Cycling Advocacy and You
Why should I care about advocacy?
No matter what type of cycling you do, whether it's hardcore off-road, long distance road touring, or just scooting down to the local
store for milk, the state of cycling advocacy in Ontario can and will eventually effect you. There are more than a few politically
aligned groups out there who dislike sharing roads, paths, and forests with cyclists. There are also a lot of ways that the government, at
the urging of these groups, can affect your ability to cycle. Bicycles are regulated as vehicles under the Ontario Highway Traffic
Act and likely more strictly than you know!
What should I know about cycling and Ontario Law?
For starters, all the rules of the Highway Traffic Act that apply to vehicles, apply to cyclists (ie. stopping at red
lights, etc.). Over and above those there are a few cycling specific rules. They state that a bicycle, to be legal,
must be equipped with:
- A bell or horn. It is a $105 fine otherwise.
- Reflective tape, 25cm long and 2.5cm wide (minimum) on the front and rear forks (stays). White on the front and red on the back. $105 fine.
- Brakes on at least the rear wheel. $105 fine.
- Lights and reflectors if riding at night. The law defines night as the time from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 min. after sunrise. Again that's
a white light on the front and red on the back. Reflectors alone are not enough. $35 fine.
And the law now says that if you are under 18 years of age, you must also be wearing an approved helmet. $75 fine otherwise.
You won't see a lot of riders who have made themselves and their bikes completely legal and thus we are almost all at the wims and mercy of
those who enforce these laws.
On top of the troubles you can run into on the roads, mountain bikers also have land access troubles to contend with. If land owners like
local conservation authorities decide they do not want bikes, then we're S.O.L. Land owners only tend to react to problems and hikers and
equestrians aren't usually complaining for no reason. Cyclists have to educate themselves and always ride responsibly!
What can we do as riders?
The first step, as a mountain biker, is to learn, follow and spread the word about trail etiquette. Just a few simple rules (self imposed) solve
most of the land access troubles. The International Mountain Biking Association or IMBA has these simple suggestions.
- Plan Ahead - Don't get caught freezing and alone miles from help if you get a flat tire.
- Leave No Trace - Whatever you had when you arrived, is what you leave with. No Power Bar wrappers in the forest please!
- Always Yield the Trail - Let both hikers and equestrians know when you're coming. Slow down or even dismount to pass.
- Never Spook Animals - Forest life doesn't like to have nests and youngins disrupted. A spooked horse could become a deadly situation
so always ride as if you're expecting something around the next corner!
- Control Your Bicycle - Downhill speed runs are for organized races, not the local trail!
- Ride Open Trails Only - Whenever your are in the forest, be it on bike or foot, stick to the trails, and the open trails at that. Riding
a closed trail will only make cycling advocacy in your area that much harder!
What else can we do?
There are a number of cycling advocacy groups that you can join. From international groups such as
IMBA, to small local groups who lobby for access
to particular areas. The first step, if you want to put your energy, time, and money to the problems cycling face is to contact the Ontario
Cycling Association. The OCA can be reached at:
Ontario Cycling Association
1185 Eglington Avenue East
North York, Ontario
M3C 3C6
Phone : (416) 426-7242
Fax : (416) 426-7349
Web :
http://www.ontariocycling.org
If you are a mountain biker and worried about someone closing your local trail then
why not invest some elbow grease, rather than just some cash for a membership fee
in another club? To save a trail, nothing works better than volunteering to keep
the trails maintained! Stay tuned and I'll try to come up with contacts for some
of the more popular trails such as those in the Dundas Valley.
If you have any good links to or addresses for conservation authorities or land owners
please drop me an e-mail with that information! Thanks.
As another alternative to inaction, why not show your support for all cyclists by
participating in a Critical Mass Ride? With over 100 cities participating
on a regular basis, there's bound to be a group of cyclists in your area who are
using the Critical Mass style of social disobedience to make the plight of the
cyclist heard. The Toronto Critical Mass
Ride hits the streets with hundreds of riders on the last Friday of every
month! Visit their web site for more info.
For an excellent look at cycling advocacy on the web, check out the
Ontario Coalition for Better Cycling at
their homepage. As well as contacts for your local area they offer some really well
written articles with great advice on how to stay active and stay safe. Note that I
have had some troubles following this link recently...I'm looking for the updated URL.
In my search for the new URL of the OCBC I luckily stumbled across
Cycling.org and their handy list of
Cycling Groups from around the
world. Follow the link to Canada and then Ontario for an impressive list of
people in your area who want to help local cyclists.
This page will contain more specifics on other local organizations in the future.
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This page last updated July 25th, 1997