In one simple video, along with some basic facts, they proved that:
- Bike lanes take up way less space than the car lanes; imagine what our cities would look like if you could reclaim 1-3 car lanes and make them public spaces!
- Bike riders, even in greater numbers, never cause gridlock.
- The cost of those bike lanes is a fraction of that of the roads.
- Quite a few of those cyclists panniers and backpacks, which means they were using their bikes for more than fitness.
- Car infrastructure (those traffic lights) slowed down cars and cyclists. And I'm willing to bet that if there was no car infrastructure, cyclists could get around a city much faster than cars ever could.
- There is obvious demand for cycling infrastructure. This is a Canadian city, and one that likely isn't as developed as some European ones, yet the demand is clear.
- While you can't see faces, you can see that there's a diversity of cyclists (ages) and abilities.
- Hard to validate without a survey, but I'm willing to bet that out of those 567 cyclists, I'm sure a good chunk wouldn't be able to afford the cost of car ownership. So, cycling is giving them an accessible and affordable way to travel.
That's a seated e-scooter.
Are we talking about actual motorcycles or something else?
Where I live (ontario, Canada), the Swagtron you mentioned wouldn't even be allowed to be used legally.
But the definition of motorcycle here is quite expansive, depending on the speed it goes, whether it has two or three wheels, the weight, motor size, etc. They all require special licencing, including "low-speed motorcycles" and mopeds.
> Sarkaria (Ontario's transportation minister) said Friday that only 1.2 per cent of people use those bike lanes to commute to work, compared with 70 per cent who drive, and the lanes are taking away nearly half of the infrastructure on those roads, making commutes longer for drivers.
Why hasn't anyone challenged the use of that statistic?
Commuting isn't the only way to use transportation infrastructure and bike lanes, so it's incredibly dishonest to say that "only 1.2%" are using those particular bike lanes.
If I use bike lanes for 100% of my errands and 0% for commuting, does that invalidate those lanes?
By the same token, at what point would they consider removing sidewalks if people aren't using them specifically to walk to work?
I doubt high speed rail is a viable solution between Vancouver and Calgary.
Yeah, that route would suck for anything land-based. Flights are around $100, and would get you there in 1/10 the time that driving would.
But you wouldn't build high-speed rail lines for routes nobody would take. I don't even think Via rail has a station in Calgary... Edmonton, yes, but Calgary is on its own!
Just off the top of my head:
- Can you store a motorcycle in an apartment, closet, or under a desk?
- Carry one up or down a flight stairs?
- Drive one legally without training, licensing, and insurance?
- Take one on paths away from traffic and large vehicles?
- Purchase one new for under $1000?
- Safely move kids with it?
- Take one on public transit?
- Service it with basic tools and inexpensive components, even in your own living room?
- Ride one without it making noise?
- Use one to carry cargo (i.e. a week of groceries)?
- Refuel one at home or at the office?
I can come up with dozens of reasons why an e-bike would be better (more practical) than a motorcycle, for pretty much anyone.
I'm not against motorcycles, but they are basically cars with two wheels and far less utility.
The number one thing that most of these don't do well for me is the connection with banks.
A bit of an anecdote, but i was a long-time user of Mint, which integrated with all my banks and credit cards, which was nice.
When I decided to selfhost, I was disappointed that bank syncing wasn't a thing, or it had these roundabout ways of working, or they simply didn't support the banks and credit cards i use.
So... I ended up wity Money Manager EX.
Once i did the initial importing of my records, everything since has been manually entered.
Now, this might seem tedious depending on how many transactions and accounts you manage, but it's really not.
Depending on how often you update your records, you can do an easy export/import of your transactions from your bank (usually a csv export). Doing this once a month isn't terrible.
I just manually enter all my transactions. Yes, more work, but also less frustration and it makes me feel more in touch with my spending.
Even not having to worry about the hassle of syncing not working, or having to fix things like that is a huge weight off my shoulders.
Anyway, just wanted to share my experience because bank syncing shouldn't be a make-or-break thing.
The combined fentanyl and precursors seized at this facility could have amounted to over 95,500,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl...
Wow. How many doses does an actual pharmaceutical company produce?
Motorcycles would be a step backwards in almost every aspect, except for speed. 😕
I saw it last night. As a huge fan of the first one, I guess my hopes were high.
It looks, cinematically speaking, really good.
But as a musical? WTF? I had to force myself to watch it to completion. If it wasn't a continuation of the first one, I wouldn't have even bothered.
In fairness, I generally can't stand musicals. And even if they featured my favourite movie characters, I'd still struggle to sit through them.
I think they could have a fantastic movie if they just continued with the same style as the first.
Yes, a front and rear light are on my bike (pretty much all year).
But I LOVE the reflective sidewalls on Schwalbe tires! You just have to be sure to give them a good cleaning once in a while, especially during dirty winters.
You would think, but a fair amount of people I talk to in the 40+ do not want to change and actually are opposed to change.
I'm in that group, and I have no problem seeing positive changes happen. What's the point of being resistant to change, if it means living in a worse situation? To me, it makes no sense.
I want to see our communities become more human-centric, because the direction we are going would not be the future I want my kids and grandkids living in.
People seem to think this is how we have always lived, and it’s only really been 2 or 3 generations that have lived with so much excess.
Exactly! These things aren't some long-standing traditions we need to cling onto. They are recent problems (that we created) that can be corrected if we act quickly. And we sure as shit can't fix things with a government who wants to push Ontario in the opposite direction.
You know, the way this was framed is such a great study on consumer behaviour.
A few hundred dollars off an ebike isn't significant. For a cargo bike, it's peanuts.
Yet people snatched up vouchers and purchased way more bikes then anticipated, and those bike shops had a boom in sales.
I'm willing to bet that if these bike shops offered the same amount off, but promoted it as a sale, they'd get a fraction of the sales.
Cities should so more of these campaigns. Even if it's the shops offering the discount, have the city frame it as a voucher and see the adoption of ebikes skyrocket everywhere!
Research from Japan suggests high-speed rail can help ease the cost of housing and congestion on the roads, by making it easier to live further from urban centres.
Doug Ford is rolling his eyes. Don't you guys know? Bike lanes are the reason we have so much congestion, unaffordable housing, and homelessness! /s
But in all seriousness, all the things that other countries have done with great success are all things we can implement in Canada: high-speed rails, REMOVING cars from cities, improving public transportation networks, expanding cycling infrastructures, and creating more room for public spaces, as examples.
We only need the political will to, since I'm sure most people would want to live in a better version of what they have now.
Just wait until everyone is forced to wear screens on their faces 24/7, because that's the way tech companies want us to live. I'm not being sarcastic, either.
There's a reason why so many people consciously choose to “disconnect” when they want a mental break. If we are no longer able to, how healthy do you think our society will be?
Argh. Was it always like that, or is this recent?
I do, but in reality, It doesn't seem to matter what cyclists do or wear. If someone driving a car (or large SUV) isn't paying attention, they won't see you.
In countries where cycling is taken seriously, their lights are not bright (to meet standards) and you don't see anyone in high-viz gear.
Blaming cyclists for something a motorist failed to do seems to be a uniquely North American thing. Even the way our news gets reported seems to always word things in a way that puts the cyclist (the victim) in the wrong.
but that’s more about the pressure from the clamp, not the weight of the bike.
That's what I've always assumed.
In that case, I like the idea... now I need a multi-million dollar mansion with 20ft tall ceilings to make it happen! LOL
What you describe is really common, and it uses "jaywalking" as a weapon to target minorities and those in low-income neighbourhoods.
On the podcast "The War on Cars", this topic came up with examples showing how jaywalking becomes an excuse to target blacks.
The history of "jaywalking" is pretty interesting.
Basically, it's a made-up thing designed to blame pedestrians for motorists being dangerous.
Kind of like when motorists "can't see" cyclists while looking down at their phones, because it's up to the cyclist to have on enough high-viz clothing, reflectors, bright lights, and a billboard saying "I'M HERE!!!!".
In most places, even when people think that jaywalking is illegal, it's actually not.
Why would he stop at removing bike lanes?
The MTO is on his side, and when his plan to reduce and remove bike lanes fails to ease traffic congestion (hint: because they aren't causing it), why wouldn't he go after banning all cycling from major roads using the same reasoning (that cycling itself is the cause of all our traffic problems)?
I don't see any end to his overreach, and it'll be a matter of time before ebikes, then regular bikes, become highly restricted in Ontario.
Convince me otherwise.
Samsung has gone hard promoting AI in their phones, and now OnePlus has also announced some heavy AI-based features in their new Android OS. Pretty much every other brand is now doing the same, so you can't escape it.
I've been in the market to upgrade my nearly 6-year-old phone, but seeing all these AI features, especially when they rely on Google's Gemini (or other cloud AI), and it feels deflating.
Will privacy ultimately have to be sacrificed "from now on"?
By not using these AI features, you pay a lot for features you won't be using. And the usefulness of the device becomes limited as nearly all functions now have AI-based components to them.
I'm totally fine with on-device AI, but many features I'm seeing don't seem to be on-device, and I've spent years trying to stop sending my data to companies like Google. I don't want to go backwards for the sake of market trends.
What are your future plans when it comes to smartphones?
Ontario has tabled a bill which forces municipalities to seek approval for new bike lines, as well as allow the province to remove existing ones.
I wish I could have been there!
And 500+ people attended, at 5pm on a weekday? Imagine how many thousands would have turned up if this took place on a weekend!
Keep up the pressure, guys!
We have bike routes all over, and they are signed with something as shown.
But most of these will have a bike lane or sharrows along with the Bike Route signs.
However, I ran into one road that doesn't, it's just signed.
What's the best way to tag these roads? I don't want to cause confusion, but these unpainted (but signed) roads do actually lead to/from better cycling infrastructure, so they should be known.
UPDATE: Thanks for all the input, guys. Having looked into this further, I'm comfortable using the designated tag, at least for this specific road.
My municipality is a bit bipolar with their application of these signs. Most are signed as bike routes with toad markings, but a few are signed only.
Because these "bike routes" connect to more significant cycling infrastructure, I think its more than valid to tag them as “designated” as opposed to "yes" (which would be pretty much every road).
To add even more confusion to the situation, the official Cycling infrastructure map for my municipality seems to not include several areas that have both bike route signs and road markings, so i will ask them if the data is just lagging or if it needs to be updated.
So, unless there's a critical reason why the "designated" tag shouldn't be used in this context, I will leave it at that.
It's expected the bike lane plan, limiting municipal powers, would appeal to suburban voters who rely more heavily on cars to get around.
So, when this plan inevitably results in MORE traffic congestion, who will Ford target next? Pedestrians and the removal of sidewalks?
And Transportation Minister Sarkaria should honestly be ashamed of himself for the way he blames and attacks cycling infrastructure. Is he the transportation minister or the cars-only minister?
I wanted to share my experience with waxing my bike chains.
I was resistant to waxing my chains because it seems that a lot of people felt it was "too much work".
But having to constantly clean black shit off my chains after every ride, then spend time degreasing and re-lubing, I figured I'd try waxing when I got my gravel bike.
Now, thousands of KM later and having converted all three bikes to waxed, there's no way I'd go back. The time saved could be measured in hours per month.
First, the biggest complaint is chain prep. Yeah, regardless if you're waxing or not, you'll need to prep a new chain by removing the factory grease. With waxed, you do this once, and no more worrying about degreasing ever again. Make like easy and get Silca's chain stripper, and it's a 10 minute, one-step process.
Ongoing chain maintenance couldn't be easier. After every ride, give the chain a quick wipe (or not). My chain stays clean, even after a 200 km ride.
And if you ride in wet or dirty conditions? Guess what, you're in for a LOT of work if you lube your chain. With waxed, keep a second (or third) chain ready to go, and you just swap it out (10 seconds of effort). Take the dirty chain, give it a wipe if it's only been wet, or pour boiled water onto it if you want to "reset" the chain to bare metal. Then drop it into the waxing pot for a re-wax. You don't have to stand at the pot, so there's no real time commitment here. I've spent more time completely dirtying large microfiber cloths trying to get my chain "clean" when lubed (hint: it's never clean if you use a wet lube, not without solvents and an ultrasonic cleaner).
For actual immersion wax, I do it every 1000 km (sooner than you need to), and use a drip wax every 200 - 250 km to keep things fresh.
Honestly, wax is easier, cleaner, and takes less time to maintain vs wet lube.
The only downsides? The initial cost to get started. But this is offset by not having to replace chains or other components prematurely. You actually save money in the long-term when using waxed chains.
Some might argue that "you can't run waxed chains in muddy or constantly rainy conditions". Well, at the same time, your wet lube isn't really helping matters in those situations, either. Waxed is still better, and you can swap chains much faster than you can clean the grinding paste from a wet lubed chain.
Who would I not recommend waxed chains to? Someone who rarely uses their bike. Drip lube will be "good enough" in those cases. But anyone else would benefit from waxing their chain.
... and they use YouTube to host their informational videos.
"Please allow us to interrupt your research with intrusive targeted ads, so you can have a superior browsing experience." 🤡
This store just opened up a few months back, and they had zero bike parking.
I emailed their head office, saying that I was planning to shop there, but not until they added a bike rack.
Went to check last night, and boom! Bike rack!
Observatory Lane, Sunshine Drive and Queen’s College Drive in Richmond Hill’s Ward 6 slated for traffic calming, but Springbrook Drive residents want bike lane removed
> “They are not safe. They are anything but for safety,” said a woman who added vehicles in the two-block section sometimes drive in the middle of Springbrook to avoid the bollards.
Oh, so drivers behind of the wheel of an automobile are the danger. Why remove the bike lanes rather than the car lanes?
I heard that Etobicoke's NIMBYs are insane, but this is a new level of stupidity from Richmond Hill.
Walking my grandkid to/from school, it absolutely floors me how many dangerous drivers there are around kids.
In a matter of maybe 10 minutes, I've witnessed:
- at least a dozen cars illegal parked. It's not the parking that bothers me, but the fact that these cars are often parked on turns or just before intersections, making it impossible for other drivers to see small kids.
- Several people not stopping at stop signs, including at the exit of the school parking lot.
- One car, who completely blew through a stop sign at the front of the school, made a left turn and nearly hit a guy walking his kid. The driver didn't even slow down.
- Super fucking huge pickup trucks parked in the school parking lot, but their long ass hangs well over the sidewalk near the kindergarden area, leaving very little space to use the sidewalk.
- Speeding. Obviously, you have to have speeding in school zones, right?
This happens every day, during drop off and pick up. I was told that bylaw were “cracking down”, but no, they aren't. If they were, our municipality would generate $5000 in fines each and every day at every school.
The other day, I rode my bike past another school as kids were getting out. Not only was their massive parking lot completely full, but they had blocked the bike trail (WITH PYLONS) to make space for more cars. Then as I entered onto the road, cars were illegally parked along the road and on a bridge for a like 100m. Making it extremely difficult and dangerous to cross because they blocked visibility for me and other drivers on the road.
I asked the cross guard if these students all lived out of town, requiring every parent to drive them home; he obviously didn't get my joke.
Seriously, fuck cars. All of them!
Been watching the Q&A with this guy... total clown. He evaded every question about bike lanes and keeps pounding the idea that "We will always be building! [more roads]".
I will tell you one thing, I'm not usually one to take the lane unless absolutely necessary, but I'd be happy to do so every time in protest of any Ontario's proposed actions to go backwards on sane, cycling infrastructure.
Also, the focus is always about reducing congestion and gridlock... guys, YOU ARE THE CONGESTION AND GRIDLOCK! Stop making cars the only way to travel, and you'll magically solve your problem.
OPP said it happened around 9 p.m. on Wednesday in the Steeles Avenue West area and the northbound Highway 410 ramp.
Toronto, please don't normalize hit-and-runs.
A Benbrook man who was an avid cyclist was killed Saturday morning. He's being remembered as a dedicated, retired educator who enjoyed riding with friends.
> "She said she didn’t see us. Didn’t see us. She was very, very upset."
> The driver did stop and is not expected to be charged.
This makes me furious, but it's completely expected.
Cars are the only weapon where you can kill someone without consequence, even if it was pure negligence or entirely on purpose.
In my persistence to fit Linux in my life, I'm curious if some "must have" Windows software will work better if I just ran a Windows VM within Linux.
None of the software I need to work is needed to work continuously. They are basically programs that I fire up when needed, for a few minutes, then exited.
Wine will install them, but not run them, so I'm hoping a VM is the answer as I'm not interested in dual-booting to run a few Windows programs occasionally.
Also, "identical" has a different meaning here.
There's a special place in hell for the monster who dreamed up this captcha!
I've been trying out NextDNS and comparing it to Adguard DNS (adguard-dns-.io), but unlike NextDNS, Adguard DNS' query log is quite vague, and I can't even tell if it's doing anything.
99% of the listed items in the Adguard DNS query log show up as "Processed", but the request clearly shows either advertiser or tracking as the categories.
It seems that unless I actually click BLOCK, the status doesn't really list these requests as Blocked, except for a very small number.
Is this normal behaviour? I assume any requests showing "processed" but not "blocked" are still going through, which is bad. NextDNS shows these same requests clearly as blocked or not, so at least I know that it's working.
Anyone have any thoughts, or clarification on how it works?
I'm talking about the ads that look like listings, but they have a small "AD" text on the corner.
These ads are often grotesque and offensive, and I'd rather not see them at all.
I've tried various block lists, but it's not removing them.
MORE CONTEXT: Sorry, I should have been more specific!
The gross/offensive ads seem to only be in the Aliexpress app (Android).
On the mobile and desktop browser version, I still get the "AD" listings, but they are of products related to things I've purchased or browse through (all bike related items). I'd like to get rid of those, too, but I guess the ones in the app are the worst type.
I do have Adguard for Android set to filter HTTPS requests from the Ali app, so I figure it's just a matter of finding the right filter. Hopefully, anyway!
The upgraded model has the same low-end adjustability and a wider wide vs the old style. Yet, it's only compatible with 27.5 - 29"?
Typo?