Parking Costs in China's large cities is becoming prohibitive. And so it should. Too many cars in a city reduces the quality of life for everyone.

Anyone who has recently visited China and Beijing knows that there are too many cars on the streets, thus clogging the free flow of traffic. Gone are the days of riding a bicycle. Public transit is the only way to get around, but buses are just as slow as cars. Beijing has started a lottery for potential new car buyers, which helps. The solution may lie in a scarcity of parking spaces. If you have no parking space you have no place to park your car.

I had thought that China was pretty smart when I saw that most people ride their bicycles to commute. To my dismay cars have taken over Chinese roads. Contributing to air pollution, high crash rates and a reduction in commute times for people, this is not progress in a positive direction. I have no issue with Chinese people buying cars, but when it reduces the quality of life this must stop.

Maybe the solution will come about from a scarcity of parking spots. Most people in Beijing live in apartment buildings, with limited parking. These parking spots have become much more expensive as more people want to buy a car.

Interestingly the diagram above shows Beijing’s housing costs to be 22,310 RMB/ sq M. Since 1 sq M = 10.76 sq ft, this amounts to 2, 073 RMB/ sq ft. At 7 CAD to 1 RMB, this converts to $296CAD/sq ft, very similar in cost to inexpensive housing in Toronto. Parking spots are separate in China. The average parking spot in Beijing costs 140,000 RMB, or $20,000CAD. This cost is included in most apartment buildings here in Canada, though can be priced separately in new condos.

Bicycle riding prohibited in certain parks in Toronto. The bylaw 319-69 was repealed in 1997.

Sometimes finding certain information on the internet is much more difficult than it should be. I was looking for the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada bylaw that allows bicycles with less than 24″ tires to ride on the sidewalk. I could not find it. I emailed the city clerk about the bylaw but got no response. This bylaw is heavily mentioned but almost never referenced. After about two years of searching the web, I finally found it.

Even the City of Toronto alludes to this bylaw but does not state its source. I wonder if the the legal interpretation of this bylaw is enforceable, as it is not mentioned in the actual bylaw. Would it hurt the city to reference its actual bylaw? For the record there are other fines for bicycle related infractions.

A City bylaw allows cyclists with a tire size of 61cm or 24 inches or less to ride on the sidewalk… The bylaw is based on wheel size because it is difficult for Police to enforce age-based bylaws, as most children do not carry identification. This is a municipal bylaw and rules vary in communities across Ontario.

The Toronto bylaw states that riding a bicycle with tire size over 61cm (24 inches) on sidewalks is prohibited, as is riding/operating a bicycle (or roller skates, in-line skates, skateboard, coaster, toy vehicle) on a sidewalk without due care and attention and reasonable consideration for others. The fine in downtown Toronto for not following this bylaw is $90 and aggressive cyclists can also be charged with careless driving.

Here is the actual City of Toronto Bylaw 313-27 as it pertains to riding a bicycle on the sidewalk:

ARTICLE IV: Sidewalk Regulations
§ 313-27. Horses and vehicles; Toronto Island.

A. No person shall ride, drive, lead or back any horse, carriage, cart, wagon, sled, sleigh or any vehicle over or along any paved or planked sidewalk, except at a regular crossing.

B. Except where permitted under Chapter 194, § 194-5, no person shall place on or use, draw, haul or propel along or upon any sidewalk any carriage, tricycle, bicycle, wagon, cart, hand-cart, hose, hose-cart, truck or any hand-wagon, sled, sleigh or other vehicle used for the conveyance of any person, article or property upon any sidewalk, except persons lawfully repairing the sidewalk. [Amended 1995-03-27 by By-law No. 1995-0249]

C. Subsections A and B do not apply to baby carriages, baby sleighs, children’s carts, wagons or tricycles operated by muscular power, or to shopping carts or wheelchairs, or to bicycles having each tire with a tire size no more than sixty-one (61) centimetres.

D. Pedestrians shall have the right-of-way on a sidewalk, and no person shall ride upon or operate a bicycle permitted under Subsection C, roller skates, in-line skates, skateboard, coaster, toy vehicle or similar device on a sidewalk without due care and attention and without reasonable consideration for others using the sidewalk. [Added 1995-03-31 by By-law No. 1995-0263; amended 1995-06-26 by By-law No. 1995-0445]

Due to inconsistencies in City of Toronto bylaws, fines are different for different parts of the city. The $90 fine in the City of Toronto is only $3.75 in North York and Scarborough.

< Here in Scarborough riding on the road is dangerous. People drive fast, most often over the speed limit. The skill level of car drivers is quite low. Even in supposed bicycle lanes cars invariably park there, forcing bicycle riders out into traffic. Having bicycle riders hit by open car doors is unsafe for riders. After multiple very close calls where I could have gotten seriously injured, I must question the safety of this bylaw in my suburb.

Note: There are signs in certain city of Toronto parks prohibiting bicycles. These state the bylaw number 319-69. This bylaw was repealed in 1997. Other incorrect bylaw numbers include 32/92.

Which Toronto Chinatown is better? Uptown or Downtown? I test both.

It is rare for me to visit Toronto’s downtown Chinatown because I live in North-East Toronto, where we have the highest concentration of Mainland Chinese in Toronto. Today we went to MEC.ca (Mountain Equipment Co-op) for cycling gear, so stopped and had lunch in Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. Having not been there for many years, it was interesting.

Firstly I was amazed at the diversity of people in the Downtown Chinatown. People of all nationalities walk around, shop and eat, just like local Chinese, because they, unsurprisingly are local Torontonians. We saw a wide variety of people visit Chinese bakeries, shop at Chinese grocery stores as well as small “Carry Everything Chinese” variety stores. Initially this was surprising to me, but then again we are in Toronto, where diversity is commonplace and we all get along.

Uptown at places like Pacific Mall (Kennedy/Steeles), and more so at local strip malls and stores, Asianness is the rule. You might see the odd Caucasian or non-Asian individual perusing merchandise, but more likely they are employed at the mall as maintenance workers. Non-Asians in malls uptown truly stand out. Upon reflection, this seems quite odd for multicultural Toronto. More so is the fact that North East Toronto also has a large contingent of Indians and Pakistanis, who are not commonly seen in Chinese stores. The corollary is also true. While I frequently visit Indian grocery stores and restaurants, there are usually no other Chinese besides myself. Though it does not cause me any discomfort nor hesitation, it is notable. People Diversity level: Downtown is better

We visited a local Chinese barbeque restaurant downtown for some roasted duck and roast pork on rice. Though it was nice, it was not over and above the quality I can find uptown. Prices are also not as cheap as in the past. I actually think we can get the same meal for less uptown, but I am a local. I am not complaining, because Chinese food quality here in Toronto is universally pretty good. Barring the occasional health inspection failures that occur both uptown and downtown, visitors to Toronto expect and receive excellent and authentic Chinese food. Restaurant Food Quality and Price: draw

We passed by numerous local grocery stores while in the Downtown Chinatown. A usual quick glance at prices of produce as well as comments from the spouse yielded the same conclusion: Prices both downtown and uptown are about the same. Each store might have their loss leaders, but overall, prices are the same. We cherry picked. Downtown may have a slight advantage in freshness, but this arguable. Uptown stores do not display produce outside and therefore may be incrementally cleaner. Grocery Produce Pricing: even

I am not a neat freak and generally expect low hygene standards in any Chinatown worldwide. Still, downtown Chinatown is noticeably dirtier than uptown. I am unsure why. There is more visible garbage in the streets and a unique rotting smell of grocery produce and Chinatownness. This smell was even noticed by my first weed. Uptown Chinatown is newer, but can also run down pretty quickly. I am sure that it is not because uptown Chinese are any cleaner. Street Cleanliness: Uptown is cleaner

Parking downtown is notoriously difficult, and today was no exception. Chinatown was, as usual, lacking in parking. Uptown there is so much space that parking is rarely an issue. Parking: Uptown is better

My friend David rides a bicycle to buy his groceries from a downtown Chinatown. It is easier to ride a bicycle downtown because streets are more crowded and therefore the speed of cars is slower. There are more Chinese grocers crowded together in higher concentrations downtown. While you can bicycle ride uptown, you risk getting run over by local drivers. Also uptown Chinese grocers tend to be larger and more like supermarkets. You ride to one and do all your shopping, which may not allow you to get the best selection. Shopping by Bicycle: Downtown is better

Yes, there is more to life than Chinatown. Apart from Chinatown, downtown has much more diversity of stores and events that uptown cannot match. Uptown you really need to search for specific stores and then plan to visit them. Downtown can be more exploratory. Other things to do: Downtown wins

The importance of speaking Chinese in a downtown store is less of an issue. At stores uptown, it is very advantageous to speak Chinese. Chinese is the default language uptown, while downtown it can be either English or Chinese. I suppose this is a secondary effect of downtown’s diversity and a real help to those who do not speak Chinese. Predominance of Chinese language: Uptown defaults to Chinese

Suffice to say that visits to either Downtown or Uptown Chinatowns will give you an authentic and interesting experience. Downtown Chinatown is walkable, while uptown Chinatown is cleaner. To judge which one is best I cannot say. Visit both and tell me what you think.

Living in North East Toronto, Canada is a very large community of Mainland Chinese, many who are recent immigrants. When they ship their lives half way across the world to Canada they bring with them some surprising gems. I picked up this Daou unicycle at a garage sale. It has a 12.5″ rear coaster wheel with back brake, and a skateboard truck up front. The seat is unicycle style, with a black steel handle in the front. Apart from the “Daou” label, under the seat there are two quality stickers from the Chengdu Zixingche Lingjian San Chang, or the Chengdu Bicycle Parts Factory #3. After a couple of key changes this contraption rides much like a unicycle (no left-right stability), but has anterior-posterior stability, allowing the rider to coast. You can pedal backwards to brake, which is good enough to skid the tire. This unicycle rides quite well, can travel at faster than walking speed and allows the rider to coast. Due to the small skateboard wheels up front it can endo if you hit a large sidewalk crack.

Most consumer products here in Canada are now produced in China, so Chinese labels are common. The coaster brake and tire are both labeled “Made in China“. The Chinese “Hege” label and “You” states that it has passed quality inspection. The 12.5″ tire came with an inner tube with a Chinese valve. Even after searching for 2 pumps the seller could not pump up the tire. Complicating matters is that the 12.5″ wheel allows very little space to attach the pump. The tire has no brand name but comes with a familiar Made in China or Taiwan tread pattern.

Google searches for the “Chengdu zixingche lingjian factory 3″ or “Chengdu Bicycle Factory” yielded nothing. I also did not find any photos similar to this unicycle.

There were two issues with this unicycle. Firstly I could not get air into the tire. Secondly the thing was veering wildly to the left. The first order of business was to remove the inner tube with the Chinese valve and replace it with one with a Schrader valve. It was evident that this tire had never been off this unicycle and was tight. Pumping up the tire with my floor pump was difficult because of the small size of the 12.5″ rim. A 16″ tire and rim will not fit the frame.

Not being a skateboarder I had to read up on skateboard truck maintenance. After taking apart the two rubber truck cushions I noticed that they were beveled in a certain direction. I bisected the lowest points of the two cushions with chalk and aligned them together with the middle of the truck. This solved the steering issues.

I removed a red rear reflector, attached to the seat with two bolts. There was no way I or anyone else would ride this unicycle in traffic, much less at night. The reflector also hindered grabbing the seat from the rear.

Daou unicycle or bicycle, Chengdu Bicycle Parts Factory #3

As my little weed wanted to try it I had to lower the seat. The seat quick release needed replacement to allow the seat to be lowered to the max. The chain was oiled, the frame was cleaned, and the chrome parts were buffed up with #00000 steel wool. There’s not much to this unicycle so cleanup was quick.

Riding is very similar to but easier than a unicycle. You must start straight or the front wheels will turn and you will fall off. Grabbing the front bar with one hand and letting the other arm swing free aided in balance. As with all bikes, continuous pedaling is required. The uni does have some gyroscopic effect, less than a bicycle and more than a unicycle. Once you start and pick up speed you can let go of the handle bar completely and use both hands to balance. For me most weight shifting is done through the hips, similar to a unicycle. Keeping a straight line of progression required subtle shifting to the right or left. Once riding you can pick up a little speed and actually coast. Large cracks in the sidewalk can cause an endo because the front skateboard wheels are small.

Daou Unicycle, left side

The seat is vinyl covered and unicycle style. Padding is adequate, but I am considering adding an inner tube to the seat for some air cushioning. Other than the seat, everything else seems to be adequate. For a small thing this unicycle is quite heavy and robust. Unfortunately the rear wheel is not in alignment with the centre of the frame and is skewed a little to the left. I will try to realign the wheel later as it bothers me, but it does not seem to affect riding.

The skateboard trucks are not high quality. They have loose bearings and one side was wobbly. I tightened that side up a little. When I have time I will try to clean them and repack them with grease, but they roll and are relatively smooth. On the sidewalk, with a crack every 8′ you cannot get a smooth ride anyway, so I did not notice anything untoward.

The hub has no markings and is made of thick plastic. It holds the tire well. The coaster brake is a back pedal and is sufficiently strong enough to skid the tire. If I find a 12.5″ kid’s bike with a metal hub and rim I will switch this plastic wheel out. I prefer metal to plastic. Similarly the pedals have no markings but rotate very smoothly. This unicycle is certainly built to a price point but is still quite robust. There is rust on the light blue paint that cannot come off.

Daou Unicycle, anterior view Daou Unicycle, posterior. Note rear wheel misalignment

Daou Unicycle: skateboard trucks on front

In terms of safety, the rider is only 2″ off the ground, so at low speed it is easy to hop off the uni without problem. The uni is so low to the ground that the pedals will limit cornering speed if not careful. I have not tried to corner sharply on this uni. Because this uni can coast, you could conceivably start at the top of a large hill and gain speed. The brake should be sufficient to slow the rider down. Because the 5″ cottered cranks are short coupled with a single gear this limits the speed a rider can reach by pedaling.

A rider could raise the two front skateboard wheels off the ground and ride as a traditional unicycle. The centre of mass for your legs would be anterior to the wheel, and would force you to lean backward. Because your legs are about 18% of your body weight each, you would need to compensate for a lot of weight. Because there is no fixed gear as on a unicycle, riding would be similar to doing a wheelie on a standard bicycle, albeit without the fine modulation of brake. The backpedal brake is not super smooth. I have not done this as yet.

Daou Unicycle: Rear Wheel assembly, marked Made in China

Daou Unicycle: manufacturing label says Chengdu Zixingche Lingjian San Chang, or the Chengdu Bicycle Parts Factory #3

Overall I find this Daou unicycle interesting to ride. It is not as challenging as a regular unicycle but still offers a challenge over a bicycle. I do like that you can coast, as without handlebars it has the feeling of flying. For a more traditional look you can add a front wheel and handlebars to this if you wish. My two weeds are having some difficulties riding, the older more than the younger. In time they will master this as they have in the past with other balancing challenges.

Daou Unicycle ridden by a clown

Mary Ward's front door archway, a nice piece of steel and glass.

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School is a high school located in North Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, or TCDSB. These tips are primarily from a parent’s viewpoint and will cover uniform, student attitude, working with teacher adviser (TA) and a little on courses. I hope this helps new grade 9 students.

School Uniform

MW will have a uniform fitting day, where new students will be able to purchase their uniform. Uniforms are expensive, and a good fit is important. Note that not all uniform sizes will be available on the fitting day. If your kid is smaller or larger than the norm, it is much better to go to Halpern’s, the uniform store where they have all the options as well as sales folk who know what they are doing. Blouses come in xs as well as youth m and s, which were not available on uniform day. Long sleeve polo shirts can be lengthened or shortened without charge, but you’ll need to wait 2 months. Halpern’s is conveniently located on Consumer’s Road, east of Victoria Park and Sheppard, and is within 20 minutes drive of MW.

Halpern’s has an excellent guarantee policy for their clothing, though you will need to retain your receipt. If you have not worn your uniform yet you can exchange it for a different size. For worn clothing they warranty their clothing for one school year for wear and tear damages. When the serging of one polo shirt started to fray out we returned to the store for a straight exchange. There was no hassle.

MW’s physical education uniform will be given out in PE class. Students receive a “Property of Mary Ward” t-shirt and basketball shorts. The “small” t-shirt is massive. I don’t know if you get a t-shirt each year or one for 4 years.

School uniform adherence varies with the grade. Grade 9 students are monitored somewhat strictly. Some teachers will not allow you to attend class unless properly dressed, while others will give you a warning. Kilts are supposedly to be no more than 13cm from the knee, but due to height differences this reveals more for shorter students and less for taller students. Older students are not monitored as strictly. Older students may be able to get away with wearing non-monogrammed white shirts, for example. While there is no official school tie, some students do wear one, passed down from older students.

Monitoring Students and Teacher Advisor

MW is an alternative school that has no set classes. Students are given lessons and a schedule in which to complete them. It is up to the students to seek help when required. I was initially concerned about this arrangement, as it could allow a student to fail miserably. A Teacher Advisor (TA) is assigned to a group of 16 students. A TA is a regular teacher that also doubles as the overall “helper teacher” for the student’s 4 years at MW.

My fears proved to be unnecessary. Students need check in with their TA thrice a day at 8:30am, 12:45pm and at 3:00pm. There is no ability to surreptitiously skip school. In Grade 9 students are initially coached but are expected to mess up their schedules some time during the year. It is normal for a student to slack off and fall behind the schedule. The first early warning is from the TA to the student, followed by a letter home to the parents, and then a phone call from the TA to the parents. I find this system provides plenty of warning to parents. If parents are uninterested in their child’s progress then the student will fail the course. Summer school is available to those that have done at least some of the work.

There are 18 units in a course. Some units require the student to attend seminars, similar to a classroom lesson. I found it difficult to understand the importance and grading of each unit and how this affects the overall course grade. Instead I focused on ensuring that all units could be completed given the remaining time within the school year. If all units cannot be completed within the school year remedial summer school classes are required. Communication with the TA will help the parent assess if the student has the ability to complete the course within the remaining time.

If a student falls so far behind as to not be able to finish the course they may be told to attend “Student Success” classes, which are classroom taught classes that allow them to catch up. Students do less work and receive a lower mark but still pass.

I found dealing with the TA very friendly and effective. I found Mrs Holmes empathetic, reasonable and effective. She always returned my phone calls. I found it very helpful to cultivate a friendly relationship with the TA early in Grade 9 so that when an intervention is required it will be swiftly dealt with. Other teachers at MW may not return your call, as I found out.

Exams and Preparation

At the end of the year there are exams. Students have one week to prepare for exams but cannot normally start studying beforehand. This is because each unit is returned to the teacher for grading and not handed back to the student. Only a week before the exam, these units are returned. You may ask for your units early but may not receive them. A teacher may tell students to study certain units for the exam but this may not encompass all the exam’s content. There are a maximum of 2 exams per day and there is ample time given to prepare. Early exams are also available.

Extra Fees

The yearly school registration fee of $90 covers locker, lock, yearbook, gym uniform, school BBQ, etc. Almost all courses have extra fees. For us we were charged extra course fees of $60 at the beginning of the year. For music you are required to purchase a mouthpiece or reeds.

Gym had an extra $40 for rock and rope climbing and $20 for a CPR course. Activity day fees are up to $70, depending on the activity chosen.

Grade 9 Elective Courses

I do not have first hand knowledge of all grade 9 electives. It is best to talk to returning grade 9 students before choosing electives. Yes these are optional courses but are still learning opportunities that should not be squandered.

Instrumental Music seems to be elitist and geared to the development of the school band. Students with prior musical experience in Woodwinds and horns are given priority when selecting instruments. Other students will strings or no music experience will be given unpopular instruments that other students have rejected. It may be better to ask to switch courses rather than have a student play an instrument they detest. Instruments are assigned one month after school starts.

Vocal Music is a lot of work and practice. You will perform in the Christmas and Spring concerts as well as the annual play. For those who liked singing students found it interesting. You need to make a commitment to follow the separate schedule for the music department. The teacher can be overly critical of students.

Food & Nutrition actually does very little cooking. There is lots of information about nutrition, which is good. If your child is already somewhat familiar with your kitchen then this course will be boring. On the other hand if your child never helps you prepare a meal, then this course will be a good introduction.

Drama is a simple course where you participate in games in the classroom. This course is for those that detest work. Drama students participate in the annual play. Students really like this course as it is fun.

Visual Arts is a lot of fun. This is a course for people who enjoy art. There are field trips. There is sketching, water colour, sculpting and other aspects of art. Students plan the school art show. Students participate in an egg drop where you build a device to protect the egg as it is dropped off the top of the school.

Business is very technical with a lot of computer time. You are given all your units at once. There are presentations, excel spreadsheets, letter writing, Photoshop, etc. There were mixed reviews from students, who thought it was easy and somewhat boring.

Tech makes projects out of wood. You make a race car, cutting board and a quest project (student chosen project). Tech is very well received, as is the Mr Emer and Harrison, the teachers.

TTC to School, bicycle parking

There are three TTC bus routes to MW: 42 Cummer, 43 Kennedy, and 17C Birchmount (Short turns at Kennedy east of McNichol). 42B Cummer stops at Kennedy and returns westbound. 17C Birchmount can be unreliable and is infrequent. After school it passes the school only ONCE between 3:00 and 3:15, after which there are no other 17C buses. 43 Kennedy is extremely crowded. Leave home early if you rely on this bus.

When the weather is good you can ride your bicycle to school. There is bicycle parking at the school entrance as well as behind the community centre near the fitness centre. Not many kids ride bikes. It is reasonably safe to lock your bike to the bike rack.

Overall my experience as a parent has been positive and reassuring. Yes, there are issues that arise but they are dealt with accordingly. more importantly the feedback from students I have met has been decidedly positive, and they should know.

I have lived in Beijing, China for a couple of years and the bike culture there is pretty safe. This has degraded somewhat now as more people become wealthier and can afford cars. It’s sad to see China go backward on bicycles, but such us progress in the People’s Republic of China.

Taking my son to his sports camp yesterday by bicycle we were waiting at the intersection of Birchmount and Huntingwood for the light to turn green. Once the light turned green I looked to see if the way was clear, when a grey Prius, on a red light, cut us off and made an illegal right turn. The driver made no attempt to stop at the red light and almost ran us over. This is so dangerous and happens all the time. Toronto is a car culture through and through.

In this video a donkey gets t-boned and a motorcyclist gets seriously hurt as he head butts a very large truck hauling scrap metal.

I have been meaning to get a bike rack for quite a number of years. When the kids were small this was not an issue because they could not ride far anyway, but they are growing. We don’t have a large car, so a bike rack is now a necessity. The Swagman 3 bike hitch bike rack seemed to be the strongest and lightest but well made bike rack I could find. It works very well but the experience of installing it provided some interesting surprises.

Before looking for a rack I asked various people what type of bike rack best suited our needs. Friends had a trunk mounted bike rack, which scratched their car up quite badly, which steered me away. They have since abandoned their trunk mounted racks. Since my car has no roof rack and no option to add a roof rack, this type of bike rack was not possible. The last option was the hitch mounted bike rack. Since I am not a trailer type guy and have no friends that are, I also had to research, purchase and install a trailer hitch, already documented in my blog. It’s all still good.

I am an avid internet researcher, so before looking for a rack brand name I scoured the internet. Mountain Equipment Co-op sold a couple types of bike racks. For a couple of decades now I have been using MEC as a trusted source of outdoor gear and they have not let me down. Now in the internet age I use them as a gold stamp of quality for potential purchases. They sold Swagman, so here is where I started my research.

It is clear that Swagman has a good reputation on the internet, with many happy customers. Robust design, strength of materials, good fit and finish and solid racks were all common remarks. Certain rack styles have issues with certain types of vehicles. You need to match your vehicle and needs to the many available rack on the market.

Swagman 3 bike rack installs 11.5 inches from my bumper, not a good fit

My requirements were pretty simple. I have a type I hitch, 1.25″ receiver, capable of holding dead weight of 100-200 lb, depending on who you talk to. Nissan says 100 lb. The U-haul hitch says 200 lbs, but then says 100 lbs for carrying bikes. The dead weight maximum also includes the bike rack, so if the rack weighted 30 lbs, this means there is less available weight for your bicycles. A lightweight but strong bike rack was in order. I settled on the Swagman single arm Original 3 bike rack, model 64121. It’s design is simple and therefore there is less to fail. It does not fold down because I have no need for this feature. Even with the bike rack installed I can still get to my trunk with ease. I would rather have a stronger rack with fewer possible points of failure. It does not have fancy locking mechanisms. Many people who purchase bike racks have said in hindsight that all the fancy locking mechanisms on their racks are ineffective against bike theft, so the upgrade is unnecessary. Why lock your bike to the bike rack, only to have the thief take both your bikes and bike rack? No, we would be using our rack to transport bikes to a park, then disconnect the rack and put it in the trunk. A simple but robust locking mechanism was best. Unfortunately MEC did not sell this type of rack, and the folding version that they did sell was out of stock in Toronto. I decided to order locally and picked up the rack.

S shaped bend creates a kink, does not allow the rack to seat deeply into the hitch receiver

Firstly, the Swagman bike rack came well packaged and finished in the box. Instructions were not too clear and seemed written for an older design version. Since there are few parts, it was not difficult to put it together. The rack materials are thick and seem extremely strong. Bolts, nuts and washers were all provided, and were heavy and strong. One issue that became evident was that the enclosed square stock that attaches to the hitch receiver was way too long, putting the bike rack upright a full 11.5″ away from the bumper. This stock also did not push all the way into my hitch receiver, resulting in a weaker connection. When the rack and bikes are so far from the hitch receiver, this provides a much longer lever arm, which greatly increases forces and vibration to the hitch receiver and therefore the car. Swagman had also designed in an “S” shaped curve in an attempt to raise the rack 2″, but these curves slightly kinked and fattened the square stock where it went into my hitch receiver. I was not too impressed.

Straight bar stock makes Swagman bike rack fit closer to bumber and deeper into hitch receiver

No matter, I had the Swagman web site, so I sent off an email from their “contact us” page, and got a confirmation email that stated an email was sent. I received no reply from the Vernon, BC company. I took some pictures, put up a web page outlining the issue, and sent this off to Swagman. Again no reply. Upon reading the instructions I could not find any warranty information. The store that sold me the rack suggested I email Swagman and ask. Again, for the third email sent, I received no reply. To this date, Swagman has not replied to any of my emails.

My solution was to not use the Swagman provided square stock and to find my own. I settled on a 10.5″ length piece of 1.25″ diameter square stock. I drilled the hole for the hitch pin and the holes to attach to the rest of the bike rack. Overall the rack is now 5.5″ away from my bumper, resulting in a much smaller lever arm and therefore force on the hitch receiver. There is now only 2″ between the bike rack and the hitch receiver. Though I could have reduced this residual 2″ I felt it was more than adequate.

Once installed I found the innermost bike would clang against the bike rack upright. My solution was to sew a long sleeve and attach to the bike rack, preventing metal on metal contact. It also covered up the Swagman logo.

Overall I am happy with the Swagman bike rack, but I had to do some work to make it fit properly. If you do not have the tools to cut heavy metal square stock and drill 3 holes, then maybe consider another type of bike rack. I almost returned this Swagman rack because of the very poor fit to my car and poor customer service.

Here are some pros and cons to the Swagman bike rack:

Pros:

• Strong construction, great fit and finish of bike rack
• Lighter in weight than other racks, but still heavy duty
• Came with all necessary components
• Does not excessively shake when carrying bikes (after I replaced the square stock with a shorter one)
• Inexpensive ($130CAD)
• Simple and relatively light (Original 3 bike version, model 64121)
• Comes with a hitch pin (does not say on the box)

Cons:

• No email or other support for their product
• No warranty. Not stated on box or instructions. No email reply about warranty. No warranty info on their web site. Other manufacturers offer at least a 1 year warranty on their products. Thule, Yakima and Saris all offer a limited lifetime warranty on their products. Even Canadian Tire bike racks (SportRack) have a 1 year warranty.
• Rack did not fit well into my hitch receiver and would have bounced a lot more and with a lot more force (due to 2 times longer lever arm) if I did not fabricate up a shorter piece of square stock.
• Instructions were for an earlier version of the rack
• Innermost bike will clang against the bike rack upright. I sewed up a cloth sleeve to protect my bike and the bike rack.

Burned buses blocked traffic intersections in Downtown Beijing

In our dorm a group of us huddled around, talking about the protests when an excited student arrived. He had just returned from the Square and told us about the killings. I still recall his nonchalant attitude, of telling us an everyday story. He was with a Chinese friend, who was beside him. He heard gunfire and dropped to the ground. Unfortunately his friend did not and was killed. He had his friend’s blood on his shirt. Not only was he not afraid for his life, but thought that the event was so cool. Very cool. Your friend is now dead, and you could have returned to the States in a body bag. That’s so not cool. This guy was actually preparing to return to the Square to see what else was happening.

I returned to my room and turned on my shortwave. These were the days of CCTV only at set times of the day, and no private phones, much less internet. I recall VOA’s broadcast of events as being sketchy on the details. VOA had broadcast that Chinese soldiers had surrounded Beijing University and other nearby universities. I knew that was not true, and hoped my parents were not listening to the broadcast. BBC was much more measured and had more accurate information, which I could verify with eye witness and personal accounts. From that day I had much respect for the BBC’s reporting integrity.

I had a lunch meeting with a Chinese friend the next day, but was not sure if we could still meet. I called her house and she was home. She told me that it was much too dangerous for me to travel down to her place and wanted to postpone. I said I still wanted to visit so she agreed. Her brother, who was about 12 at the time, had gone down to the Square’s perimeter to face the soldiers on the front line and had taunted them and swore at them, and was almost fired upon. They had run after him but he ran away. She was afraid that her brother would get into trouble, be beaten up or killed. He was livid that the Chines People’s Liberation Army would kill their own unarmed citizens.

The University was abuzz with activity, more than usual. As I rode my bike I noticed that all was not well in Beijing. At almost every street intersection cars were blocking the road. Citizens were out on the street screaming loudly and crying. Car traffic had stopped. In the beginning I was able easily ride around cars at intersections, but as I got closer to the city centre more often than not I had to puck up my bike and carry it over the grass dividers that separated traffic.

Very odd was my first sighting of Beijing public transit buses at intersections, torched black. They had obviously been set ablaze and left to block the intersection. I wondered why would people block the intersections anyway, and why would citizens set so many buses on fire? Cars were also turned over and also had been set ablaze.

Beijing was in total chaos. Traffic lights were not working. Intersections were all blocked. There were no police in sight at any intersection. In fact I saw no police nor police vehicles the whole day. As I got closer to the Square I was very thankful I had a 10 speed bicycle, which I could easily pick up and carry over obstacles. There was no way a car could traverse the city.

And all this because of a peaceful student protest? A protest that I thought would peter out. It had been over a month and the university students were back in their dorms recovering. As I looked around the streets I could see that the protest had become much bigger, including workers and common citizens. When trouble brews in China escalation can happen pretty quickly and can easily get out of hand.

Yesterday, on Sunday May 31 2009, my son and I were cycling along Huntingwood Avenue at 10:30 am, in the bicycle lane. We were close to the curb, following all traffic rules, minding our own business. There was no traffic in either direction, until a silver Mercedes-Benz decided the very wide lane of Huntingwood Avenue was too narrow for his liking and decided to veer into the bicycle lane, almost hitting the two of us. Needless to say I was very angry.

There was no need for the carelessness of this idiot driver. Huntingwood Avenue is about 1.5 times the width of a downtown street. The bicycle lane is about a full car lane wide as well. With no traffic, why try to kill us? Such carelessness could have cost us our lives.

While I do enjoy cycling, I much rather prefer living. I read about complaints that dedicated bicycle lanes are unnecessary because of the dearth of cyclists, and this is probably true. The reason there are so few cyclists is because it is just to dangerous to ride a bicycle on Toronto streets without incurring great risk of bodily harm.

You really cannot blame citizens for not cycling if they feel they will get hurt in the process. This should be common sense. Refrain from doing any activity that will result in harm to your body. If and when cyclists feel safe riding on the road, I am sure that more citizens would cycle.

There are many possible reasons why cycling in Toronto is dangerous:

• The level of driving skill of Toronto and specifically Scarborough car drivers is exceptionally low. In mixed traffic pf cars and cyclists, this unduly endangers cyclists.
• Cars park in bicycle lanes. This forced cyclists to veer into the path of car traffic and therefore into greater danger.
• It’s so very easy to hit a cyclist and drive away. The cyclist is down on the ground, the car continues on. It is exceedingly difficult to get the license plate number of the car that hit you, and even then you need to positively identify the driver or the police will not lay charges.
• Fines for hitting a cyclist are pitifully inadequate. It’s almost akin to sanctioned killing.

Until the danger level of cycling on Toronto streets is reduced, riding on side streets or the sidewalk is by far safer for all. On the sidewalks you can slow down or go on the grass to pass pedestrians with little problem. Both parties are safe.

Reducing the risk to cyclists on Toronto streets should include:

• separate cycling lanes, blocked from car traffic by a median. Cars and trucks should not be able to park in a cycling lane
• Increased education to car and truck drivers on the rights of cyclists on the road, the dangers of hitting a cyclist, testing of cycling-related information on the drivers license test.
• Increased number of protected bicycle lanes, with secure areas to lock up your bike.
• Increased fines for hurting and killing a cyclist, which should include further education on the rights of cyclists.

Cyclists are citizens of Toronto and expect the same rights as others. Toronto roads are financed from property taxes. Cyclists pay property taxes like everyone else. Cyclists should therefore expect to use Toronto roads safely, just like everyone else. It’s time Toronto stop being so car centered and share the roads with others.