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Happy Friday everyone!
Friday's the day BikingToronto wraps up all the bikey news from the last week and puts it all in a nice little package for your easy digestion. STILL huge in the news this week is the whole issue of bike theft. Also, if you don't know, you can post about your stolen bike on the BikingToronto Community (which has a contest running now that you can get in on).
- Stolen Bike Recovery Program - 3000+ Bikes on Display!The stolen bicycle numbers from the Igor Kenk bust keep going up and up. The latest reports have the numbers exceeding 3000 bicycles, and Toronto Police have set them up in two locations so Torontonians can check them out and hopefully find their long lost two-wheeled friends:
- Toronto Police may have your Stolen Bike!From the Toronto Police, who just busted Igor Kenk and his Stolen Bicycle Racket: Stolen Recovered Bicycles from 927 Queen St W and other storage units... please pass along to your bicycle networks.. Public Viewing Monday July 21, 2008 10am-6pm - 9 Hanna Ave, Toronto More public viewing to be…
Spacing Wire: The Igor effect
Then came the really dramatic turn of events — police discovered he had several warehouses full of bikes around the city. Which means it wasn’t simply a case of go to Igor’s and find your bike if he had it — he had caches where he could hide bikes
EYE Weekly: To catch a thief
Cyclists develop relationships with their bikes, tune them up and learn their quirks and — as we were reminded at the Toronto Cyclists Union’s recent screening of the epic film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure — become quite attached to them.
NOW Magazine: Wheels of change
Does big seizure mean that cops now take cyclists more seriously?
Globe: Bike-theft saga takes a turn toward the strange
Toronto's stolen-bicycle saga led police into three more secluded garages crammed with bikes yesterday, and took a turn for the bizarre as an accomplished concert pianist became the third person charged in the case.
Star: 1,000 more bikes seized
Another thousand bicycles – ranging from $3,000 LeMond racing bikes to kids' tricycles and a scooter for a disabled rider – were recovered from rented garages yesterday after police executed three more raids across the west downtown.
CTV: Bike theft suspect a 'sweet' and talented pianist
Jeanie Chung works at The Glenn Gould School where she is an accomplished pianist. The woman is romantically involved with Igor Kenk, who is accused of masterminding the largest bike theft operation in Toronto history.
BlogTO: More Stolen Bikes Uncovered in Parkdale Garage
"The garage had been rented out since March 2008. It's owned by a numbered company. "The guy who rented it out came forward and gave us a statement. A total of eight search warrants were issued since Thursday's raid on Kenk's bike shop."
North Bay Nugget: Toronto may register bikes with police
An anti-theft plan that would see bikes automatically registered with police when purchased could be in place by next year, the chairman of the Toronto Cycling Committee says. The city is scrambling to keep up with an explosion in cycling.
CTV: Police find another stash of bikes in theft probe
A third person has been arrested as part of the bike theft investigation. Police said Wednesday that a 37-year-old woman was taken into custody.
Toronto Police: Wanted - owners of 1,500 bicycles
“Thefts would go down drastically if everyone registered their bicycle,” said Major Crime Unit Det. Izzy Bernardo. “We stop known thieves all the time with different bikes and run the serial numbers but the bikes never show up as stolen on the syste
InsideToronto: More than 2,000 stolen bikes, parts now recovered
Because of the significant quantity, police are looking to relocate the massive cache to a larger warehouse nearby. Visit www.torontopolice.on.ca for further details. Owners of the stolen bicycles must provide proof of ownership.
CBC: Police 'astonished' as number of stolen bikes recovered passes...
"I'm astonished," Supt. Ruth White told reporters outside a garage where police were executing one of the warrants in the morning. "I've never seen this in 30 years, that allegedly one individual can accumulate this many bicycles over this many years."
Star: Owners slow to show up as stolen bikes sorted
It's not over yet. The investigation continues as a steady stream of tips comes in to Crime Stoppers, and more bikes are expected to be recovered, police said. Anyone who rented garage space to Kenk is being asked to contact police.
CityNews: Bikes Return To Rightful Owners After Raid
A police raid on a west end bike shop has led to a pleasant surprise for several GTA residents reunited with their allegedly stolen rides after a sting operation at the Bicycle Clinic.
CTV: Police seize thousands of bikes in Toronto
The latest cache of more than 200 bicycles was discovered on Dovercourt Road in the city's west end. Police spent a part of Monday afternoon at the scene executing a search warrant. They expect to make more seizures in the weeks to come.
Reuters: Wanted - owners for 1,500 stolen Toronto bicycles
Toronto cyclists often describe their city as one of the bike theft capitals of North America, if not the world. But figures from lockmaker Kryptonite, says Toronto, unlike Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, is not even in North America's Top 10.
CBC: Recovered hoard of bicycles overwhelms police facilities
Police said they've busted one of the biggest stolen bike rings in city history and are asking for the public's help to provide any information about other places Kenk may have rented for storage space.
Sun: 200 more bikes seized
Kenk, who owns the Bicycle Clinic, was sent back to the Don Jail after court ruled more time was needed to allow for cops to lay charges in connection with the recent raids on four locations including Kenk's shop and the Yorkville home he lived at.
Post: Bike theft victims scour police trove
"I'm not aware of any bicycle seizures in the last 28 years that are as great as this," said Detective Sergeant Egidio Roseto. "It's an enormous number of bikes that we've taken from some storage locations."
Globe: Police recover stolen bikes by the hundreds
Superintendent Ruth White said she hasn't seen anything like it in 30 years of policing. "We had a woman identify her bike that was stolen eight years ago," she said, adding that about 70 owners had so far been reunited with their wheels.
Star: Bike theft tally tops 1,200
Over a period of five days, police recovered between 1,200 and 1,500 bicycles, as well as about 1.5 kilos of marijuana and several ounces of crack cocaine, in a store, residence and several garages while executing a series of search warrants.
BlogTO: Recovered Bikes Find Rightful Owners
"Next weekend there will be more to see in a bigger facility," said Evans. Stay tuned for information on where and when this will be set up. More than 50 bicycles have so far been identified and returned to their rightful owners.
Sun: More bikes recovered
One by one, vintage cruisers and high-end racing bikes were brought out over the course of an hour from the back garage, which was riddled with garbage bags and tires -- filling four police cargo trucks.
Sun: Wheels of good fortune pay off
An 18-month-old girl was one of the happiest riders yesterday after Toronto Police opened their garage doors to reunite cyclists with their stolen bikes.
Star: Police line up battered wheels for cyclists
Katherine Dalziel had almost given up hope when she saw it, lying wheels-up on the concrete floor of the police warehouse: her beloved blue and white Norco road bike, gone missing from a Financial District bike post just over a week ago.
Sun: Police bait bike draws in panhandler
The 40-year-old homeless man with a long rap sheet was nabbed by police who allege he stole a so-called "bait bike" in front of the LCBO on Spadina Ave. in full view of plain-clothes officers.
Sun: A bonanza of bikes
"It's made my day, this seriously has made my day!" said cyclist Navid Taslimi, 36. "It's about time."
About Toronto's Weekly Carnage:
Toronto's Weekly Carnage is inspired by NYC's Streetsblog Weekly Carnage feature. The aim of this series of posts is to bring attention to the death and destruction wrought by automobiles and an auto-centric culture. Pursuing policies promoting walking, cycling and public transit could help reduce the carnage.
Elderly Woman Injured In 401 Rollover
An elderly woman was left recovering in hospital Saturday night after a rollover on a ramp to northbound Highway 410.
Gardiner Crash
A single-vehicle crash on the Gardiner Sunday morning sent a 26-year-old man to hospital with minor injuries - and tore the hood off his silver car.
Pedestrian Killed In North Toronto
The 38-year-old man was apparently crossing the intersection diagonally when he was hit around 3am. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his name hasn't been released.
SUV kills jaywalking pedestrian
The man was apparently trying to cross the intersection of Yonge St. and Steeles Ave. W. diagonally when he was struck by a westbound vehicle just after 3 a.m.
Labels: dailydigest, digest, weekly
Happy Monday!
Just in case you missed one of the extremely popular Photos of the Day, here's a re-cap from last week.
Photo of the Day: QuadracyclesPhoto of the Day: KensingtonPhoto of the Day: BentPhoto of the Day: CriteriumPhoto of the Day: PausePhoto of the Day: Transportation OptionsPhoto of the Day: Prince Edward Viaduct
Happy Friday everyone!
If you don't know already, Friday's the day BikingToronto wraps up all the bikey news from the last week and puts it all in a nice little package for your easy digestion. Digesting the news this way is far better for your tummy than chewing on newspapers. That's a medical fact. I checked.
Even better is that you don't even have to come to BikingToronto.com or your RSS feedreader (if you read BikingToronto that way) for your weekly wrap-up of news... you can subscribe to have a weekly email sent right to your inbox! The convenience is overwhelming.
Big in bikey news this week is the whole issue of bike theft. It's pretty prevalent in a big city like Toronto, and the cops are starting to do something about it. Also, if you don't know, you can post about your stolen bike on the BikingToronto Community (which has a contest running now that you can get in on).
- Toronto Police Bust a Bike Thief and Notorious BikeShop OwnerGood news from the streets this morning. Toronto Police set up a "bait bike" operation and two undercover officers watched Igor Kenk, the owner of the The Bicycle Clinic (notorious for selling stolen bikes) as he directed a thief with boltcutters to steal two bikes and then paid him.
- Toronto Bike Theft in the NewsBike Theft in Toronto has been in the news recently, which most of the major news outlets picking up on the fact that a ton of bikes are stolen in Toronto... with theft numbers totalling about 50,000 over the past 10 years, and 5,000 reported stolen in 2007.
Here are all the bike-related news stories in the media over the last week:
CBC: Bike store owner charged in bike theft
Both Kenk and Jean Laveau have been charged with one count of theft under $5,000, one count of attempted theft under $5,000, and one count of possession of property obtained by crime. Laveau faces an additional charge of possessing burglary tools.
BlogTO: Bike Sting Nabs Igor At His Bicycle Clinic
Aside from offering these tips and providing a bicycle registration program, Toronto cops have largely turned a blind eye to this ongoing problem in our city. Until now.
NOW Magazine: Whose lane is it anyway?
When is a bicycle no longer a bicycle? When it’s equipped with a motor, right? But it’s not that simple, as a provincial electric bike pilot project is making clear.
CityNews: Bike Theft Rampant In The City, But There Are Ways You Can Protect Yours
"If we have an individual suspected of stealing a bicycle for example, we could take the model number, the registration number on the bicycle, run it through our database and find information that it was stolen on this date and at that time."
CityNews: 'Lane Splitting' Phenomenon Worries Cops And Drivers
The act of riding a lane line on a street or highway, allowing riders of motor bikes or bicycles to use the space between traffic and move at top speed isn't legal in Ontario, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
CityNews: Almost 5,000 Bikes Reported Stolen This Year Alone In T.O.
"We do recover a lot of bicycles and the challenge for us becomes getting them back to the proper owners," said Toronto Police Const. Scott Mills. "And if it's not reported, we can't find it."
Sun: Bike thefts 'really big problem'
According to Toronto Police, more than 50,000 bikes have been reported stolen in the city since 1997. Last year alone, 4,585 bicycles were reported stolen in Toronto.
Globe: We want bike posts with A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E.
The iconic structure will be made of metre-high block letters spelling "KENSINGTON" and is designed to accommodate about 25 bikes, which can be locked to posts supporting each letter.
Business is burning up at the new Duke's - thanks to oil prices
At its new location at 425 Richmond St. near Spadina, opened in April, business is booming thanks to high gas prices and the ever-growing sense of green-friendliness among Torontonians.
Star: On a tour of our greenscape
Tour de Greenbelt, a series of routes through partially protected rural land around the Golden Horseshoe, lets cyclists explore what's beyond city streets
Globe: Man hit trying to cross busy Toronto highway with bike
The man, in his 30s, tried to walk his bicycle across the northbound lane of the busy highway, said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Traffic Services. He made it across two lanes before he was hit by a red Honda convertible headed northbound
CityNews: Cyclist Survives DVP Crash, But Could Face Charges
A cyclist is lucky to be alive after he was involved in a crash in a place he should never have been - the Don Valley Parkway.
About Toronto's Weekly Carnage:
Toronto's Weekly Carnage is inspired by NYC's Streetsblog Weekly Carnage feature. The aim of this series of posts is to bring attention to the death and destruction wrought by automobiles and an auto-centric culture. Pursuing policies promoting walking, cycling and public transit could help reduce the carnage.
Tractor-Trailer Flips And Bursts Into Flames On Hwy. 401
The rig crashed on the eastbound lanes and brought down a light standard around 1:15pm Thursday. The OPP closed the eastbound section of the highway at Trafalgar Road, near Highway 407, but parts of the area reopened about an hour and a half later.
Unionville Crash
The accident happened around 10pm near Kennedy and Carlton Roads when a driver smashed into a tree. The man was trapped in the wreckage for a brief time, but amazingly, only suffered minor injuries.
Woman killed crossing intersection
What began as a simple fender-bender on Danforth Ave. early yesterday afternoon ended four blocks away with the horrific death of a pedestrian.
Pedestrian Killed At East End Intersection
Investigators claim the driver of a black BMW that had been involved in a minor collision at the nearby street Rose Heath came speeding westbound along Danforth, apparently causing a truck to swerve out of the way and hit the woman.
Two Dead After Fatal Night On Toronto's Roads
The Mini Cooper was trapped under the larger vehicle as emergency crews worked to free the man. Sadly, the 34-year-old died on scene. Police think speed was a definite factor in that collision.
'Jaws Of Life' Needed To Pry Officer From Cruiser Following Hit-And-Run
Just before 3am, the vehicle was struck by another car near Parliament and Mill streets. "He was just traveling in the curb lane at a slow rate of speed and this other car comes by and side-swipes him."
Boy Injured In Hit And Run
The child was riding his bike on Driftwood Avenue, near Cobbler Crescent, just before 7pm Thursday when he was hit by a small dark grey or green car, police said.
QEW Crash Sends Seven-Year-Old To Hospital
Police say the westbound vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed and making erratic lane changes, before it went out of control and flipped several times before landing in a ditch.
Car Drives into Construction Site
An Acura ended up vertical after smashing through a fence at a construction site near Yonge and Finch Sunday morning, fortunately resulting in little more than a close call for an elderly couple and a one-year-old baby girl in the car at the time.
Driver backs over elderly mother
The woman was in the front yard area of a home on Lyndhurst Crt., near Bathurst St. and Davenport Rd.,when she entered the path of the reversing car just after 8 p.m.
Hwy. 404 open again after crash
A taxi driver faces an impaired driving charge after a collision on Highway 404 this morning sent a woman to hospital with serious injuries.
Labels: dailydigest, digest, weekly
Happy Monday!
Just in case you missed one of the extremely popular Photos of the Day, here's a re-cap from last week.
Photo of the Day: SpeedPhoto of the Day: Sidewalk HipsterPhoto of the Day: Red Helmet, Leopard SkirtPhoto of the Day: Tattoo
Photo by Gabi.
Here's a wrap-up of all the newsy posts that have been up on BikingToronto since last friday. You can also sign up to get this post in your email every week!
More Slow Progress on the Chester Hill Bike LaneWhat might be Toronto's shortest bikelane is on Chester Hill Avenue and it has just gained an important feature... bikelane stencils! Thanks to Val Dodge who posted the above photo and has a nice rundown of how a 70 metre bikelane (on one side of a one-way street) has…
National Post Looks at Portland Oregon as a Car-Free Model for TorontoYesterday in the National Post, film-maker Andrew Munger talks about travelling to Portland (the current leader in car-free and cycling-friendly initiatives in North America) to see how they do so much more than every other city, via the Towards Car Free Cities Conference: “Smart growth” proponents call Portland an…
West Toronto Railpath Construction has startedProgress has been slow so far on the West Toronto Railpath - and some people may have even forgot about it, as designs for it were unveiled way back in March 2007, but the South Junction Triangle Residents Association (who live near the north end of the railpath) are reporting…
Royal York Bikelanes Extended!Toronto has recently finished extending the Royal York Bikelane from Delroy Drive to the Mimico Creek. Anyone familiar with a map of bikelanes in Toronto knows that bikelanes are intermittent on Royal York.... so far. Even better, the city is throwing an opening party for the lanes (as they recently…
Bloor Street Transformation Information NightAbout a month ago, we posted about the upcoming Bloor Street Transformation project, which will not include bikelanes (although the City is looking at the possibility Bloor-Danforth Bikelanes) or even bikeposts, as the Business Improvement Area sponsored plan apparently does not want cyclists in the "posh" shopping district of Toronto.…
As well, there have been a lot of bike-related news stories in the media over the last week.
InsideToronto: Paving the way for Roncesvalles' renewal
"We don't have a lot of parking. It's not our competitive advantage. People walk, cycle. That's what brings Roncesvalles its vitality. "Small businesses need parking, but at the end of the day we need to build a community around pedestrians and cyclists.
InsideToronto: South Kingsway-Queensway ramps to remain
"I support this compromise. People are not going to give up their cars overnight," said Saundercook, a father of five who described himself as a pedestrian, cyclist and driver. He is also chair of the city's pedestrian committee.
Mississauga: Cyclist dies in hospital
A 77-year-old cyclist struck by a garbage truck in Streetsville Monday morning, has died in hospital. Police say a garbage truck hit the 77 year-old man from behind in the northbound curb lane of Queen St., just south of Ellen St.
Town Crier Online: New bike routes pedalled for Shaw and Dupont Sts.
Navigating local roads should be easier for cyclists if proposed bike routes get installed over the summer and fall. Lanes on Shaw and Dupont Sts., Marlee Ave., and Vaughan Rd. are part of a plan to add 50 km to Toronto’s cycling network in 2008.
National Post: Driving home the idea of car-free cities
I’ve come to Portland, Ore., to attend the Towards Car Free Cities Conference. With gas in Toronto pushing $1.40 a litre, it seems like the right place to be.
Post: Bike sales soar as drivers trade four wheels for two
There have always been commuters willing to forgo the comfort and safety of a car in favour of a bicycle, but in the face of ballooning gas prices their numbers are growing dramatically and that has proven a boon for manufacturers and retailers.
About Toronto's Weekly Carnage:
Toronto's Weekly Carnage is inspired by NYC's Streetsblog Weekly Carnage feature. The aim of this series of posts is to bring attention to the death and destruction wrought by automobiles and an auto-centric culture. Pursuing policies promoting walking, cycling and public transit could help reduce the carnage.
Two-Vehicle Crash On Hwy 404
A woman is lucky to be alive after a serious accident on Highway 404 that left her trapped in the wreckage of her vehicle for about 40 minutes. Police say a white taxi travelling at a high speed rear-ended the woman's pickup truck near Elgin Mills Friday around 3am. The impact caused the victim's vehicle to barrel roll right through the median.
Cyclist Survives DVP Crash, But Could Face Charges
A cyclist is lucky to be alive after he was involved in a crash in a place he should never have been - the Don Valley Parkway.
Man charged in bus stop hit-and-run
A man faces charges in connection with a June 26 hit-and-run collision that injured two pedestrians as they waited for a bus. The accident occurred at 8:20 a.m. on Victoria Park Avenue at Peard Road, north of St. Clair Avenue.
Charges in road-rage death
Man charged after SUV hits guardrail and rolls for about 300 metres, killing ejected driver. Police said the man swerved to avoid a car after its driver slammed on his brakes in front of him. He died instantly when he was ejected from his SUV and crushed as it rolled several times, shortly after 5 a.m. on the highway's eastbound lanes, just past James Snow Parkway in Milton.
Road rage eyed in Milton 401 death
Just after 5 a.m., Ontario Provincial Police responded to reports of a black Yukon SUV and a dark coloured Pontiac sedan driving fast and passing each other in the eastbound lanes near James Snow Parkway.
Driver Loses Control And Hits A Seniors' Home
The crash happened at around 10:30 near Kennedy and Lawrence, when a driver apparently lost control and ran the vehicle straight toward the building.
Milton girl, 16, killed crossing Hwy. 401
A 16-year-old girl is dead after police say she "darted" across Highway 401 and was hit by a tractor-trailer in Milton.
- July 4: Weekly News Wrap-up
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- Help Make the South Kingsway-Queensway Interchange Bike Friendly
- July 4: Today's Headlines
- July 4: Added Yesterday to the Stolen Bike Listing
- Photo of the Day: The Best Way to Travel
- July 4: Toronto's Weekly Carnage
- From the Archives: July 4th
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