At yesterday's Cable 14 debate, Toby, one of the other Ward 13 candidates, got a question from a citizen concerning the Cannon Street cycle track, which puzzled me a for a second because it really wasn't something I was expecting to come up in a debate ostensibly about Dundas.
It was a shame I didn't get the question because it would have been a really easy one to answer. I can't claim any credit for the project but I am vice-chair of the Hamilton Cycling Committee and we did lend our support to the Yes We Cannon campaign and we reviewed the detail design quite thoroughly as it was being developed.
I was also able to follow the installation of the cycle track at our meetings and from the many posts on Twitter, especially from the Raise the Hammer account. In retrospect, that question might have worked out just fine since I got to hear about the project from an outside perspective.
Anyhow, I got tied up in a bunch of stuff this morning and didn't manage to get out of the house until after lunch. I was running some errands at University Plaza when I looked up at the sky and said to myself, "I need to go for a bike ride."
I hopped onto my old single-speed race bike and made my way out to the rail-trail. All of a sudden, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, my breathing got deeper and a wide smile spread across my face. Bike rides will do that to you.
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| Studholme & Aberdeen leading to Glenside |
I was so happy to see the new last bit of trail leading from Studholme to Glenside through the Chedoke golf course. This little stretch of pavement has been a major battle for Staff at the City and I'm pleased to report that it rides great!
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| Umm? |
I took Dundurn to Herkimer to Hess and coasted down to Cannon. There were tons of emergency vehicles everywhere and it looked like there was a very serious accident at Bay and York. Volume was really high on Hess but I didn't really expect to see such blatant disregard for the bike lane as what I've shown in this picture. The best part is that as I was Tweeting about this pic, a DARTS bus did the same exact thing.
I'm not trying to shame this driver - I just want to point out that there is still a lot of work left to do to with regards to education around all this fancy new paintwork. It's new to all of us - riders need help too.
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| Yes We Cannon! |
I'm going to cut to the chase and tell you that the Cannon cycle track is amazing! It was busy with other riders and you really do feel safe there. I highly recommend that you try it if only to see the potential for more similar projects.
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| The Donut Box! |
One of the best things about the Cannon Street track is that it practically dumps you right into the shiny new Tim Hortons Field. Wow is that place incredible! I absolutely love how the plaza opens right onto the field. I can hardly wait until the boy is old enough to sit through a game there!
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| GO @ James North |
From there, I rode Cannon back to James and made my way to the GO station construction site. I'm happy to report that it looks great and there was a sizable crowd on the MacNab bridge watching all the action.
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| The Bay |
From there, it was a short zip down to Bayfront and the Waterfront Trail. The picture says it all. #happyplace
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| Target?!? |
Under the high-level bridge, I happened upon this odd little cart. Could it have been all the way from Waterdown?
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| Cormorant's Paradise |
There were tons of cormorants in Coote's Paradise.
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| Westdale gem |
As I made my way through Westdale back to Dundas, I stopped to take a good long look at this house. This is a great looking project and it is interesting to note that it's from the same architects that have done the basic work behind the new development in Dundas on Main across from Town Hall. You can see more here:
http://dpai.ca/.
I really enjoyed my ride and it got me out to a whole bunch of stuff I'd really been meaning to visit. Beautiful day, beautiful ride!
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