I went on the bike path along lakeshore today for the first time. I have been putting off riding my bike this year because of a few too many cars trying to pass me in the same lane and almost hitting me while driving along lakeshore last year.

It was really nice, i kept under 20k and waved at the cops as i passed them.

Good to hear you had a good riding day, keep it up, practice makes perfect. Soon you will be zipping along with the best of us.

Ken Finch

Thanks...I think...

Aimee I was not trying to be sarcastic at all. I was sort of congratulating you, sorry if it came out wrong.

Ken Finch

I would love to ride along bike paths but been putting it off because of all the negative feedback I here from cyclist not wanting to share bike path trail with e-bikes/e-scooters. Lack of education to the public about this new form of transportation. I've been sticking to the far Right side lanes much like other bicycles when travelling on streets.

Daniel, don't be discouraged about the bike paths. I take the Don Valley Trail several times a week to the downtown area and I've had more positive experiences than negative ones en route. YMMV.

I would love to ride along bike paths but been putting it off because of all the negative feedback I here from cyclist not wanting to share bike path trail with e-bikes/e-scooters.

Hehe... try being chased down by the Supervisor on the Park on his road bike... Me toddling along after breakfast through an absolutely empty park at about 10kph... minding my own business on a beautiful sunny morning.

The Supervisor believes that *all* vehicles in *HIS* park should be pedal-only. So after catching up to me and yelling at me he pedals off madly at a speed well in excess of the 20kph maximum...

Then he posted an email/note to all staff that ebikes were banned from HIS park (although the By-Law only restricts motorized "recreational" vehicles that do not have permission, and fails to define what a "recreational" vehicle is. I use my scoot for commuting and shopping etc so I don't see these activities as "recreational" (even though it makes these trips sooooooo much more fun <grin>).

This was particularly awkward for me as I was living IN the park at the time. Also note that there is only one By-Law (set of rules) that governs ALL parks...

So I spent some years *smuggling* my vehicle into and out of the Park folded up in a shoulder bag. My neighbours all knew what was in the bag (wink wink, nudge, nudge) but Parks staff are not reduced yet to going through peoples bags searching for illegal vehicles (grin)

And in March 2005, when Councillor Mihevic was kind enough to enquire about this situation, Brenda Librecz (Acting Parks Commissioner at the time) replied that there was no such ban. Of course there are many witnesses who can attest to the truth of things...

This is the same Parks Dept that to this day maintains acres of parkland paved as free parking lots designed to encourage folks to drive their automobiles through our city and into our parks.

The negative feedback you encounter is just coming from a tiny minority with a myopic view of the world that replace critical thought with dogma. What do you care what they think? Carry On!

tks
Lock

BTW, the really amusing part about that email/note to Staff banning ebikes?

It was accompanied by a photograph. The image was of two scooter-style ebikes parked on the green grass at the side of the road under a green tree. In the same image parked right next to the scoots was a Parks Dept. (gas-powered) MINIVAN sitting on the paved Parks road. Wish I had saved a copy of that image.

tks
loK

Today being such nice, summery weather, I took my e-bike out for a long ride up to my parents' place in North York. It's about a 28km ride from Parkdale, so I took the bike paths mostly, to avoid the hassles of driving on the road and ingesting car fumes.

There were plenty of recreational cyclists out obviously for the first time in a while. Many either hadn't seen an e-bike before, or hadn't seen one on the bike path before. I got some comments, both positive and negative:

The first snide remark came from a road biker coming towards me in the opposite direction as me, along the Waterfront Trail near Ontario Place. "Get off!" he yelled as he whizzed by, doing at least 30+ km/hr, while I was going much slower, mindful of the pedestrians and rollerbladers on the path.

The next comment I got was when I was on the Don Trail, heading north from the Lakeshore up towards Pottery Road. "That's the way to play!" totally made my day. Especially after encountering such negativiity.

Later on up the trail, I slowed down near a dog walker, who chided me, "Those are illegal on the paths, you know." But I actually stopped to have a brief discussion with him and informed him what exactly I was riding. "I've seen a few motorbikes down here," he said. And after thanking me for educating him on what I was riding, he thanked me and said, "I'm enlightened."

A little further on the path, when I got to the top of a hill, where there was a wooden bridge, a slew of cyclists were riding up the hill on the other side and I pulled to the side to let them pass. But that wasn't good enough for them. Obviously upset that I got a free ride and didn't have to pedal up the hill, one man shouted out as he passed, "those are illegal!" to which I responded, "Nope. It's electric!"

As we crossed paths, a woman in the group shouted out, "Why can't you just go on the road?"

I was trying not to escalate things, but was obviously frustrated by their ignorance and negativity, so merely shouted back, "Why can't you just go on the road? Maybe she'll realize that it's equally as dangerous for each of us to ride alongside cars and inhale fumes, rather than take the bike paths.

End of rant for today.

Last summer I had a couple of experienced with my neighbours dog a full grown Bull Mastiff. As I was coming home from work and cutting through the community trail to my back yard this beast charged at me and muzzle punched me, well I froze as the owner comes out and starts yelling at me to get the fu^k out of the park and tells me its illegal for me to be here. Not to apologize for his dog charging me and muzzle punching me which is the first step to being bitten I found out. I explained to him its electric and I have every right to be here, after a few obsean words I got home which is only 4 doors down from him and phoned the humane society and the police. This is now the third time this dog has charge me btw. To make a long story short he was given a fine of $50.00 and that was it. During a few discussions with this person he has told me the dogs hate bikes oh real nice we live on a community trail in our back yards. So now I carry a can of bear spray and I hope I never have to use just it, in case you dont know what a bull mastiff is it is a dog that can weigh well over a 150 Lb.