This Doucet guy is an idiot. Of course people should stop at stop signs (except for a 2-hour window on early weekday mornings so that us reviled lycra-wearing hooligans can get some sort of workout in - that is all I'm campaigning for. Outside of 6-8am M-F, ticket the **** out of everyone that breaks the rules.)
When I was doing serious cycling decades ago rat traps were the way to up performance but they were a pain at stops.
What is a stop?
One US state apparently isn't satisfied unless a motorcyclist puts down both feet. Many skilled cyclists can stop and keep both feet on the pedals. I believe it it was called slow racing but may be extinct because some guy did it for a whole day. How exciting, watching a living statue.
If someone gets a ticket for a rolling stop where the vehicle is extremely close to being stationary long enough for the rider / driver to look for and yield to conflicting traffic someone is being a prick. Maybe both.
On a motorcycle it's a pain to be stuck in creep and crawl. It is easier to let the car ahead move 50 feet and then catch up but if you do that two more cars take the space and the car behind you wants to eat your rear tire.
We close roads all the time for the Indy, festivals, parades, Caribbana etc. Once a year is tolerable but what is the prerequisite for exclusive usage on a daily basis? Money and political / social status?
That area was mostly single family homes 50 years ago. Now there are high rises and even the remaining single family homes have largely been split into four apartments. What special status do those people have to get out to walk the dog? Toronto has no more land and the population growth is upwards.
I knew a couple of competitive bicyclists and they said that stop and go was poor training, fine for the mom and pop exercise crowd but not racing. Where do the races take place in Toronto?
The sport isn't like table tennis that could be held in most school gymnasiums.
Some open spaces could include hydro right of ways, The boulevard between the east and west Lakeshore roads near Sunnyside (Aprox 1/4 mile). Do they have to be pretty as well?
If a space is found and the needed upgrades are for an exclusive minority should the funding come from the general coffers? Who funds the skating at city hall? What does that work out to per skater per hour?
What's the cost to pave a half mile of bicycle track and how many people does it serve? If a cycling group helps fund the work how do the keep the dog walkers away?
I don't hear of any plans that involve the users spending their own money. Would something work if a group funded the facility and had a long lease on the property, members only?
I believe there is an active model airplane circle at Centennial Park and to use it one must be a member of an association that handles liabilities. Do they pay rent?
Lots of questions and everyone has an answer that suits their situation.
Productive day on the bike.
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