James D. Shwartz, editor of The Urban Country, has made this great video of an early morning (and chilly) ride along the West Toronto Railpath:Read about the railpath in James' article here.Share your thoughts on the West Toronto Railpath in the BikingToronto Forum
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Labels: infrastructure, video
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[via bikelanediary]
A little over a week ago, a cyclist was struck and killed in Mississauga, and a "ghost bike" memorial has been set up by the Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists group:
via the Biking Toronto Forum
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Here's a great tongue-in-cheek video from riconroy about how drivers should deal with pedestrians and cyclists in Toronto:
Labels: video
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Want to know what's possible with bikelanes in a big city like Toronto? Look no further than New York (a much bigger city) for some inspiration. It doesn't take miracles to get cycling infrastructure like this... just political guts. :)
Bike lanes: In some cities people are literally dying to have them and some people go so far as to mark their own. Here in New York City, it feels like every time I get on my bike there is a new bike lane - sometimes on the left, sometimes buffered, and sometimes completely separated from automobile traffic. To understand these lanes, I had the opportunity to go for a ride with the NYC DOT bicycle boys. They explained the classes of bike lanes and showed off some of these inventive facilities. You can use Ride the City to find a safe bike route in New York City and watch this video to see what lanes are used on your route.
via streetfilms.org
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Labels: elsewhere, infrastructure, video
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Be it helmets, bike lights, reflective tape and countless other accessories there are an infinite number of ways to improve your safety while on a bike.The problem is, safety isn't cool.And well, it isn't really sexy either.But, leave it to the "blogosphere" to tackle this head on... literally.The Safety is Sexy Campaign ties safety to fashion and through their blog, point us towards ways of looking at safety equipment as something you can look good in, too.
Great post from Duncan's City Ride:
http://www.bikingtoronto.com/duncan/2009/09/lets-get-visible-safety-is-sexy.html
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Labels: video
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Very creative and funny video on making sure you get seen on the roads when it gets dark:
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Awesome video and post from Streetsblog of bikelanes down the middle of Sands Street in NYC... where they replaced some unused road space with lanes!
Chalk up more bikeway innovation to the folks at the NYC Department of Transportation. Nearly complete, the Sands Street approach to the Manhattan Bridge is now safer and more enjoyable thanks to a New York City first: a center-median, two-way protected bike path. The facility is a perfect solution to counter the dangers posed by a tangle of roads and highway on-ramps that burden the area. Dramatic before-and-afters tell the delicious story.
More at Streetsblog
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More Video from the Bells on Bloor ride on May 31.
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More Video from the Bells on Bloor ride on May 31.
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Biking with 5D Mark II from Sam Javanrouh on Vimeo.
Sam has a fantastic photoblog. Here's a cool tour of downtown Toronto. Biking with no hands with an expensive camera scares me though. :)
Labels: video
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Bells on Bloor from young elephant on Vimeo.
Bells on Bloor 2009 from BellsOnBloor on Vimeo.
Labels: advocacy, events, video
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Brilliant and hilarious video from the always fantastic Streetfilms site in NYC:
This line cracked me up:
"Bikers think that they own the road, they dodge in front and they dart, and you know... I feel unsafe!"
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A great comment was left yesterday on BikingToronto by Tamy, a Montreal resident who *loves* her city and the new Bixi bikesharing program. So much so that she made a video about seeing Montreal by Bixi!
Toronto is looking at Bikesharing too, so lets hope this video is widely seen.
Here's Tamy's comment, with the video embedded below:
Every big city of Canada should have a BIXI system. I'm from Montreal and I can't wait for it to launch this week :-) I think it's already inspiring a lot of cities in Canada and in the States.
There's a rack right next to my apartment, and I'm a girl who takes her car on the daily, don't want my own bike because I would have to transport it up the stairs every night and morning, but Bixi makes it really easy for me. Plus there's tons of city bike routes that lead to the main business districts, so it's perfect for work. So sick of being stuck in traffic...
I actually had the chance to try a bixi bike before the launch and I was really satisfied, although they are a bit heavy. Anyway, if ever you're planning on coming to Montreal this summer, I just put together a nice little video of my favorite bike paths in MTL, on a Bixi of course ;)
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/Blogs/Girls-Getaway/Bike-Taxi-BIXI
Labels: infrastructure, video
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For those of you who missed it on Thursday (or those of you who want to see it again), below I've embedded the video from TVO's the Agenda when they discussed transportation planning and sharing the road amongst different users.
Make sure you are using Internet Explorer.. the below video doesn't seem to work in Mozilla Firefox.
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Great little video from the Star's "VideoZone"... a nice introduction to Montreal's new Bixi BikeShare system.
Put your pointer over the photo below to see the video controls.
Labels: infrastructure, video
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This video is everywhere online these days... over on YouTube it's been played over 800,000 times in the past 3 days. It's slow for the first minute or so, but if you get through that, your jaw may drop in wonder at what Danny MacAskill can do on a bike.
It truly is inspiring to see what some people can do on two wheels. Some of these tricks seem to defy the laws of physics.
Labels: video
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In addition to the Ice Bike Race photo links posted earlier today, here's a video of some of Saturday night's fun from YouTube user ArbyW. There are six videos in total on his profile page.
If you know of more videos from Saturday night, please let me know in the comments below. :)
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Tonight is the 2009 edition of the Ice Bike Races at Dufferin Grove Park. It's always entertaining (if cold). Come out and watch the professionals who stud their tires with screws, and then the "Rubber Race" at the end of the night, where all the ordinary cyclists have a race full of wipe-outs. :)
Date: Time: Location: Street: City/Town:
BikePirates is hosting an after-party following the races. They are located at 1292 Bloor Street West.
If you're on facebook, check out the Facebook Event page for the races.
Videos from past years:
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Anyone who missed the Toronto Bike Awards back in January will want to see the new video posted over on DearToronto.com. They've done a great job capturing the happenings and spirit of the Awards.
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Cyclists in Toronto know that one of the nicest rides in the city is the Martin-Goodman Trail along the waterfront. It's so popular, in fact, that this winter the city is using it as a trail project on keeping bike routes clear after a big hub-bub last winter about snowbanks covering bikelanes.
Chris Shulgan has made a great short film called "Free Martin-Goodman" that interviews not only the people now using the trail year-round, but also the people who do all the work to move that snow. Chris also wrote an article about it for the Globe and Mail.
Labels: infrastructure, news, video
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Portland has them, San Francisco has them, New York City has them, and now Toronto has Bike Boxes too!You can see a couple other photos that Martin Reis took of this Bike Box at the intersection of Harbord and Bathurst in his Flickr collection.
Don't know what a Bike Box is or how it's useful? Here's a nice instructional video from Streetfilms:
UPDATE: This Bike Box was not an official one, but one done by the Urban Repair Squad. It has since disappeared.
Labels: infrastructure, news, video
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #1. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #2. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
Labels: video
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #3. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
Labels: video
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #4. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
Labels: video
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #5. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
Labels: video
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Goldhawk Live tackled the question of if Toronto is a safe place to cycle on last Thursday.
The video is on YouTube in 6 parts. Here's part #6. The other parts are linked below the video.
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 1 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 2 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 3 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 4 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 5 of 6
Safe Cycling on Goldhawk Live - Part 6 of 6
Thanks to Martin Koob of BikeToronto.ca for posting these on YouTube.
Labels: video
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The TTC went on strike on the weekend, but is back in business now. I saw lots of people biking the strike, and just found this succinct and pretty funny video explaining the causes of the strike:
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Is there such a thing as a "stupid" bikelane? This guy in Los Angeles thinks so, as the bikelane is only a block long.
I especially like the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas music near the beginning, and the Super Mario death jingle near the end.
Can you think of any "less than intelligent" bikelanes here in Toronto?
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Drinking on the go, St. Louis style.
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Ever thought of hollowing out a car and setting it up with cycle-power to save on fuel costs? The courts say you can do it:
The car had been on exhibition at the Mercer Union art gallery (37 Lisgar Street) when Baldwin and three others decided it was time to hit the road and see just what the old gal had in her. They managed to get it up to a top speed of 15 km/h before they were pulled over by the police.
Attorney Terry L. Fox took the case pro bono, arguing that "Automobiles are inherently dangerous because of their big powerful motors .... I'd like to ask the officer how many people have been killed by a muscular powered vehicle." He added that perhaps the officers went a little "overboard" when they laid charges.
Earlier today, de Broin and Baldwin had their day in court, and at the end of it all the judge ruled that they were not guilty of operating an unsafe vehicle.
Of course, you may want to think about doing it with an old compact car - I bet Buicks, even hollowed-out ones, are crazy heavy to drive around with legpower.
There's a good video about the Pedal-powered Buick at theStar.com, and there's this on YouTube:
[photo from the Star]
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You may remember when Vanessa from Green as a Thistle put out a call for volunteers to help her move by bike on Queen West. A video from Moving Day is now up!
Labels: video
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This video has been everywhere over the last couple of weeks - a video from Transport for London that illustrates the need for drivers to be aware of cyclists:
While it's been everywhere, what I haven't seen explained is that it is a demonstration of how the human brain works.
Give the brain a task like "how many passes does the white team make?" and the brain will focus on that - seeing but not registering the moonwalking bear.
The point of the video (yes, the point is something other than "wow! a moonwalking bear! that's funny!") is too change the task of a driver's mind from "don't hit other cars" to "drive carefully, don't hit other cars, and watch for pedestrians and cyclists".
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The Star has a short little video on their site about winter cycling. I can't figure out how to embed it in this blog post, so you'll have to visit the link. :)Labels: video
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A very short video of February's Critical Mass:
From YouTuber jnyyz.
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1963 Bike Safety Film, with Monkeys and awesome music.
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Streetfilms has a cool feature called Cyclist of the Month. Their most recent one is about Mary Beth Kelly. Mary's husband was killed while they were out for a ride on a Greenway in Hudson River Park. Mary has since become a great cycling advocate in New York City:
In June 2006, she and her husband Dr. Carl Henry Nacht were bicycling home from dinner on the Hudson River Greenway in Chelsea when an NYPD tow truck turned sharply into the bike lane at 38th Street and 12th Avenue. Despite signs telling drivers to yield to pedestrians and cyclists, the tow truck did not slow down as it headed toward a riverfront tow pound. The truck struck Carl, injuring him severely. He died four days later...
Rather than forsaking cycling after Carl’s death, Mary Beth and her children Zoe and Asher got right back on their bicycles. Perhaps most important, Mary Beth has emerged as an outspoken and eloquent advocate for New York City cyclists. She now serves on the advisory council for Transportation Alternatives, where she is working to create and pass comprehensive complete streets legislation in honor of her husband.
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New York City used to be hostile to cyclists... Toronto now has to emulate them, as evidenced by this video from last Hallowe'en... at least I hope that's why Clarence of Streetfilms is dressed up:
We went back to check in how things were progressing on the NYC DOT’s plans for the 9th Avenue physically separated bike lane. The pleasant surprises continue as lane improvements, ample signage, and cyclist-only bike signals have now appeared making the innovative project even safer. And although driver behavior continues to improve, there are a few problems to highlight.
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A very nice little video about the Queen West Fire and Duke's Cycle:
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Moving all of your worldly possessions by human power!
From Streetfilms.
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What happens when our pal Tino slaps a camera on his bike and takes part in the "Rubber Race" at the Ice Bike Races? We get an amusing video. Thanks Tino!
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Gotta love the Norwegians. In the hilly town of Trondheim, they wanted to ease the burden for cyclists tackling one of the largest hills in town - so they installed a bikelift (Trampe).
I can think of a couple places one of these would come in handy in Toronto...
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It's not just cycling advocates that get frustrated when the city doesn't clear bikelanes... regular people do too... here's a video from a guy who decided to document it:
Labels: infrastructure, video
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This video was posted to promote the Coldest Day of the Year Ride (back on Jan. 30th), but is mostly about the Community Bicycle Network - how it fixes up and sells used bikes and gets people to register bikes with the police to help recover them if they get stolen:
Labels: video
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Here's a very cool invention from Specialized and Google's "Innovate or Die" competition.
The "Aquaduct" Bicycle "consists of a storage tank, filter, peristaltic pump, clean tank and clutch.":
Via TreeHugger.
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Toronto received a sizable dump of snow late last week, and it's all melting this week (with forecast temperature highs for tomorrow of 9 degrees celcius).
If you think urban winter cycling is crazy (which it's really not, at least in Toronto), check out this video of guys cycling in all manner of winter conditions.
Labels: video
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Remember in the fall when City Council approved "Pedestrian Scrambles" for Bloor & Yonge, Bay & Bloor, Yonge & Dundas and Bay & Dundas on a pilot project basis?
A Pedestrian Scramble is when traffic lights in all directions are red so that pedestrians can cross in any direction (even diagonally) without fear of moving car traffic.
Streetsfilms has a new video that illustrates New York's only scramble:
Yeah, red lights in all directions means that cyclists have to stop too.
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Here's a crazy little video of a mountain bike run from a helmet cam. Be sure and not be already queasy when watching this - the sense of motion is overwhelming.
Labels: video
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If you don't already know about Streetfilms... it's an NYC-based site that is all videos about the improvement of public space. It's affiliated with Streetsblog.
Bikeboxes are little areas painted behind crosswalks (and ahead of where cars stop) at intersections that give cyclists priority when the light turns green.
Here is a Streetfilm about how to use them:
You may also find Jonathon Maus' (BikePortland.org) interview with a radio station about the new Bikeboxes being installed in Portland interesting. Jonathan does a great job of responding to the DJs questions calmly and sensibly. The interview is here - look for "BikePortland's Johnathan Maus".
Labels: video
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From Streetsblog:
For 40 years, Britain's motorists have been the kings of the road, claiming their title through tax discs and fuel duty. But now the balance of power is shifting. There are new pretenders to the throne. Pedestrians and cyclists want equal rights on the road, and this has sparked a war. Our roads are now a battleground.
There are 27 million cars on Britain's roads, an increase of over 5 million in 10 years. But there are also 23 million bicycles fighting with them for road space.
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Want unusually chipper British television hosts waxing enthusiastic about folding bikes? Want to see a show-down between the A-Bike and the Strida?
Your weird wants are fulfilled:
(via TreeHugger)
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Via ReadingToronto:
Want to know what a people oriented city looks like? Watch this film and find out. Here is a quote: “In a country where the average income is higher than that of the United States many citizens have chosen the bicycle as their means of transportation because they live better that way.”
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From Streetfilms:
On Sunday we spent the entire day - from 5 AM ’til nearly 5 PM - riding bicycles around the city courtesy of the Ciclovia, a weekly event in which over 70 miles of city streets are closed to traffic where residents come out to walk, bike, run, skate, recreate, picnic, and talk with family, neighbors & strangers…it is simply one of the most moving experiences I have had in my entire life.
It should be noted that the film makers were aided tremendously by Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director of Walk and Bike for Life.
Walk and Bike for Life is based in Oakville, Ontario.
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Want a cool bike video from Copenhagen with a funky Eurobeat soundtrack with spoken lyrics in another language? It might be Danish, but I'm not sure.
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What's it look like when about a third of a city's commuters go by bike? This video is of a major cycling route in Copenhagen that sees more than 25,000 cyclists a day (the entire city of about 1.7 million has more than 500,000 bike commuters).
Great bike infrastructure begets more people on bikes...
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The last thing you may expect from a beer company:
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BikeFriday was on MTVLive last month ... it's now up on YouTube. :)
Labels: bikefriday, video
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I missed the BellsonBloor ride yesterday - but it looks like lots of people made it. Reports are that close to 1,000 cyclists came out to show support for bikelanes on Bloor (which would hopefully extend over to the Danforth too!). Here's a cool photo from Darren and a video from Tino of the event:
Labels: news, photooftheday, photos, video
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If you're missing BikeWeek, here's a nice little video:
Christine is the official organizer for Toronto Bike Week. The Toronto Crime Stoppers School Officer caught up to her after the official launch of Bike Week at Nathan Philips Square in Toronto on Monday May 28th. She discusses healthy living, bicycle safety and bicycle theft prevention.
Labels: video
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