where are all the riders ? | GTAMotorcycle.com

where are all the riders ?

roadrash

Well-known member
Is it just me or are the number of regular riders in the GTA thinning rapidly ? Up-till last year, I used to see tons of riders on my commute to and from work, and a lot more on the weekends. This year seems terrible. I rarely see one or two bikes on the 404 when commuting, on weekdays. Same story on the weekends.

Please tell me i'm going crazy and it's all in my head. Or perhaps it's insurance premiums that deterred riders away? Or maybe the newer generation is too preoccupied in their virtual lives that they don't care for motorcycles ?
 
I see plenty up and down hwy 10. No noticeable drop here. Motorcycle sales are down across the board at last check. I wonder if some are parking their bikes due to the cell phone plague that has been killing riders? It has been a tough couple of years for motorcycle fatalities.
 
... I wonder if some are parking their bikes due to the cell phone plague that has been killing riders? It has been a tough couple of years for motorcycle fatalities.
That is true. Lot more accidents and fatalities being reported this year.

Whenever I'm on my bike and I see someone on their phone while driving, I rev-bomb or periodically stare at them till they notice. It's sad people can't put their phones down for a minute these days, like everyone is running a mult-million dollar empire.
 
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Very often I see a lot of Riders on a daily basis on HWY 10, HWY 410, HWY 9 and HWY 400. It's just a matter of being out during those peak times which usually is on my way back from work, not so much in the morning.

There are also different meets that happen throughout the week with (Lakeshore and Leslie) happening tomorrow so you are bound to see more riders around especially towards the Downtown Area.


Today, I had a red toyota rav4 pull out at Jane and Finch area and he decided to change lanes on-top of pulling out without any signal (literally cutting me off).... I proceeded to slow down and rev-bomb him only to find that he was talking on his phone (holding it to his ear). We ended up stopping right at the intersection of Jane and despite other drivers talking to me about how he pulled out, he never once looked at me or wanted to acknowledge his idiotic behavior. He didn't even hear me rev my engine again at the traffic light... clearly his phone was more important.

Such is life.... Although I had a cool conversation with the Bus driver from TTC about the poor driving choices of this Red Rav4. :lmao:
 
I still ride. Just not always on an engine. More with pedals these days. That way for half my commute i don't have to deal with crazed commuters
 
I see maybe 3,4 riders in my way to work on QEW between Appleby and royal Windsor.

Actually I think it's more than last year in terms of consistency.
 
I see maybe 3,4 riders in my way to work on QEW between Appleby and royal Windsor.

Actually I think it's more than last year in terms of consistency.
I see a lot less. My office has parking for a couple thousand cars -- I see the same 3 bikes in the lot. Last year there were about 10.

I think it's safety. I can't believe how many escapes and close calls I have had this season. I really wish there was stronger enforcement on cell phone usage in cars, In my 10km commute I see at least a dozen drivers a day with phones on their lap.
 
I see a lot less motorcycle commuters this year.
Pass the same few every morning.
Seems more and more are becoming weekend warriors or ride after work.
A pirate initiated a conversation a few days ago at a petrol station.
He was so proud that he just hit the 1000km mark for this season.
I did respond, "Good for you man! That is awesome."
All the while laughing inside thinking...I do more than that is 2 weeks of commuting or in one weekend.
 
I see a lot less. My office has parking for a couple thousand cars -- I see the same 3 bikes in the lot. Last year there were about 10.

I think it's safety. I can't believe how many escapes and close calls I have had this season. I really wish there was stronger enforcement on cell phone usage in cars, In my 10km commute I see at least a dozen drivers a day with phones on their lap.
Gotta agree here with you. I've never seen as many accidents while riding as this year. Within a weeks time, i saw 2 cars getting rear ended. One in the left lane, just next to me and the next one was just ahead of me, the car in front of me, rear ended the car in front of it. (There have been a few others, very minor) but still, lack of attention is disturbing.

We had it great here, there were maybe 20 bikes parking "illegally" at my workplace, supposedly someone complained and now i can barely find them around the area as there's no street parking. It's kinda of a deterrent to riding in as easy parking is usually a selling point for me/most people.
 
I see a quite a few riders on my commute to downtown, on QEW , Gardiner and downtown core. And a lot more on weekends and after work (when I am being passed while riding my road bike)
Its actually an issue for me to find parking if I don't leave early in the morning because of how many motorcycles are parked on Front St near Younge.

I guess it depends on the time and location.
 
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Insurance rates.

Construction and clogged roads.

A never-ending heat wave that makes the above basically unbearable.

Dangerous, careless drivers putting life and limb at risk.

I can see why ridership might be down.
 
I commute from end of Scarborough to Downtown core everyday for the last 8-9 years. I don't notice a fall in riders nor less bikes parked in our office area, probably more if not less. Yes the trend is less sales as the new generation is not as interested in bikes or cars as much as the previous 2 gens where.

I've heard some well laid out points some time back explaining the drop in car and motorbike sales. There are few solid points that contribute directly to the 30-20 yrs olds not really into vehicles as much as the previous generation -X and baby boomers where.

1. Insurance - Living in GTA insurance is a killer
2. There are more and more people living in Condos and closer to the downtown core who need no vehicle, and when buying/renting they try to make it that they can walk, bicycle or have a shortest public transit commute possible
3. Wheels were a necessity for the last few generations, especially to socialize and shop not anymore following are supporting points:
4. Shopping Online- Amazon is a beast and continuously amazes me with their speed of shipping, now even week-ends and holidays I get parcels, then you have Uber eats, Door Dash, and other hundred food delevery companies especially in the downtown core, Walmart grocery delivery etc
5. This generation even socialized online and frequent forums (just like us to communicate and stay sane)
6. You can live with-out wheels in the city but need a computer and cell phone which bites in the discretionary budgets, new demographics love their latest cell phones and laptops, it's the new personal thing replacing the supped up car and bikes from 70 to 90's.
7. The car companies are even hurting from low sales to the new generation so motorbikes are even lower in food chain
8. Not interested in the drive/ride. I know nephews and nieces that are in their mid twenties and professionals and they either, don't have a licence and don't care to get one, or live downtown and Uber it to the burbs on the week-ends to meet family or Zip Car it.
9. Green movement- many new gens have a genuine concern for the environment and hence walk, cycle and live closer to work, which is a good thing if you can.

I may even have missed a point or two but believe those are the top reasons there is downturn in the personal vehicle market in urban cities across Canada and USA.
 
Wonder if we've reached the plateau of max cell users on the road
 
Im probably one of those you used to see but dont this year as much. I used to commute to work 3-4 times a week on QEW and Gardiner and kpe this up for abou 7-8 years. But this year i do 1-2 times/week. Why? because the traffic for some reason is even worse than last year somehow.
Last year i used to at least get a few stretches where i could open her up and get some nice wind! This year, its so much worse and i dont know why. I was waiting for schools to be done so it could improve but didnt really.
I still try to get a ride in everyday but now if i dont ride to work, i ride after.
This traffic is just horrible! Really hope the lane filtering pilot projects gets approved and then expanded to the rest of the city/province!
 
I see a lot less. My office has parking for a couple thousand cars -- I see the same 3 bikes in the lot. Last year there were about 10.

I think it's safety. I can't believe how many escapes and close calls I have had this season. I really wish there was stronger enforcement on cell phone usage in cars, In my 10km commute I see at least a dozen drivers a day with phones on their lap.
Same thing at my work place too! Last year and beginning of this season there were around 10 bikes parked in the dedicated motorcycle parking spot we have at work. Now reduced to 4-5 max.
 
I commute from end of Scarborough to Downtown core everyday for the last 8-9 years. I don't notice a fall in riders nor less bikes parked in our office area, probably more if not less. Yes the trend is less sales as the new generation is not as interested in bikes or cars as much as the previous 2 gens where.

I've heard some well laid out points some time back explaining the drop in car and motorbike sales. There are few solid points that contribute directly to the 30-20 yrs olds not really into vehicles as much as the previous generation -X and baby boomers where.

1. Insurance - Living in GTA insurance is a killer
2. There are more and more people living in Condos and closer to the downtown core who need no vehicle, and when buying/renting they try to make it that they can walk, bicycle or have a shortest public transit commute possible
3. Wheels were a necessity for the last few generations, especially to socialize and shop not anymore following are supporting points:
4. Shopping Online- Amazon is a beast and continuously amazes me with their speed of shipping, now even week-ends and holidays I get parcels, then you have Uber eats, Door Dash, and other hundred food delevery companies especially in the downtown core, Walmart grocery delivery etc
5. This generation even socialized online and frequent forums (just like us to communicate and stay sane)
6. You can live with-out wheels in the city but need a computer and cell phone which bites in the discretionary budgets, new demographics love their latest cell phones and laptops, it's the new personal thing replacing the supped up car and bikes from 70 to 90's.
7. The car companies are even hurting from low sales to the new generation so motorbikes are even lower in food chain
8. Not interested in the drive/ride. I know nephews and nieces that are in their mid twenties and professionals and they either, don't have a licence and don't care to get one, or live downtown and Uber it to the burbs on the week-ends to meet family or Zip Car it.
9. Green movement- many new gens have a genuine concern for the environment and hence walk, cycle and live closer to work, which is a good thing if you can.

I may even have missed a point or two but believe those are the top reasons there is downturn in the personal vehicle market in urban cities across Canada and USA.
Interesting points. I don't mind the number of cagers going down. More room for us, riders, to breathe. I support the green movement, but can't afford to live near work. Public transport will take forever to get to work. I guess in a way I'm helping the green cause by riding a motorcycle instead of driving to work.

Most of the younger employees or fresh grads at my workplace aren't interested in motorcycles. They all want cages. Some are just lazy to get their license.
 
Im probably one of those you used to see but dont this year as much. I used to commute to work 3-4 times a week on QEW and Gardiner and kpe this up for abou 7-8 years. But this year i do 1-2 times/week. Why? because the traffic for some reason is even worse than last year somehow.
Last year i used to at least get a few stretches where i could open her up and get some nice wind! This year, its so much worse and i dont know why. I was waiting for schools to be done so it could improve but didnt really.
I still try to get a ride in everyday but now if i dont ride to work, i ride after.
This traffic is just horrible! Really hope the lane filtering pilot projects gets approved and then expanded to the rest of the city/province!
How do you get to work on days you don't ride? I would think heavy traffic is all the more reason to ride instead of driving. It's so easy to maneuver through traffic (all legal lane changes). Helps me shave off at least 5 min from a 30 min commute.

Whenever there is congestion on the highway, there is always one lane or the other that is moving. I hop between them with ease and save time. Cars don't seem to mind motorcycles cutting in, in slow moving traffic because we're hardly ever in the way.
 
i definitely feel like i see less bikes on the road on my commute. 2 years ago i remember waving to a lot of riders on the same route. this year i cant even remember the last time i waved inside the city.
 

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