Super-easy video posting is possible here on the forum. For most video sites, all you need to do is type in the URL of the video, and the forum will do all the nitty-gritty tech stuff of embedding a video in the post.

It works with these video sites:

• Youtube
• Myvideo
• Funnyordie
• Gametrailers
• Collegehumor
• Dailymotion
• Glumbert
• Liveleak
• Redtube
• Googlevideo
• Sevenload
• Metacafe
• Clipfish
• Vimeo

Really good article from a couple weeks ago in NOW magazine... making the case for physically seperate bikelanes:

1. A separated lane will encourage those anxiously teetering on the edge of leaving their cars at home to enter the pedal-powered world. If we really mean it about stopping auto-domination of our city, we need to make cycling as attractive as possible.

2. European cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen that put cash into separated bike lanes now see about a third of commutes made by bike and reap the enviro, infrastructure and stress-relieving rewards.

3. Simply put, separated means safe. Worries about being whacked or doored are the major reason would-be cyclists are pedal-shy. If we don't want riders to get killed by trucks, let's not let trucks squat in bike lanes. Divide and conquer danger.

4. Sure, putting a divided bike lane on Jarvis won't win the city any awards for innovation, but it will show a commitment to tomorrow that can't be easily retracted with the right number of council votes. It would serve as a pledge to Torontonians that cyclists are the future, not the pesky fringe of the future.

5. What better place to incubate a new approach than on a stretch of Jarvis once poisoned by the same fast-moving 1950s car-think that threatens to strangle our outlying 'hoods? Building separated lanes would set a shining example for the burbs, where even veteran cyclists hesitate to dance with 60-to-70 km/h passing minivans.

City is studying the idea of a Bloor-Danforth bikelane some more.

National Post: City puts brakes on Bloor-Danforth bike lane

Controversial plans for a crosstown bike lane along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue appear to have hit a speed bump, as the city now plans to hire an external consultant to study the idea.

Just last week, the councillor who chairs the city's cycling committee, Adrian Heaps, said a first, eastern phase of the city-spanning bike lane could be installed as early as this year, if approved.

But yesterday, Mr. Heaps said a third-party review of the parking and traffic problems and the benefits and costs to local businesses was needed before going ahead.

Good article in the Toronto Sun about the Bike Train:

Many cyclists have already hopped aboard the Bike Train for easy access to cycling routes in the Niagara Region. This year, new "pilot" routes will bring riders to more areas across Southwestern and Northern Ontario.

The Bike Train -- developed by Toronto cyclist Justin Lafontaine and launched in partnership with VIA Rail between Toronto and Niagara two years ago -- is a fun, economic and environmentally friendly way to enjoy a cycling getaway.

2009 is the 2nd year for the BikeTrain. Service has been expanded, with big plans for the future.

Spacing Toronto had a great post about the BikeSummit the other day:

In light of recent victories such as the Jarvis bike lane and last year's 37-3 City Council vote in favour of the 5-year capital budget, the $70 million dollar question remains: how do we go about increasing and diversifying the number of people who will actually take advantage of a more bike-friendly Toronto?  The summit's panel of experts have all sorts of answers, all agreeing that broadening the discussion in order to make space for more voices and less polarization is the way to go.

For information about the BikeSummit, held May 28, 2009

Fantastic Todd! I've been looking for a video on the bus racks.

This will be very useful for a lot of people. :)

This was buried on the TTC web site in an MOV file that you had to download. I uploaded it to youtube so it would be easier for people to view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DypIMLpoOB8

Yeah, it's interesting to see how others do it. I find, sadly, that Toronto is one of the more difficult cities to bike in. Quebec City was really great - lots of bike lanes and I didn't meet *one* angry driver. Delta, BC was similar (though I was only there for 3 weeks). Drivers there gave me the entire traffic lane, and if there was oncoming traffic they would just slow down behind me and wait for it to pass before passing me in the other lane. Most major roads had wide bike lanes in them that were free of parked cars. Again no angry drivers. Meanwhile, my first commute to Keele and Rutherford after I got back reminded me where I was. I was in heavy but slow traffic on Finch approaching Dufferin and someone started nosing into my lane clearly not seeing that he was about to hit me. I shouted "Yo!" to get their attention and got a "F- you!" in response. That's right "F-you! Why don't you just let me hit you!" was the message there.

Worst commute, I found, was riding in Burlington. I put my bike on the GO train and rode about 2 km from the station to the office. Drivers there were far from courteous, and passed fast and close. Taking the lane didn't even work - they were going to have at least 2 wheels in the right lane even if all they got to have in the lane *was* their wheels*

But what all the different rides have shown me is that culture matters a *lot* in how it is to cycle somewhere. It isn't just about light traffic making people nicer because if that were the case, the *worst* place to ride for me in the area would be downtown (quite the opposite, really). The worst place, I find, are in the suburbs where traffic moves well. But then traffic moved well in BC but the drivers were *great*

So it seems (and is likely no big surprise to anyone here) that Toronto, particularly outside the core, has a cultural issue to deal with. This same issue likely gives rise to statements like "War on the Car."

In my opinion, until we can find a way to constructively address the cultural aspect (and how *do* we), no amount of political pushing is going to do the job.

Defensive cycling is important. I tend to assume a driver will do the stupidest thing I can imagine and then act on that. Usually I'm wrong but when I'm right it saves me. Still, there's an especially righteous anger I feel when I assume someone is going to be a jerk and then they are. But hey, at least I saw it coming!

Parenthetically the couple of close calls I've had have been at lower speeds - when traffic is heavy and people are frustrated and doing dumb things, or just making turns. Generally I am a pretty fast cyclist when the road is mostly open. I don't go speeding in between stopped cars or anything dumb like that but I find on many roads just taking the lane and going as fast as I can is safer (or at least seems it). I often feel safest when I am actually keeping up with traffic, in the actual traffic lane out of the door zone.

Well... I don't get into a lot of close calls, because I don't try to set any land speed records when I bike, and a history of bad car crashes in my younger days (none of which were my fault) has turned me into a very cautious person when on the road.

Yesterday though, I was nearly knocked off my bike towards traffic at Wellesley and Sherbourne. A driver was exiting the gas station on the south-west corner, coming out onto Wellesley, and although car traffic was stopped, and there were a few of us in the bikelane... he wasn't paying attention and his car kept rolling as it passed over the sidewalk and through the bikelane.

Fortunately, I saw him coming ahead of time and moved over closer to the inside edge of the bikelane, and barely squeezed through between his moving car and traffic on Wellesley. The cyclists behind me stopped in time.

It happens to everyone... either we're not paying attention, or a driver isn't...

I'm in the same boat as Todd... I shoulder-check almost unconsciously now.

It doesn't matter if I'm on a busy main road or a sidestreet... I check without even thinking any time I am about to move out to pass a parked car, or am approaching an intersection.

I've been startled a few times by "e-bikes" and Priuses (Prii?)... as they are sometimes very quiet.

My wife and I bought a house near Danforth and Woodbine just before Christmas, so my commute this year is new and improved. :) I work near Bay and College.

We live north of the Danforth, so I usually take streets such as Sammon or Milverton over to Pape, and then cruise through the lovely tree-lined sidestreets before coming out on to the Danforth close to Broadview.

From then on it's a very relaxing ride... in the bikelanes across the Viaduct, then in the bikelane down Sherbourne, then west along the new Wellesley Bikelane (which I *love*!) to just west of Bay, where I turn south riding through some government buildings to College and work.