Name / Occupation / Age
Deborah Adams / Registrar & CEO, College of Midwives of Ontario / 39 years
How often do you ride?
Most days. I ride to work, plus one day with a group of women.
How long have you been commuting by bicycle? What would you say to convince someone who is considering commuting by bicycle to go for it?
Routinely for the past 4 years or so. When I ride to work I arrive at the office in a much better mood than I would have if I had taken the TTC.
When did you start commuting in winter and why?
This year. I did it because I changed jobs and am now very close so it just makes sense. Even in bad weather I can get to work more quickly than I would on the streetcar or in my car.
What are the biggest challenges for winter bikers in Toronto?
Lack of dedicated bike lanes.
What reaction do you get from co-workers?
Mostly I think that they are amused.
What’s the best thing about commuting by bicycle in winter?
I’m not dependent on the TTC and I don’t have to pay ridiculous parking fees.
Can you give a brief description of your route?
2.9 kilometres straight along St Clair west — an easy, flat ride. Traffic has been awful lately while the right of way has been under construction and about three condos are going up along the route. There are often convoys of 3 or 4 buses going along and they leave no room for cyclists.
Where are your favourite places or streets to bike in Toronto? Least favourite? Why?
Favourite: Don or Humber River and Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
Why: I can see parts of the city that I wouldn’t otherwise see; there’s no fighting traffic; my kids can bike there with me.
Least favourite: Bathurst Street from St Clair to Dupont because the road conditions rattle your teeth and the cars fly past.
What do you like about biking in Toronto in winter?And dislike?
Like: the freedom that comes with not having to navigate clogged streets or park in snow banks.
Dislike: how much less space there is for me with those snow banks taking up half the road!
What could the City do to make winter biking better?
More dedicated bike lanes please!
What’s your favourite piece of winter cycling clothing?
My lobster gloves from MEC.
Any bike gadget/gear winter cyclists should not go out without?
Lights.
2 comments
Those lobster gloves are amazing!!!
I’ve been using them for the past two years and I cannot imagine cycling in the winter without them.
Another keen cyclist swears by the lobster gloves.
Bathurst between St. Clair and Dupont is quite nasty – I ride on the sidewalk going north/up, and going down is tricky too, though the city finally fixed a severe hazard/grate. The Christie bike lane is a better option now.
The comment about St. Clair being hazardous should be part of the liability the City has for failing to give safe passage for cyclists in that reconstruction – we have systemic neglect for cyclists’ safety compared to the other modes and it’s the same diesel exhaust spewed as with Spadina – “there just wasn’t enough room”. So those that use the street should give notice to the City of their neglect ahead of their journies, though at times the die-hards can be the die-easies with these rougher road conditions – I’ve been doing more transit.