Cycle Mafia scores a win!

[nobbie48]

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I disagree. A bicycle (or an ebike) is the fastest form of transportation in Toronto proper. Escooter (kick scooter style) is probably the fastest door to door for <20 km) as you don't need to lock it up, you just bring it with you. People on bicycles aren't on TTC or sitting in cars. Sure, they are not a large percentage but try adding 5% more people to TTC or 5% more cars and see how much worse congestion is.

I would have fewer issues if some common sense was used with E-stuff.

Licensing of vehicles and drivers.

As a minimum the equivalent of an M-1 license and a permanent plate as used on trailers.

Add insurance. Apparently there is a $50 a year option.

Of course, Aunty Kathy gave us the following

Low-speed vehicle pilot program

Learn about using a low-speed vehicle in Ontario.

www.ontario.ca

The program runs from 2017 to 2027. They basically allow glorified golf carts so Dufus McDrunk buys one when he hears they don't need licenses, driver's licenses or insurance. Dufus stops reading when he comes to the end of the free stuff, ignoring the program has to be approved by the municipalities. I've seen them in Mississauga.

 

[Mad Mike]

I’m seeing more e-vehicles that are outside the pilot program of e-bikes on the road. In my hood, fast e-bikes buzzing along in bike lanes all the time - at speeds as high as 70kmh. E-scooters are everywhere and kids as young as 10 riding them. A lady in town rides an electric 3 wheel 4 seater TukTuk around, and up north those covered 4 wheel mobility scooters are a common site.

Personally I’m all for it, but I’d like to see proper regulation drawn up and enforced, plates and insurance for anything over 40kgs or faster than 30kmh. I’d also like to see popo take a tougher stance on traffic enforcement for e-bikes.

 

[GreyGhost]

.

Personally I’m all for it, but I’d like to see proper regulation drawn up and enforced, plates and insurance for anything over 40kgs or faster than 30kmh. I’d also like to see popo take a tougher stance on traffic enforcement for e-bikes.

As a start, the lines between "enclosed mobility scooter", low-speed vehicle and straight up illegal motor vehicle is very grey. EMS is being used by many offenders to bypass all laws.

 

[Gaoler]

Expanding remote work would do far more to alleviate traffic congestion then making concessions for bicycles.
Poll 1000 people at random in the downtown... Weather aside, how many of those folks could ride a bicycle to work?
You'll have people with physical impairments, people who need to carry various pieces of equipment, people who just live too far from their workplace and people for whom for a whole litany of reasons peddling to work isn't practical.
I know I'm not peddling to work... or rather I know I'm not leaving home 3 hours earlier to make it there on time just so I can ride my bicycle.

 

[GreyGhost]

Expanding remote work would do far more to alleviate traffic congestion then making concessions for bicycles.
Poll 1000 people at random in the downtown... Weather aside, how many of those folks could ride a bicycle to work?
You'll have people with physical impairments, people who need to carry various pieces of equipment, people who just live too far from their workplace and people for whom for a whole litany of reasons peddling to work isn't practical.
I know I'm not peddling to work... or rather I know I'm not leaving home 3 hours earlier to make it there on time just so I can ride my bicycle.

In downtown, riding is almost always the fastest mode of transportation by a substantial margin. Walking beats ttc much of the time. If you're commuting from the burbs, bike probably still wins on time but many people may feel they don't have the legs for it.

 

[justride]

Expanding remote work would do far more to alleviate traffic congestion then making concessions for bicycles.
Poll 1000 people at random in the downtown... Weather aside, how many of those folks could ride a bicycle to work?
You'll have people with physical impairments, people who need to carry various pieces of equipment, people who just live too far from their workplace and people for whom for a whole litany of reasons peddling to work isn't practical.
I know I'm not peddling to work... or rather I know I'm not leaving home 3 hours earlier to make it there on time just so I can ride my bicycle.

I don't get why Doug Ford complains about the downtown "grid lock" but then is against remote work.
A little inspiration

"The distance is just long enough so that he is not too tired to work once he arrives." wow
Don't forget to wear your helmet!

 

[Gaoler]

I don't get why Doug Ford complains about the downtown "grid lock" but then is against remote work.

My Ontario gov't. work location isn't "downtown", but for years some of the support/office staff have asked for the opportunity to work from home. These are people doing jobs that are 99% sitting in front of a computer... The work they do is totally measurable so it would be easy to figure out whether or not there was any slacking going on... It probably doesn't matter either if the work is done 9-5 or at 3am.
But no... These staffers are required to be in the office mon-fri, 8am-4pm.

It's just a control thing. The way management runs the "business" is so far behind the times it's ridiculous.

 

[nobbie48]

My Ontario gov't. work location isn't "downtown", but for years some of the support/office staff have asked for the opportunity to work from home. These are people doing jobs that are 99% sitting in front of a computer... The work they do is totally measurable so it would be easy to figure out whether or not there was any slacking going on... It probably doesn't matter either if the work is done 9-5 or at 3am.
But no... These staffers are required to be in the office mon-fri, 8am-4pm.

It's just a control thing. The way management runs the "business" is so far behind the times it's ridiculous.

My wife worked for an insurance company and from what she saw, a lot of the so-called workers were there for the free coffee and internet. It they worked from home their work-related screen time would be easier to monitor and they wouldn't be making social circuits around the office for pet projects like charity fund raiser and birthday cards for the boss. WFH could be far more efficient.

 

[Baggsy]

I’m curious as to how the burden of proof worked in this constitutional case. Cyclists don’t have to prove how taking public transit will be more dangerous, but the government has to prove that removing cycling lanes will improve gridlock. Isn’t the onus usually upon the people making the constitutional claim?

 

[Gaoler]

^the Canadian constitution as well as the charter of rights isn't worth the paper its written on...

 

[Mad Mike]

My Ontario gov't. work location isn't "downtown", but for years some of the support/office staff have asked for the opportunity to work from home. These are people doing jobs that are 99% sitting in front of a computer... The work they do is totally measurable so it would be easy to figure out whether or not there was any slacking going on... It probably doesn't matter either if the work is done 9-5 or at 3am.
But no... These staffers are required to be in the office mon-fri, 8am-4pm.

It's just a control thing. The way management runs the "business" is so far behind the times it's ridiculous.

That’s not why WFH is generally ending. Here are reasons that many businesses and gov has.

1. Productivity. Initially WFH delivered a boost in productivity. A big chunk came from reductions in absenteeism. The last place I worked saw a whopping drop from 13% down to 3%. After 3 years it crept back to 13%.

Another loss in productivity came as a result of slower personal development. Employees that took 12mos to master their jobs were taking double, sometimes more. So more resources were needed, reducing overall productivity.

2. Performance deltas. Companies always find swings at both ends, but many find WFH staff performing at the lower end fall lower, and managing poor performers is harder when they are not at the workplace. So, like in many things, a few bad apples can ruin a bushe

3. Personal development slowed. Large organizations need staff to develop and move up the ladder. This is related to point 1, if you can’t move staff into higher levels of responsibility in numbers that meet the needs of the business, the business suffers. People learn faster and have more access to support when they work side by side in teams.

If WFH really benefited companies, do you really think they’d be calling them back? A bank clerk in a cubicle costs $10-$20k a year in office overhead - banks wouldn’t be brining them back if unless it improves profit by at least that much

 

[Mad Mike]

My Ontario gov't. work location isn't "downtown", but for years some of the support/office staff have asked for the opportunity to work from home. These are people doing jobs that are 99% sitting in front of a computer... The work they do is totally measurable so it would be easy to figure out whether or not there was any slacking going on... It probably doesn't matter either if the work is done 9-5 or at 3am.
But no... These staffers are required to be in the office mon-fri, 8am-4pm.

It's just a control thing. The way management runs the "business" is so far behind the times it's ridiculous.

If you’re a govt shop, you’re not run like a business - there is no profit motive guiding decisions. And your only a fraction of the productivity of a privately run firm.

That said, you still face the same issues as a business in managing a WFH workforce, and the same benefits by having them report to an office.

 

[Mad Mike]

I’m curious as to how the burden of proof worked in this constitutional case. Cyclists don’t have to prove how taking public transit will be more dangerous, but the government has to prove that removing cycling lanes will improve gridlock. Isn’t the onus usually upon the people making the constitutional claim?

Judicial activism perhaps. A liberal judge looking at issues from a scholarly perspective as opposed to a common sense perspective.

I doubt this will hold on appeal, and if it does, the gov has a common sense trump card, notwithstanding.

 

[sburns]

The idea that the bicycle is a viable form of regular transportation for enough of the population to make any difference to pollution or congestion is hilarious.
In our climate, the bicycle is even more of a recreational toy than a motorcycle.

Also disagree, I have friends who live close to downtown, and they have gave up owning cars, and instead bike to most of the places they need to go (which happens to be downtown). Still have a licence to drive, and rent when needed, but it's not that often.

I live in the DaHood, I wouldn't even consider biking downtown because of the distance, just not practical use of time.

 

[Mad Mike]

Daughter lives downtown, has a car that she parks in my driveway in Markham. She hoofs it or uses UBER for almost all her downtown travel citing the speed of getting around, close availability of things in a dense urban setting, and the cost of parking and time caught in congestion. She takes the train to my house to get her car when she absolutely needs a car.

 

[Gaoler]

If you’re a govt shop, you’re not run like a business - there is no profit motive guiding decisions. And your only a fraction of the productivity of a privately run firm.

No kidding... Lol.

If it were a business, we'd be out of business..!!

I know gov't has a reputation for mis management and waste, but man... The things I see every day make me often say...

"As a unionized gov't employee... Right on, as a taxpayer... I'm furious"

 

[Gaoler]

Also disagree, I have friends who live close to downtown, and they have gave up owning cars, and instead bike to most of the places they need to go (which happens to be downtown).

You're not really disagreeing... You're just citing an anecdotal example from a minority of people for whom bicycling is a viable alternative, for now.

Check back with them when they're 50 years old and its -15 degrees.

My anecdote.... On a weekday my workplace has about 250 staff on site.
There's ONE guy who rides his bike to work and only when it's nice out. He's on a flex schedule and it doesn't matter if he's late. No one will care.
Transit isn't even an option for most of the staff...
Transit and bicycles may have been more viable had planners had them in mind when our cities/communities where being built.
These days, bike lanes are an after thought and retro-fitting the city... Well, we see how well that works.

 

[sburns]

You're not really disagreeing... You're just citing an anecdotal example from a minority of people for whom bicycling is a viable alternative, for now.

Check back with them when they're 50 years old and its -15 degrees.

My anecdote.... On a weekday my workplace has about 250 staff on site.
There's ONE guy who rides his bike to work and only when it's nice out. He's on a flex schedule and it doesn't matter if he's late. No one will care.
Transit isn't even an option for most of the staff...
Transit and bicycles may have been more viable had planners had them in mind when our cities/communities where being built.
These days, bike lanes are an after thought and retro-fitting the city... Well, we see how well that works.

They are in their 50's. And kept their drivers license for those kinda days. But they are pretty adamant about biking.

Another anecdote. Knew another guy who would bike it in all kinds of weather, well before all this bike stuff became a priority and winters were longer. All across the hood as well.

Yeah all this stuff seems like a bunch of patch work to the city then a longer term plan. Either way it's a squeeze play on cars, I suspect more surface route transit plans are in the works (judging by the electrical upgrades happening), making less room for cars.

 

[Gaoler]

Yeah all this stuff seems like a bunch of patch work to the city then a longer term plan. Either way it's a squeeze play on cars, I suspect more surface route transit plans are in the works (judging by the electrical upgrades happening), making less room for cars.

Here's the thing... We can't have everything.
Its going to take a huge shift in policy and development to make a dent in our congestion problem. Bike lanes could be a part of the solution, but... they're not going to help much on their own.

IMO half the congestion issue is due to people not knowing how to ###### drive.

Like why is it when there's a lane closure and youre given multiple warnings starting 15km aread you wait until you're 100m from the closure before moving over to merge...?

 

[GreyGhost]

Like why is it when there's a lane closure and youre given multiple warnings starting 15km aread you wait until you're 100m from the closure before moving over to merge...?

Because that's been proven to be the fastest way for everybody? Back to your learning to drive point.

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