Scarborough Cycles is a community based program that is promoting cycling in the east end of the city. They have been running programs for three years now, including safe cycling workshops, group rides, and DIY drop in bike repair. They are currently based at Accesspoint Danforth, on Danforth just east of Victoria Park. They advertised a winter group ride, and I thought that I’d join in.
Here is our group at the start of the ride. Program manager Marvin is in blue, together with three of their youth volunteers, and Linda, who came over from midtown to join in as well.
Here we go down Victoria Park. The pavement is in pretty bad shape, but I’ve seen potholes all over the city after this particularly cold winter.
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Downhill towards the lake.
On the Martin Goodman Trail, just west of Balmy Beach.
Working our way around one of the many remaining patches of black ice.
As we approached Woodbine Beach, we took the opportunity to check out the Winter Stations. Some of them were not finished yet, as the official opening is not until this Monday. We liked this Pussy Hat. The extensions made for nicely padded seating.
The next one had some pivoting cones on stilts. I was a bit disappointed that they weren’t designed to make noise; the cones were just hollow.
Here’s a closeup of one of their program bikes: a nicely kitted out Simcoe city bike.
Could have used a fat bike today.
The next exhibit was still under construction.
Regrettably, we didn’t have time to check the two or three remaining stations. We decided to head back up the hill, taking advantage of the Woodbine bike lane. Here we are riding through the infill neighbourhood that used to be the site of the Woodbine race track.
Marvin in the lead.
Here we are on Dixon Rd, which is the short east-west connector to the Woodbine bike lanes. They end one block north of Queen St.
Some green paint has been laid down near some of the intersections. Here the green paint is “protecting” us from the cars to our left that are wanting to turn right.
Then a quick ride east along the Danforth back to home base.
Marvin got this shot of me riding sweep.
The community hub has many services, including a walk in medical clinic, education workshops, settlement services, and youth activities. Here are just a few shots of the interior of the building, which is a converted warehouse. The green roof has some gardens for produce, herbs, etc.
This shot looking down at the first floor shows the movable walls that are used to reconfigure rooms to accommodate events of different sizes. The place was buzzing, with a Bengali language activity in one area, and a seed swap in another.
Scarborough Cycles has big plans for 2018. Last year they provided about 1300 services, while they were running from May to December. This year they will be running all year round (hence the winter group ride), they have a second bike hub at the Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre, and they will be opening a third bike hub. As Marvin pointed out to the audience at this year’s Reading Line, there is only one bike shop in Scarborough, and so these bike hubs provide an accessible and essential service to the community.
Thanks to Marvin for showing me around, and for organizing today’s ride.
I noticed in the pics of the Martin Goodman trail, a blue and a turquoise line painted down the middle of the path. That’s not something I see here in the USA. What are the for?
it’s just to indicate that it is part of the Martin Goodman trail, which is multiuser. In many places, it is doubled with a separate sidewalk, which doesn’t have a stripe.
It looks like you didn’t actually ride in Scarborough proper. Also do you ever have events in east Scarborough?
I was not the ride leader, but Marvin is committed to increasing bike culture all over Scarborough. They are opening their third bike hub this summer.