Public Bikes and Public Spaces

Back in July, Toronto announced that it would attempt to bring the Bixi bike sharing programme to the city. A big condition was that Bixi would need to have 1000 people purchase the $95 annual subscription to the service before the imposed deadline of November first. Well here we are on October 19th, and Bixi has reached the 1000 member mark, in large part due to an investment from AutoShare.

The car-sharing company AutoShare announced Monday night that it bought 100 of the $95 annual subscriptions, pushing the total over 1,000. The announcement was made to room full of BIXI subscribers gathered for a party at the Steam Whistle Brewery. “There was a big cheer, that’s for sure,” said AutoShare president Kevin McLaughlin, who called the purchase an investment in BIXI. “The bigger picture is bringing a better transportation system to Toronto,” he said.

Read more at The Toronto Star, or at Bixi Toronto.

In other good Toronto news, the University of Toronto is experimenting with the creation of new, pedestrian only spaces. The idea is undergoing a real-time evaluation by closing down little-used roads and setting up tables, chairs, and fake grass. Although one area wasn’t very successful (Devonshire between Bloor and Hoskin), the other is flourishing. Willcocks Street between St. George and Huron is being heavily used by students, faculty, and random passers-by as a place to meet, work, and enjoy free Wi-Fi. Evaluation of the concept will continue until the winter, when a decision will be made whether or not to turn the temporary set-up into something more permanent.

More information can be found at Spacing.ca.

Retire at 45

Tim Stobbs is set to retire at 45 because he wants to and he has tips to help you retire early. He has a good approach between balancing life and money with having to do work: essentially find out what you enjoy and be engaged with it and spend/consume as little as possible.

All the money in the world won’t keep boredom at bay. How many TV reruns can you watch? How many rounds of golf can you play? In my case I have too many things I want to do in life to spend my time working until I’m 65. I enjoy writing, love to cook, garden and make my own wine (which is actually good after I learned why I made my first batch undrinkable). I also like to fix up my house and I’m involved in my community as a school board trustee.

Tim’s description of himself on his blog:

Tim also knows he does not need a lot of money to be happy. In fact most of the stuff he loves in life he can get for free from the library. So that is helping out a lot as he tries cutting back to find the perfect balance point between spending money and being happy.

Read his tips at The Star and you can follow his blog at Canadian Dreams.

Rescue of Chilean Miners Underway

Rescue efforts in Chile have come to fruition today as the first of the trapped miners have been raised to ground level. You may not agree with the reasons the miners were there in the first place, but no one can deny that the pending rescue of 33 miners is incredible. Trapped underground since August 5th, they have endured more time trapped underground than anyone in documented history.

The rescue operation has proceeded nearly as smoothly as could be expected by the team of more than 1,000 that spent so long planning this moment. Crews have had to adjust the door to the capsule, and make other small changes along the way, but the miners have been evacuated almost exactly as planned.

Delirious celebration erupted across “Camp Hope,” the encampment of waiting families and media, as the first miner rescued, Florencio Avalos, emerged.

Read more at The Globe and Mail, or pretty much any news outlet anywhere in the world. This isn’t just good news, it’s big news!

Toronto’s First Bike Boxes

Cyclists in Portland have long since known the benefits of Bike Boxes (also called advance stop lines.) which allow a safe place for cyclists to stop at an intersection. This gives cyclists increased visibility when taking the lane to make a left turn, and generally increases the safe space around bikes. Toronto’s first bike boxes have sprouted up at Harbord and St. George recently and although many motorists and cyclists are unfamiliar with them, they’re a step in the right direction!

Read more of Derek Flack’s article at BlogTO.

Toronto is Getting Better

There’s an election happening in Toronto right now and all the campaigns lack optimism and the people have noticed. Local columnist Christopher Hume has compiled a fun list of things that are good which are already under development in Toronto. He wants to help people realize all the good things happening in the city – good for him and good for Toronto.

Nuit Blanche: One night, one million people and 130-odd art installations scattered throughout the core; the result is the most genuinely popular cultural event in Toronto. The fifth edition, held this past weekend, closed off much of the downtown stretch of Yonge and Bloor streets for 12 hours of pedestrian freedom. Despite annual complaints of drunkenness and loutish behaviour, Nuit Blanche is a brilliant way of getting Torontonians engaged in their city at street level.

…
Evergreen Brickworks: Much remains to be done, but already this innovative and thoroughly entertaining complex has become a gateway to the Toronto ravine system and ecological urbanism. It also happens to be one of the most extensive and imaginative heritage rehabilitation schemes ever seen in Toronto. With several large galleries, classrooms and various amenities, indoors and out, this is a place to see an exhibition, take a course, eat dinner, go for skate or enjoy the views.

Right the rest of Hume’s article.