes and they didn't have as much to remove. But they did not plow any more than before. Going through a second time with less to remove, it's logical to thing they would go back and remove snow to the curb, they way they usually do but they still didn't remove this snow.
The low slush and snow I saw in your video is difficult/impossible to bike through but on Bloor the spots where the snow blocks up the bike lanes the snow is much higher. I want to figure out if they would be passable at all for an extreme fat mountain biker some time. It's that bad.
Also, I tried the city's 311 system, which lets us make a request for snow removal at trouble spots. I did make a request for one spot on Bloor and it never changed. It's like they never got the request at all. Yonge had all but one spot at the very north cleared. So I know they can do it. It's hard to figure out how to sort this out with our current system. It looks like we need to make new policies, like what they did in Oulu to have a chance to have this reliable. It will make a big difference if we have more winter cyclists and I think we have seen this. But, of course, it's a vicious circle. More winter cyclists means we get more snow removal service but less snow removal service means more people are discouraged from winter cycling. The next few years will make a big difference.
Again, I want to thank you so much for being a winter cyclist and for making this video presentation showing us what it's like.
Thank you for your comment! The system you describe in Oulu sounds excellent. Quality control and instant feedback where needed most.
I think there was something wrong with the winter maintenance system this year. I noticed this not only on bike lanes, but also street plowing and sidewalk plowing, which is typically much better. The Martin Goodman Trail has typically received excellent maintenance, but this year, it's been very patchy. I, too, have contacted 311 about this, but I really should not have to do this every single time it snows. It's a bit much. And quite frankly, aside from that major snow storm, our snow fall has not been overly drastic this year.
@@WheelsonaBike I have the feeling they were over-charged for the January 16th snowfall dump. It was a lot. There is a drawback from city officials not talking openly when something does not go well. We can't offer solutions.
Sometimes people try to make something worse, so they can justify upgrading it. That could be what they did here. Do a bad job clearing the bike lanes then it's easier to ask for changes to the policy that will improve service. That's a long shot but possible.
I've not considered that! Let's hope for this then!
@@WheelsonaBike Myself, I want to hope for the best but I don't want to count on it. We can use these examples of how this year's snow removal was bad and videos like yours show people exactly what needs to be done and your commentary tells people info on it and what effect that has on your cycling. A perfect example is how you shared you will get out of the saddle and walk your bike forward so you can get through a section. I don't know if you got right off the bike and walked beside it or walked with the bike between your legs but either way it would count as what someone said recently. He called it bicycle portage. Like when a canoeist portages past a waterfall or rapids, then gets back in and keeps going. We might do that for a patch of ice or, I found if I have studs it's easier to bike than walk. So in that case I don't need to portage. Your videos show people exactly what you see and need to bike through and you share how you deal with it. We can use that to convince the city, this is a good standard, we can bike through slush that's 2 inches high but not 3. Stuff like that. So if the people plowing see they left 3 inches of snow behind them they know it needs to be done again, for example. This becomes very practical and useful knowledge.
I'm not a winter rider, but I defend the rights for people to be able to commute safely on their bikes and EVs all season long and we do need more safe dedicated bike lanes. Stay safe! Unfortunaltey Doug Ford has decided to rip up to new bike lanes in Toronto for more cars.
Thank you for your comment. It's very sad our Premier focuses his attention on removing safe infrastructure for alternative modes of transport instead of, for example, fixing our healthcare system. It's such shocking ovverreach and waste of money.
That actually looked pretty safe overall. I will be riding through Toronto this spring so that is reassuring. Thanks for the great video. Cheers
There were definitely lots of "good sections". The biggest problem I've had is the lack of consistency. Fully plowed, clear passages and then icy, snowy sections. It's hard to plan for. But... Could always be worse.
Spring should be excellent for riding in the city.
@@WheelsonaBike yes I can't wait for spring! :)
@@WanderingEyeOutdoorAdventures You'd rather go to Montréal in my humble opinion. Cycling there is nice. I just came back from Toronto and found it shite for cycling to the point that I'm gonna write a paper letter to Toronto city.
@@Davmm96 I cycled through Montreal last summer while riding across Canada. I enjoyed the ride. But the truth is I prefer not to ride in large cities whenever possible. Cheers
I think that if you have experience with better cycling infrastructure, then Toronto's is underwhelming. If you've lived in Toronto and experienced the recent progress, then you'd find the current infrastructure great. But I just saw what they have in Victoria, BC and I have to say Toronto has a long way to go.
This is a great overview of biking in Toronto in the winter, and highly representative of typical conditions with snow. Thankfully, there isn't usually so much snow here, so this is almost a worst-case scenario and still bikeable!
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
I pass by this area often because of work. Good to know that biking here is survivable!
Great video. Nice to see Toronto getting better but still have a long way to go.
The only reason why I don't ride in the winter in Winnipeg is because the cycling infrastructure is discontinuous. However, I would ride in Toronto!
Thank you for sharing. I think it's all about perspective. Those with better cycling infrastructure than that in Toronto mentioned that they would not ride there, you on the other hand see it more favourably.
I was JUST thinking I should make a video like this! You did such a good job capturing and narrating the various aspects of cycling around the city. I held my breath with you when you were squished between that snow bank and the streetcar tracks/bus. I recognize that familiar orange store decor ;) Some new camera gear for your channel?? Can't wait for more videos!
Thank you and yes, make a video like this. It's always excellent to see other people's perspective and experiences. Conditions change depending on the weather, neighbourhood and of course the rider and the gear. So here's my vote for you filming a video like this!
I was just getting some wind muff stickers to secure a wind muff on my wireless microphone. Just a little hack and Henry's had exactly what I needed.
@@WheelsonaBike oh nice! Thanks for taking us along :) And thank you for your encouragement!
please put more videos on daily biking in Toronto especially for winter biking and biking in rain, nice channel, keep riding
Will see how it goes this year. I don't like filming when it rains as it's hard to keep the lens clean.
Oh lord biking in city is anxiety inducing i could never especially in winter?? Girl u one of the brave ones. Its too much for me
😂😂 It just depends on what you're used to. If the infrastructure were better I'd consider this unacceptable, but we have what we have and we make the best of it.
Nice video : I'm currently living in Dubai and use a Dutch style bicycle and will be coming to Toronto in a month as an international student, would like to know the best and cheapest bikes and where to get them.
Nice to hear that you're biking around Dubai. When I lived there 11 years ago, biking was definitely NOT something to do there. I'm not sure where to buy good cheap bikes. You can try Kijiji or Facebook marketplace or the plethora of bike shops in the city.
@@WheelsonaBike
Thanks a lot , Biking infrastructure has been improved a lot and it mostly has been integrated with the well maintained pedestrian walk ways(footpaths) so instead of bikes being banned from side walks they have become a part of them.
Ah, that's great to know! Sidewalks weren't popular either when I lived there. Glad to know there's been progress.
You have the courage of a fighter pilot.
No, I would not ride in the city under those conditions.
Thanks for a great video.
Your comment made me laugh. Thank you. Maybe I should try flying planes next.
I still ride in Kingston in winter, but your lanes are great compared to conditions here. I would have hoped a University city would have done better. In a word, it's "pathetic". Almost no effort appears to made in this city. I'm jealous. ;)
Thanks for adding the Kingston perspective. I think in the context you present, the cycling infrastructure maintenance in Toronto looks good. Something happened this year in Toronto - snow clearing in general has not been great.
Interesting about Kingston. I'm contemplating a tour from NY USA across to Wolfe Island and then on to Kingston afterwards. Sorry to hear they might have spotty cycling infrastructure. Of course, I'm thinking of a summer or Autumn trip ... were your comments more strictly applied to winter maintenance?
@@mikebauer9948 Yes. However, Kingston has mostly painted gutters for bike lanes and routes are rather disjointed. The path along the waterfront is the safest, but still disappears and reappears in sections. Our K&P rail trail is quite nice for leisure rides.
I’m so glad I live in Australia! Not that our cycling infrastructure is better, but we don’t have snow!
Not having snow would certainly help. 😉
@@GordoGambler that was a rude an unnecessary comment. We’ve had these laws for years and they’ve saved lives. Countless lives. The conditions here are different to North America. Perhaps next time, it would be better if you either scrolled past or left a constructive comment.
@@WheelsonaBike snow seems romantic, but watching your videos and Tom’s certainly opens one’s eyes! In fairness, we do have incredible heatwaves and right now, we’re having some of the worst floods in a century. Thankfully it’s on the eastern side
I've been reading about the flooding. I'm glad to know that it's not affecting you. The power of nature - it's unstoppable.
I actually find it more difficult to ride in a heatwave, as there's not much you can do to cool down. At least in the winter you can add or remove layers. In the summer though... Hot and hotter.
Thanks for your trip share. Very informative
1:49 cool! Nice detail
Glad you stayed safe while making this video. Thank you taking us along with you. Indeed, that bus passed you pretty close, too close. That happens with cars and trucks, too, no matter the weather cpnditions, as you know. The messy roads were not very inviting. Probably best not to ride a bike when there are so many hazards as shown in the video. I probably would not ride with traffic in such hazardous conditions. The bike paths where there weren't any cars would be okay if you absolutely wanted to get out of the house and ride your bike. Otherwise, it would be sensible to avoid riding when the roads are in such bad condition and all of the other risk factors are heightened in such wintry weather.
Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment. It's a bit of a predicament not riding when conditions are bad. If we don't ride, then that'll give the net sayers more fuel for their suggestion that "nobody rides a bike in the winter". If we don't ride and don't report these conditions, then they'll go unnoticed and there'll be no change as a result. I would never put my life at risk, but we all have a different risk tolerance. So it's a balance.
@@WheelsonaBike Everything you say makes sense. Let's say your risk tolerance is a 10. Mine would be a 5 :-)
@jolly7728 🤣 I think it's a product of where I live.
@@WheelsonaBike Move! (I'm just being silly).
@jolly7728 🤣😂🤣
Good video, thank you.
lol or the bus driver could just give you adequate room like they're supposed to especially since there's no oncoming traffic...
Yeah ...
I live in North York and refuse to bike in the city during winter. I take the subway to Vaughan and bike on snow free roads for 30-40 kms and return by subway. Yes, I use my carbon road bike since they plow cleanly. It takes two days to clear with the plows and the sunshine to melt the roads dry after it snows.
That's great that you can go for longer rides outside in the winter time, even if you have to get out of the city to do so.
Toronto in the 60s when I was teenager don't have bike lanes that I ride to & from work, school. Now it's must safer now. I had many cars door open fell. 70s I had moped small lawnmower engine can travel over 50 km/hr. Now Ebike fat tire only in Mississauga occasionally ride bike for exercise.
I'd be so afraid to hit a patch of ice
Understandable. That's why I ride with studded tires during winter.
It was a rough winter this year. But been riding in the snow for 10+ years now all around old Toronto. Next year with less snow will be better
I think this winter the city was a bit slow with snow clearance due to that big storm.
Winters are going to get rougher, solar cycle 24 saw less solar activity, 25 will be the same an ultimately a grand solar minimum well bring us back into a mini ice age. Bicycling in future winters will be harder with more snow, more snow clearing efforts on bike lanes which will cost more money and frigid winter weather. We should continue to push for pubic transit and or continue to use all gas or hybrid automobiles which are better than all electric because of the mining of lithium and lithium for the batteries is worse than gasoline. Feel free to watch Adapt 2030/David Dilley/Ice Age Farmer on youtube for more information on climate related topics.
Thank you for sharing your insights.
you are clearly a very skilled cyclist! Takes guts to ride in the snow. Have you ever fallen due to icy road?
Thank you, but I'm neither overly gutsy nor skilled. I do have studded tires and no, I've never fallen. Those studs are very grippy and have saved me from falling multiple times.
I would never ride my bike on any road in Toronto at any time of year--period! Maybe where you live or along the Lakeshore paths, it's okay in winter, but Toronto is too crowded, dangerous, people hit and run all the time. Do not end up in a hospital this time of year, especially in winter where you'll be staring up at the ceiling for 36 hours or more. Been there, done that. Sorry to sound so negative.
That's OK, no need to apologize. Our experiences always add some colour to what's happening. I prefer to ride on separated multi use trails as much as possible, because that is safest for me - although I've been cut off by turning cars when on a multi use trail as well.
what I've noticed is that they just don't deal with slush, so it freezes and thaws and freezes and thaws and freezes and gets snowed over and hidden... if they'd just do a bit of work to clear it when it's slush, it'd be so much easier than having to deal with it when it's slush... you should see Ward 5, almost all our facilities have been unusable almost every day for the past month and a half, it's bad
Yes, agreed. We've had a lot of thaw/freeze cycles this winter and that's added to the problem, since the lanes haven't been adequately cleared.
I definitely would have risked a fine and got on the sidewalk since barely anyone was on it or at least switch between the two as needed
Thank you for this
Thoughts on e-bikes / e-scooters on the Martin Goodman Trail? There are signs saying it's not allowed, but I've never seen this enforced.
I now ride an ebike, so don't have a problem with them generally speaking. I think "ebikes" that are bikes in principle only, ie like motorcycles with fake little pedals should not use the trail. It all comes down to how people ride and how they ride with others.
Thank you so much for sharing, im seriously thinking about a fat bike given the horrendous maintenance of bike paths, is it a better bet?
I really don't know, as I've never ridden a fat bike in the city. I think any bike with wider tires would be better than one with skinny ones as they'd improve comfort. I've only ridden a fat bike on snow, on trails.
I was just thinking, if you had written a complaint to the city council about the bike lanes not being properly cleared (while the car lanes were), would there be any consequence? Maybe they just don't know that anyone is using those bike lanes during winter.
I have advocated numerous times with my councillor and the city. They know people ride bikes in the winter.
Are you able to put your bike on a bus like here in the U.S? That might be helpful
Yes, there are bus racks on buses. Although, I'm not sure if I could put my ebike on a bus rack.
@@WheelsonaBike hmmm. Now I wonder too
I would definitely ride on those lanes. Incidentally you mention your tires. Which ones were you using?
The tires I had on that bike are 45Nrth Gravdal studded on the front and Schwalbe Winter studded on the rear. Both great tires, minimal stud loss after 4 winter seasons.
@@WheelsonaBike A big thanks for your response.😊
4:11 I agree 👍
Thankyou 👍👍👍👍
I would with the right tires if a friend showed me around, and went with me sometimes, but that looked like crap to me
It could've definitely been better. And yes, riding with someone else is great for building up confidence for winter cycling.
Beautiful! 🥰🥰
Since having my child, I have been much more apprehensive to ride as I would and where I would, have done before, when I rode everywhere and did nearly everything by bike. Especially as my kid got old enough to ride. We have witnessed 3 times when a cyclist was hit. Including one in which the bike went flying high and it was quite scary for my kid. I bought new bikes in fall of 2019, but they have been barely ridden. My kidwho is now a teen, is scared because they are of the age where they are no longer excused for being on a side walk, and we have hills everywhere. There are some improvements, yet I am so so disgusted with how the city ignores cyclists telling them over and over that a separate from pedestrian (who consistently yell about bikes and sometimes decide we are the ones to tell off, and car lane, is needed, especially because of the hills. It just is not an encouragement for the average everyday person to ride.
I note that not everyone with kids are as apprehensive as I am. I see families on the roads even with really young ones, all of the time. I was just too fearful to do this after witnessing the accidents.
I can see how your experiences would make you apprehensive about riding a bike, but it's really too bad. I hope as the City improves its infrastructure and as cycling gets even more visibility in the GTA, attitudes will start shifting. I was involved in a bicycle accident when I was around 16. A woman hit me while making a right hand turn. She was petrified, I was embarrassed (why?!?), my bike was mangled. I had no skills to deal with that situation then, so I just walked away, pushing my mangled bike along. Nothing happened to me, but I would not want to witness a cycling accident. It'd for sure stay with me.
I fully understand what you are saying and I support you in this. But I want to share something that will sound bad when you hear it but hopefully it makes sense. The average driver or cyclist or pedestrian might not be so cautious and they will say so, saying, I never saw any accidents or close calls. There is merit to the idea that one requirement for getting your driver's license is volunteer at emergency departments at hospitals. When someone tells us how many people die in Toronto, in Canada or in the world every year, it doesn't mean so much to us. Seeing crashes and trying to help people who got hurt gives us a very different perspective. I have no idea how to convince people to be careful on the street just by talking to them but I want to figure this out.
Again, sorry to hear you saw these things, stuff that made a strong impression on whether or not you want to ride a bike at all.
We ride on sidewalk at any age (long as we stay alive, what others say ... well, let's just say we do us and they do them). When there is a pedestrian, we stop cycling and start walking. And if we need to pass, we go on the road, pass, get back on. In essence, we ARE pedestrians when there is one. Been doing this years, only gotten yelled at once. Figured she was a troll who forgot to drink coffee that day or has a miserable life. We kept quiet and she kept on about it. What made it funny was a cop suv drove by, rolled down the window and waved hello at us with a smile. The troll quiet down with that cop's gesture. So, we are committed at this side-walk-pedestrian thing we do. Just walk when there are pedestrians. You'll get yelled at here and there but hey! Coffee helps. :)
@@drivestorage1779sidewalks if not busy ya but otherwise what's the point of biking if you're just going walk it on a sidewalk
I wil not ride in the winter in those conditions it look not safe at all here in Vancouver are bike lanes in downtown Vancouver are protected by a barrier they should do that in there bike lanes in downtown Toronto
Thank you for sharing your experience with bike lanes in Vancouver. Yes, I agree, it would be better if they were all protected and maintained. But interestingly, this is much better than what it used to be.
I would say that this is not yet a perfect experience of cycling in winter. But the only way to change this is to ride more in winter. It is important that the whole society understands that it is not only possible, but also normal. A good example is the Netherlands, where most people use bicycles down to -20C. And the city's infrastructure is ready to welcome cyclists at any time of the year.
Exactly right. And as winter is approaching - let's keep riding.
I'm impressed...for a North American city.
I noticed you're wearing some kind of a mitten. Is it okay to only use a regular full gloves and not freeze your hand? Thanks!
Yes, I have BarMitts installed on the bike during winter and yes, it's sufficient to wear a liner glove inside. I do this all winter long. I made a video about BarMitts explaining their benefits.
@@WheelsonaBike Thanks for the response. I am going to live there soon and planning to bring my bike there. I am not used to cold countries and I have low threshold in cold weather. Anyway, thanks for the advise. I'll keep that in mind. You take care always. Ride safe :)
Hi there - Rheegan from Global News here! Wondering if we would be able to use your video with credit for our show tonight?
Hello Rheegan. Can you email me so that I have a better communication trail. If possible, please provide a bit of context as to how the video will be used and for which show. My email address is wheelsonabike at gmail.com.
Absolutely@@WheelsonaBike - I just sent you an email!
I had no idea you are allowed studded tires on bikes in Toronto.
Why wouldn't they be allowed?
My beautiful dear Toronto
Also, let me know if you would be willing to speak with us about this today. Thanks again!
You parked your cycle just like that in the open , when you went shopping? No one stole it? How long was it open?
The bike was locked, it wasn't just parked on its own. I was away for maybe 5 minutes.
@@WheelsonaBike do they provide the lock ?
I had my own lock. Do you not carry a lock to lock your bike with? What am I missing here?
@@WheelsonaBike I am a newcomer so trying to get acquainted with things around here. I completed 1 month 1 week in Canada today :)
So you need to purchase your own lock? Where did you buy it from?
Also, do you know how much a brand new bicycle costs in Toronto if I were to buy one of my own?
I see, ok. Welcome to Canada! Yes, it's best for you to get a good quality lock. Any bike shop will have them. I'd recommend to invest in the highest quality you can afford. While every lock can be broken, they are a solid deterrent for thieves.
Regardinf buying a bicycle - again, any bike shop will sell them. Or Kijiji for used bikes.
Regarding cost, that's very dependant on what type of bike you buy. Bike shops will be a good source of info on that.
No, I wouldn’t ride in these conditions. Let’s hope for a better cycling future.
New subscriber 🎉
Thank you!
What camera are you using?
I don't remember which one I used here. Either the GoPro Hero 10 or Insta360 One R with the 1 inch lens.
You know the odds are really good that "they" are not stalled cars, right?
It was quite cold and people who park illegally in a bike lane, just park right next to the curb and don't typically block a live lane of traffic. I really wanted to give people some benefit of doubt as it was so cold and cars could've easily stalled.
Thought the last mayor took out the bike lanes.
Yes, some bike lanes were removed years ago, but not everywhere. The network has been expanding, especially recently.
You might like a channel called "The North Outdoors" specifically his video entitled "E-Bike Wild Camping | My Gear List" is the one that got me to subscribe. Not as good as you but then again who is?
Thanks for the recommendation! The channel looks great! I subscribed.
safer to ride mtb tires on snow, you can go through mud, dirt, snow
+ bike will be cleaner
Thanks for sharing.
I'm 100% pro bike lanes. Torontos strategy for them is fatally flawed by not putting them on non main through ways that is the 5-6 main arteries to get through the city its just ludicrous. Also the removal of lanes when 1million people will be coming to the city means they are expecting everyone to walk everywhere cause it will be faster then the 3040kph expected in the city which you can't get with single lanes. It's assisine'. You may make more two lane streets one way like young south and university north. Cite Alberta. Montreal has a legacy and has a better downtown in many ways.
I often wonder if municipalities and provincea ever share ideas. There is better cycling infrastructure in many cities in Canada and I'm curious as to how much thought exchange goes on, if any.
❤🖐✌👍🙏💪 🚴🚴♂🚴♀
3:20 It’s uncomfortable for sure
Right of weight may keep you alive in a car city like Toronto
Yes, it's a very wise suggestion.
Applies to cars and transport trucks as well…heavyweight always wins!
@andrewmolen5618 💯%
It's not too costly at all to keep the bike lanes plowed regularly. Cities in Finland and Norway can afford it so why can't Toronto ? There are too many Doug Fords in Toronto that's why .
Bike lanes need to go and. Bike lanes only on side roads not on main streets.
No one uses bikes in the wintertime
Waste of money
People are going to work and not for leisure
Excellent point. People going to work need bike lanes in winter. We're in agreement.
Should we discuss the wasted space of parking lots in malls? No one uses them at night. They need to go. Waste of money. 😁