I just read a great article dealing with riding one’s bike on the sidewalks of Toronto. I found it on the Torontoist and it is written by Kevin Plummer. While it talks about the problem in Toronto, it is easy to see how it could be applied to other urban centers. Check it out!
Spring is finally here and soon it will be summer. Between the rainy and gloomy days, to be followed by the “Can I get some oxygen with this humidity” days, many people of all ages enjoy spring time activities such as roller blading, walking and of course biking.
The City of Hamilton and the area around the McMaster University campus offer some great trails and paths for people to explore on the ol’ two-wheeled stallion. Biking is a great way to stay in shape and explore the city without having to worry about paying $1.50/L for gas or polluting. Riding a bike also allows you to explore places that are unreachable by car alone (for example the Princess Point habitat). As fun as cycling is, the old adage “it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye,” unfortunately, still applies.
To enjoy biking safely you must be aware of the rules and regulations surrounding this activity and also how to stay safe. I will not go into too much detail and please do not take the information below as written in stone (that means don’t tell the nice officer that pulled you over because you didn’t stop at a stop sign that I said it was alright to do so. Chances are (s)he hasn’t heard of me).
The most important thing to remember when you are riding a bicycle is that under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) of Ontario you are a vehicle. This means that all the rules, rights and responsibilities of the road apply to you at all times: stop at stop signs, yield at yield signs, don’t ride on the sidewalk, etc. According to the Ministry of Transportation’s page on Cycling and the Law “[c]yclists charged for disobeying traffic laws will be subject to a minimum set fine and a Victim Surcharge fine of $20.00 for most offences.” Cycling offences along with the sections of the HTA which they break and the respective fines include:
- HTA 144/136 – Traffic signals and signs: stop for red lights and stop signs and comply with all other signs. Set fine: $85.00 (Just for fun, check out the McMaster Security Service’s Crime beat page and look under “University Offences.” There are always “several tickets issued for not stopping at a stop sign.)
- HTA 142 – Signalling a turn: before turning, look behind you and signal your turn. Cyclists can use their right arm to signal a right turn. Set fine: $85.00
- HTA 140(1) 144(29) – Crosswalks: yield or stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. Set fine: $85.00
- HTA 140(6)/144(29) – No riding in crosswalks: walk your bike when crossing at a crosswalk. Set fine: $85.00
- HTA 62(17) – Lights: a bike must have a white front light and a red rear light or reflector if you ride between 1/2 hour before sunset and 1/2 hour after sunrise and white reflective tape on the front forks and red reflective tape on rear forks. Set fine: $20.00
- HTA 178(2) – Passengers: Passengers are not allowed on a bicycle designed for one person. Set fine: $85.00
- HTA 104 – Helmets: Every cyclist under the age of eighteen must wear an approved bicycle helmet. Parents or guardians shall not knowingly permit cyclists under sixteen to ride without a helmet. Set fine: $60.00
For a more comprehensive list, check out the MTO page.
One thing to keep in mind is that since you are a vehicle, you have to “pull over” when a police officer (and yes McMaster Security i.e. Mac50 counts too) flags you down. This means that the infraction has the potential to go on your driving record. Yes your DRIVING record. I have not heard of it happening to anyone that I know but the potential is there.
When you are pulled over, the officer will ask you to identify yourself. Section 218 of the HTA deals with this situation and states that you must identify yourself. Don’t go pulling out your driver’s license just yet though. All you need to give is your correct name and address and that’s all. By doing this you save yourself the potential hassle of having a blemish on your driving record. Under the HTA, this all the information you must give the officer, nothing more.
I notice many people around campus do not wear helmets while riding. The law does say everyone under 18 must wear one but I think it’s a good idea to wear a helmet no matter how old you are. I will not go into a big lecture about how helmets save lives, but I will say this: they keep your noggin’ from getting a knockin’. I have myself had a few spills and while I would like to say that I know how to fall properly, my helmet did hit the ground on a few of those occasions. They may not be pretty, they certainly don’t do anything for your hair, but they get the job done.
The MTO has a great page with tips on sizing a bike, doing a safety check and more.
Staying safe is about more than just wearing the right equipment and obeying the rules of the road. As a cyclist you are (most of the time) invisible to drivers. Even though under law they are required to share the road with you, some don’t and drive precariously close to you. Again, the MTO has a few pages on Riding in Traffic which are definitely worth a read, if only for the proper way to change lanes and signaling a turn.
As a cyclist you must always be aware of those around you, while at the same time be aware that they may not be looking for you. This is why you should try to make yourself stand out as much as possible. Wear brightly coloured clothing, have a proper set of lights on your bike or helmet (set them to blink so that pedestrians and drivers can you see you further away, even in daylight), have reflective materials on your school bag or on the leg of your pants (those Halloween bracelets Tim Hortons’ used to give out a few years back are wonderful). Don’t blend in with the background.
The best advice I can give you while biking is: “Stay alert! Stay safe!”
Happy cycling!
Some reference pages:
Ontario’s Guide to Safe Cycling (MTO)
Highway Traffic Act
City of Hamilton Cycling
Hamilton Urban Bike Routes (PDF)
Hamilton Rural Bike Routes (PDF)
OSAP, the Ontario Student Assistance Program, “provides assistance in various forms to over 200,000 students per year.” They give you money to pay for school which you will pay back once you have graduated.
The 2008-2009 applications are not available yet, however the OSAP site has gone through a dramatic change. It is more informative than in years before, and even allows you to get an idea of how much aid to expect.
To get a rough estimate of the amount you can expect to receive, go to the OSAP site (http://osap.gov.on.ca). In the left sidebar, under Planning, click OSAP Aid Estimator.
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Read the information on the page then click NEXT. This next page tells you that the information you will be providing is similar to the one you will need to provide when you fill in your actual application. It also reminds you that this is a rough estimate and that your assessment may be less when you fill out the actual application (so don’t start spending the money just yet).
On the next page find McMaster University in the list, type in your program name and click SEARCH. Unfortunately the search is not that great. It will give you all program matches for the keywords you entered (in my case, all matches for “computer” and “engineering”). Find your program in the list and also make sure that the year column shows the year you will be entering in September 2008.
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After you have selected your program, you will be taken to the “Personal Circumstances” page. The choices here are a bit confusing so make sure you read them and understand what they mean. As the note at the top says “Most single high school students with no dependent children will check the last statement, “none of the above statements applies to you “. Choose the correct answers for your particular situation and click NEXT.
Next is the “Financial Circumstances” page where you will be entering how much you expect to earn over the summer and during the school year. You also enter the value of your vehicle (if you own one), of your RRSP (if you have one) and other investments and savings. If some of these do not apply to you just enter 0.
Once you click next you will be taken to your estimated summary. On this page you are shown an estimate of your costs then an estimate of the OSAP funding you will receive. The costs estimate includes tuition, compulsory fees (ugh), books and supplies and travel and living allowances. The estimated funding is broken up into provincial and federal student loans and provincial and federal in-year grants. You also get a link to find out about financial aid available from McMaster.
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Near the bottom of the page you are shown your Estimated Outstanding Debt which is usually reduced to $7,000 per year by the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant. You are also shown an estimated Tax Credit.
The OSAP site, http://osap.gov.on.ca, has a wealth (HA!) of information on the program and it now includes some great functionality. Apart from seeing how much to expect in funding, you can also calculate how much you can expect to pay back when you graduate and what aid is available from the school of your choice.
