The Virtuous Cycle October 29, 2010
Posted by Chris Garbutt in Student Life.Tags: bike box, bikes, cycling
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You’ve probably noticed bike icons painted on the street at the St. George and Harbord/ Hoskin intersection at the downtown Campus. These are bike boxes – an effort by the city of Toronto to prevent discord among cyclists and right-turning motorists.
Bike boxes provide a designated wait area in front of vehicles for cyclists at a red traffic signal, allowing for a smooth traffic progression, while avoiding bike-car conflict. The bike boxes offer an sense of safety for cyclists, which encourages students to take up biking to get to school.
Biking provides a sustainable and more affordable option to commuting. So what can you do to safely share the road with motorists? The best thing is to educate yourself as a cyclist on the rules of the road, and know your rights.You can actually take a course through a program called offered through the City of Toronto called CAN-BIKE, which teaches cyclists ways to share the road with other vehicles.
It is also important to equip yourself with safety gear, as riding at night and in various weather conditions can be unavoidable. Consider picking up a helmet, some reflective clothing/tape for your bike, some lights and rain-appropriate attire. And with winter just around the corner, you can ride safely with winter-riding recommendations from BikeChain.
All three U of T campuses offer bike rental services. The Mississauga campus has established a BikeShare program, a service free for all U of T faculty and staff which allows for a free 24-hour bike rental. The Scarborough campus Student’s Union also has its own BikeShare program, which offers 48-hour bike rentals. At the St. George campus, BikeChain offers bike rentals for up to seven days with a student T-Card and $100 deposit.
Once your bike arrangements are sorted out, try biking along the Mississauga bikezone, a series of nature trails of surrounding the UTM campus, or explore to the city surrounding the Scarborough and St.George campuses using Toronto’s Cycling Map, or you can Ride the City at your own discretion.