Notices by Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD (mbonsma@mastodon.social)

NEW from our group: businesses in Toronto will lose tens to hundreds of thousands of potential customers who can bike if the Bloor, Yonge, and University bike lanes are removed.
- Businesses along Yonge and Bloor will lose HALF of the people who can currently get there safely by bike within 30 minutes.
- Over 600,000 people in Toronto will have fewer destinations they can safely access by bike.

Check out the report here 👇
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1YzYJA--Yz0rIsGifP95RbzDNYTuqdf/view?usp=sharing

This feels like a good time to say that our new paper is out and that all three models we used to optimize new bike infrastructure in Toronto selected *Bloor Street West* between Runnymede and Royal York, including a model that specifically maximizes access to destinations for people in ETOBICOKE
#BikeTO

Conservatives rn

My bike ride to work takes exactly 30 minutes - rain or shine, morning or evening.

A few weeks ago I took the "car" to work, using the car lane instead of the bike lane. It took 45 minutes - 50% longer! - because traffic is just that bad. You're not stuck in traffic, you are traffic.
#CarsRuinCities

Took the ol' train to a meeting this morning and got to do the funniest thing ever: blow the train whistle at a car stopped in the bike lane

Hypothetically if I were to ride this down the street in front of you instead of in the bike lane (matching traffic speed), would you be mad or amused

When I was very pregnant and walking was slow and painful, my upright bike made me feel light and free. The idea that all disabled people need cars or that no disabled people can use bikes is just not true.

In fact, by providing more non-car options to get around, cities can reduce congestion and parking competition, making it EASIER to drive for people who rely on cars. Helping people who don't need to drive switch to other modes benefits everyone.

I have been dealing with a foot issue that is not serious but makes walking painful. Lately I have been taking transit less and biking more - by biking I can get where I'm going with almost no walking, giving my feet a break. Bikes can absolutely be mobility devices.

Biking is such a pleasant, human way to get around. On my way to work today I said good morning to a friend I passed, admired all the other baby seats on bikes, and had a short conversation with a woman wearing a cool embroidered jacket. It must be so lonely to drive everywhere.

Today, out on the cargo bikes, waiting at a red light beside a minivan. Window rolls down. "Can I take a picture? What is that called? I have two kids too!" *motions to back seat*

The appetite for alternatives to driving is real, folks

Be the envy of the school dropoff line

Once a week I go by bike to pick up my son at 4:35. We get to the train tracks 2 minutes before the train passes, watch the train, then arrive at music lessons 6 minutes early, rain or shine. This predictability is only possible on foot or by bike. Bonus: we get to ride on this beautiful trail!

The pedal bike clicked for my 4-year-old this week. His grin, his squeals of laughter, his "I'm going really fast! This is fun!" while we ride beside him - one of the best feelings I've ever had as a parent.

"An arms race on our streets." Oversized SUVs and pickups are bad for all of us: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers. It's not fair that safety testing in Canada is only for those on the inside of the vehicle. Sign the federal petition here: https://ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4944

An excellent article and report about the issue of large vehicles: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-report-from-advocacy-groups-urges-tighter-regulations-for-suvs-and/

#DeadlyByDesign

And for my next trick, a full cart of groceries loaded into... an SUV? No! A mere bicycle!

#CarryShitOlympics #quaxing

With an e-cargo bike, I can bike:
- 9 months pregnant
- with heavy stuff and kids
- uphill and in "bad" weather
- to go on big adventures I would never have considered before

All of these are situations I used to NOT bike, and having an e-bike has massively expanded my world.

Biking will never be a transportation solution for everyone all the time. But what e-bikes (and especially e-cargo bikes) do is expand the range of bikeable situations, giving more people more options for an incredibly fun way to get around!

We've all been there: it's puzzle time, but once you dump out the pieces and start laying them flat, you realize you don't have enough space on your table. Join me as we use physics to find out ✨HOW BIG A TABLE YOU NEED FOR YOUR JIGSAW PUZZLE ✨

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2312.04588
#SciComm

Perfectly calibrated to make my blood boil:
- pickup truck in a walkable neighbourhood
- truck is running but empty
- stopped on the sidewalk (like why do we even have driveway curb cuts, clearly they're not necessary)
- right outside a school
- while I walk past with a stroller

I have never felt more respected or validated in my life than when I drove this onto the elementary school playground this morning