Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Bremner and Spadina: Still no luck for cyclists

UPDATE: April 13, 2005: The white dots have been removed from the roadway, and the eastbound green light/northbound advance green now seems to cycle automatically, which solves the problem.

Back in the spring of 2002, I wrote to the city about the Waiting for Godot-style traffic light at Bremner and Spadina: the eastbound light is triggered by a magnetic detector loop that doesn't detect bikes. If you sit on a bike in the eastbound lane of Bremner and wait for the light to change, you will wait essentially forever - or until a car comes along, activates the magnetic plate, or 'detector loop', buried in the street, and solves the problem for you. Takes a while to figure this out, though.

This is a pity, as well as being illegal - Bremner is the key to a low-pressure way for cyclists to get under the Gardiner.

Anyway, I didn't use the intersection again until this week, when I found myself, with a powerful sense of deja vu, watching two rivers of cars take turns using the road: Spadina north/south, Bremner westbound to Spadina southbound, Spadina north/south, Bremner westbound to Spadina southbound, and so on - with never a green light for me. I rolled back and forth over the detector strips, hopped on them, stamped on them, but still there was a permanently red light.

Eventually, a car came along and tripped the detector loop, and off we went under our green light.

So: I've updated the Web page I published about the Bremner/Spadina situation two and a half years ago.

It answers these questions:

Airless bike tires?

Anybody try these? The people actually using them seem to be fans, though the best-known retailer has a bad reputation. On the other hand, you can order them directly from the factory.

Google search here.

Factory FAQ here.

Mr. Bike of mrbike.com, aka. Dave Glowacz, author of the indispensable Urban Bikers’ Tricks & Tips, recommends them.

1) Approach barrel. 2) Aim at fish. 3) Fire.

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October 29, 2004 - 08:47 am

Drug arrests
Temperance society restaurant

Toronto Drug Squad
416-808-6100

Starting September 20, 2004, undercover officers from the Toronto Drug Squad South infiltrated the premises known as the "Temperance Society" located at 4 Temperance St. in the Yonge and Queen St. W. area of Toronto.

The Toronto Drug Squad had received numerous complaints of drug dealing taking place inside the premises, and out front on the street. The "Temperance Society" operates under a restaurant licence issued by Municipal Licence and Standards.

This restaurant is frequented by mostly bicycle couriers, but also by employees from neighboring businesses.

Over a period of approximately a month, undercover officers posed as a patron inside the premises. The officer was able to purchase marihuana from several man employees on seven different occasions.

Rest here

If Spreads isn't serving food any more, it makes me wonder a little about the back story about their food inspection results: busted in June of last year for five health violations, and good as gold ever since - did they just stop serving food? I always had the impression that their business model mostly relied on selling huge Dagwood Bumstead-style sandwiches to bike couriers.

in today’s Star

... Inco grows 50,000 subterranean seedlings a season of red pine and jack pine more than a kilometre down (a) 2.3-kilometre mine shaft that is set to plunge further in the next decade to reach more nickel, copper and platinum-group metals. The tree nursery is located at a higher level that has already been depleted of its resources and is no longer in use yet is still easily accessible via mine hoist.

... Growing underground seems completely counter to the concept of, well, garden-variety horticulture that normally occurs out in the open air under just the skies and some much-needed rainfall. But it turns out that a steamy mine is a perfect environment for tree growing. For starters there's a constant humidity and geothermal heat of 25C year-round.

"The underground nursery works because there is an ambient rock temperature, it's warm and you don't have to heat a greenhouse in cold weather in Sudbury.”

one hand clapping

This story isn't all that hard to put together, between the lines: an editorial writer at the Denver Post, clearly no fan of Dubya and all his works, is ordered to write an editoral endorsing his re-election - but is given a free hand about how to make the case. Sam Rosenfeld picks up the story.

... and the world will beat a path to your door

It’s probably against some arcane telecommunications law, but I want one anyway:

from Wired:

TV-B-Gone, a new universal remote that turns off almost any television. The device, which looks like an automobile remote, has just one button. When activated, it spends over a minute flashing out 209 different codes to turn off televisions, the most popular brands first.
. .. Altman said people who hear about TV-B-Gone start thinking about other nuisances. Friends have asked for ways to jam cell phones, shut down vehicle subwoofers and kill car alarms.

full story

At FLIT

BruceR has a better-reasoned defence of the Canadian submarine program than most I’ve seen - more useful to the average citizen than the 'Real navies have subs. Don't you want a real navy?' line of argument elsewhere.

So what is the point of submarines anyway? Nearly every commentator on the fatal fire on HMCS Chicoutimi has questioned that one, to the point where it seems increasingly likely the major upshot of the tragic death of a naval lieutenant will be the abandonment of any subsurface role by the navy.

Before that happens, it is probably worth pointing out that the four diesel submarines are the only dedicated, full-time maritime sovereignty vessels Canada has left. The only ones. If you're a Canadian hypernationalist, or if you believe Canada should help the United States defend the maritime approaches to the country, they're the only naval resources left you should have the slightest interest in.

rest here.

Crazy Biker Chick, more hard-core than me

Crazy Biker Chick, hard-core urban cyclist, lives in Leslieville. She makes a habit of riding out to the Etobicoke Ikea and bringing home major pieces of furniture on her trailer. But some days, that just doesn’t seem challenging enough:

I was getting impatient looking at the old curtain I had jammed into the top of the window where it shuts in the interim, so I used IKEA's handy dandy stock checker to see if any other locations had it. It was in stock at IKEA Vaughan, excellent! Vaughan is just north of the megacity, and not an unreasonable bike ride away (though a bit long carrying back a blind) - around 30 km.

Whole story here.

Oh, *my*

Finder’s points to Kos:
The video worked better for me saved to the desktop first.

The clip is a 'thank you' message taped by Bush for the members of the Iraqi Survey Group. It hasn't been altered in any way.
The fact he can barely finish his sentences should be a genuine cause for concern. This was no impromptu appearance, like his disastrous press conferences and debate appearances. This was a planned, scripted, recorded address.
I'm starting to think rumors of Bush's ill health may have basis in reality. Watch the clip and decide for yourself. It clearly made a stir amongst the members of the ISG.

Partisan sympathy aside –

- when people talk about all the antagonism, lost privacy, frayed family relationships and so forth of a life in politics, I think they have in mind experiences like this.

Italy pix

Click on image to start:

A boy can dream –

An unsigned essay at the transittoronto blog (I have the impression it's by James Bow) has fun with the idea of a drastically expanded subway system. Mount Dennis station, anyone?

This is what the subway could look like if I had my way. The Sheppard subway would be extended to the Airport via the 401, Vaughan would get its connection, and the Downtown Relief Line would provide rapid service downtown.