shootingstar
11-26-2012, 04:52 AM
After living in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary and for all these cities living near bike routes, both off and on-road routes, near large parks..I've concluded as a cyclist using routes regularily:
*Calgary is full of joggers. You see waaaaayy more than cyclists. Even when it's very cold, less of them. But you still see them.
*Calgary's bike paths in morning on weekends are practically quiet until around 8:00 or 9:30 am --even on a beautiful summer, fall day. Torontonians do hit the bike paths, routes by then on a summer day.
*I think there are alot of skiers. x-country skiing is big in our area. Except people go to the Rockies to do this. That's about 80 km away for closest area.
*Number of women I see cycling downtown for work, is very low. Lower than Toronto or Vancouver.
*Number of women cyclists in winter in Calgary and Toronto is very low.
*VAncouver has lots of cyclists. More than Calgary. Waaaay more women cycling as commuters, etc. Vancouver cyclists know how to use their bus bike racks. Toronto cyclists aren't used to them, they just got there's installed within the last few years.
*Toronto does get decent cycling traffic through its major parkway systems which span a large area. And in its downtown area with commuters.
For all 3 cities, you could concoct a day bike trip that would be 100 km. which will take yhou into all 4 quadrants of the city with at least 65-70% of it on signed bike routes and bike paths. I have been on such trips for Vancouver and Toronto. We haven't done it for Calgary but the bike map easily maps this. We've cycled 100 km. several times out and back between downtown and city edge in 1 direction.
However I haven't lived in Toronto for awhile. So maybe a Torontonian can respond. But one thing for certain, the car traffic and winters in Toronto hasn't changed.
Just informal observations
*Calgary is full of joggers. You see waaaaayy more than cyclists. Even when it's very cold, less of them. But you still see them.
*Calgary's bike paths in morning on weekends are practically quiet until around 8:00 or 9:30 am --even on a beautiful summer, fall day. Torontonians do hit the bike paths, routes by then on a summer day.
*I think there are alot of skiers. x-country skiing is big in our area. Except people go to the Rockies to do this. That's about 80 km away for closest area.
*Number of women I see cycling downtown for work, is very low. Lower than Toronto or Vancouver.
*Number of women cyclists in winter in Calgary and Toronto is very low.
*VAncouver has lots of cyclists. More than Calgary. Waaaay more women cycling as commuters, etc. Vancouver cyclists know how to use their bus bike racks. Toronto cyclists aren't used to them, they just got there's installed within the last few years.
*Toronto does get decent cycling traffic through its major parkway systems which span a large area. And in its downtown area with commuters.
For all 3 cities, you could concoct a day bike trip that would be 100 km. which will take yhou into all 4 quadrants of the city with at least 65-70% of it on signed bike routes and bike paths. I have been on such trips for Vancouver and Toronto. We haven't done it for Calgary but the bike map easily maps this. We've cycled 100 km. several times out and back between downtown and city edge in 1 direction.
However I haven't lived in Toronto for awhile. So maybe a Torontonian can respond. But one thing for certain, the car traffic and winters in Toronto hasn't changed.
Just informal observations