Can light rail lead to urban

renewal in Detroit?

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A P R I L . 1 7 . 2 O 1 3 • V O L # 8 5 • I S S U E # 3 8

What Windsor’s 2O13 budget has planned for cycle lanes and buses 14g

B I K E STRAINSB U S E SFERRIES-IT’S THE ALT. TRANSPORTATION

I S S U E

We look at four locally made bicycles 8 & 1Og

YOUR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

• photo Mikael Colville-Andersenfrom the book Cycle Chic courtesy Thames Hudson

[review pg gO9]

VOL.85 • ISSUE38APRIL 17 2O13

2O13staffeditor-in-chief • NATASHAMARAReditor@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3909

managing editor • STEPHENHARGREAVESme@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3932

art director • STEPHENHARGREAVESme@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3932

news editor • FAIZAMIRZAnews@uwindsorlance.ca• ext.3906

arts editor • arts@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3910

sports editor • JOHNDOHERTY sports@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3923

multimedia editor • JOLIEINTHAVONGmedia@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3932

features & opinions editor • JONLIEDTKEfeatures@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3932

advertising manager • VICTORMACERAads@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3604

business manager • VICTORMACERAads@uwindsorlance.ca • ext.3905

staff reporter • JAYVERSPEELTillustrator • LIQIcirculation manager • JOEYACOTT

tel. 519.253.3000ads. 519.971.3604

uwindsorlance.cafacebook.com/uwindsorlancetwitter @uwindsorlanceinstagram @uwindsorlance

thelance • university of windsor401 SUNSET AVE. WINDSOR, ONCANADA N9B3P4

mission statementThe goal of the Lance is to produce a weekly news paper that provides informative and accurate accounts of events and issues relevant to the University of Windsor, its students and the sur-rounding community.

The Lance acknowledges its privileged position in being free from commercial and administrative controls. We strive to protect that position by vigorously defending our editorial autonomy.

Our mandate is to cover issues that affect students. However, we believe that no subject need fall outside the grasp of the student press, and that we best serve our purpose when we help widen the boundaries of debate on educational, social economic, environmental and political issues.

The Lance and its staff shall, at all times, strive to adhere to the Code of Ethics of the Canadian University Press. Any material containing a racist, sexist or otherwise prejudicial substance or tone will not be printed.

The Lance is published by the University of Windsor Students’ Al-liance and prints every Tuesday of the fall and winter semesters. Its offices are located in the basement of the CAW Student Centre.

Unsigned editorials are produced by the Lance editorial board, or printed with their permission, and may not reflect the beliefs of all its members. Opinions expressed in the Lance are not neces-sarily those of the University of Windsor or the Students’ Alliance. Submissions are welcome and become the property of the news pa per. Submissions must be e-mailed. The editor reserves the right to edit for space and clarity.

Letters will be accepted until the Thursday before publication and must include the writer’s name, major of study and phone number. Contents ©2013. Reproduction in any way is forbidden without the written permission of the Editor-in-Chief. The Lance is a member of the Canadian University Press.

complaintsComments, concerns or complaints about The Lance’s content are to be e-mailed to the Editor-in-Chief at the address above. If the Editor-in-Chief is unable to resolve a complaint it may be taken to the Lance Editorial Board. If the Editorial Board is unable to resolve a complaint it may be taken to the non-partisan University Ombudsperson. The Ombudsperson can be reached at 519.253.3000 ext.3400.

“The Lance is very important independent newspaper. It is important to our students, it is important to our community and there is a great interest in what is happening here. …we can work together to get this really important newspaper stabilized again for students. I have no doubt that there is a lot of passion for The Lance … it’s really important because obviously The Lance is a part of student experience here.” Alan WildemanUniversity of Windsor president

“In the late 70s and early 80s I was a Lance staffer and, eventually, its editor-in-chief in 1980-81. Along the way, I worked with Rick Spence (one of Canada’s most highly regarded business writers and consultants), Anna Marie Tremonti (globe-trotting CBC TV correspondent and now a national CBC Radio host), Don Peppin (now a senior producer of CBC Sports), Pe-ter Haggert (now with the To-ronto Star’s Metroland chain), Eric Mayne (subsequently one of North America’s leading automotive industry analysts), Steve Rice (long-time sports editor of the Sratford Beacon-Herald), Anne Rappe (a com-munications and media rela-tions director for a number of provincial agencies), Mark Greene (marketing and ad-vertising for the LCBO) and Peter Hrastovec (local lawyer, former chamber of commerce president, actor, author, ra-conteur). The Lance— not the university’s classrooms— was the hands-on training ground for all of these individu-als, and many more ... and it should be maintained, in as full a form as possible, as both an educational and journalistic entity.”E.P. ChantFormer editor-in-chief, The Lance

“Not only is there a long history of student journalism at stake, there are a couple of other minor issues— free speech, independent press, the check-and-balance of (student) government and (student) press ... what’s going on down there? Perhaps you can look into The Lance ar-chives and enlist some of the Lance/U of W alumni in your cause— there are plenty of lawyers and business people among them... don’t give up!” Ed McMahonUniversity of Windsor alumni

“Local clients (typically small business owners) tend to be oriented towards more traditional marketing platforms even in difficult economic climates, which makes maintaining a print presence more important than ever in building the founda-tion for sustainable online revenues in the future. … I met with The Lance’s manage-ment staff while attending the spring regional conference they hosted this past month and was struck by how astute, passionate, and open to the possibility of change they were. I am confident that given the time and resources to address whatever concerns your own institution has in regards to their operations, they will impress you as much as they have their peers within the campus press.”Ashleigh BrownBusiness Manager, The Gateway newspaper, University of Alberta

“The Lance ... is an important part of the university experi-ence and also the interaction with the community, events etc. The closing of a newspa-per that is as critical to media as an outlet should have much more consideration before it’s closed.” Rob AllchinUniversity of Windsor alumni

“The Lance is a great publi-cation and is led by a dedicat-ed individual with a talented group of people. A student newspaper is important for morale and information. It helps businesses advertise and students engage in cam-pus life. Keep The Lance in print!”Nadia DiDomenicoWindsorite

“As managing editor of The Lance, 1978, I’m saddened by this decision. If anyone doubts the benefits of learn-ing hands-on publishing, just Google Rick Spence, my editor at the time, to see what he’s up to these days. I may have veered away from a media career, but the lessons I learned were invaluable.” Paul ChernishFormer managing editor, The Lance

“This is another example of the importance of print acces-sibility being forgotten. Your publication is used by me— a professional youth librarian to assist the teens in pro-grams. The Lance is an excel-lent resource and a physical example of publication.” Mary-Lou GelissenWindsorite

“This is shocking to me! How is this possible we need this publication for students to continue in dialogue about University of Windsor inter-ests!” Mandy TurnerUniversity of Windsor student

“How will the school attract students interested in learning the ropes of old school jour-nalism? Blogs and podcasts cannot do the heavy lifting that print and long-form journalism not only allow but demand. The university is do-ing itself no favours here.” Timothy DugdaleWindsorite

“Shameful! As a Lance alumni I witnessed the student council try this 35 years ago. The new council is even less brave— shutter the paper at the end of the year. Same reason— they disagreed with the editor. Fight on brave Lancers! And remember what Chuck the Duck famously said: “Don’t tread on me! Free The Lance!” Mark D. GreenFormer staffer, The Lance

“With my first semester at the U of W only a few months away, I am really sad to hear that they’re trying to stop the printing of The Lance. It is a great and easily accessible news outlet for students to use. More than that, though, it’s a tradition. It brings pride and spirit to the school and provides first-hand experi-ence to any students interest-ed in journalism. Seeing your own words on a page is much more satisfying than seeing them on a web page could ever be. My senior year was ruined when our extra cur-riculars weren’t able to run. I really hope the printing of The Lance isn’t put to a stop before I even have a chance to read it.”Will RaymondWindsorite

“Did anyone consider that cancelling a print edition might affect contractual obligations to advertisers that paid for multiple issues? Your ill-informed decision could very likely end up increasing the deficit.”Paul SynnottWindsorite

“Why must we throw away 85 years of tradition? Why limit student’s opportuni-ties for work and volunteer experience? Why get rid of the organization that brings all campus clubs, teams and students together? Why take away an organization that bridges gaps between the university campus and Wind-sor community? A paper form of the Lance can reach areas of our community that the In-ternet can’t. The Lance stands for more than news and a whole lot more than money. We can’t afford to lose it.”Kathleen CameronWindsorite

“Of all our members, The Lance is one publication that has shown some of the most significant growth and de-velopment over the past year and to cease print publication would be a massive blow to the positive momentum that your newspaper has. Adver-tising revenue is still the best possible income source for any publication. By not allow-ing The Lance to solicit print advertising, you effectively re-move any opportunity for fu-ture growth and development of the publication. … the fact that this action to cease print publication of The Lance was done without any consultation with the editorial staff of the paper or the students who pay for it is inappropriate, heavy handed, and is not working towards the best interests of the students at the University of Windsor.”Sam BrooksPresident, Canadian University Press

“One of the things I am most proud of The Lance for doing is bridging that gap between the university campus and the rest of Windsor. The Lance is not only distributed and read across campus, but all across Windsor, and that readership is among the paper’s most loyal. I’ve seen a few choice quotes from Windsorites who feel the same way, who feel that The Lance has finally become a paper worth picking up, the amazement they’ve expressed with the turnaround it has undergone, and its status as a “must read” newspaper and a justified competitor with the city’s major, corporate-owned outlets. This decision doesn’t just affect campus; it affects all of Windsor. Yes, The Lance is a business, and a business needs to be run effectively. But more than that, it is also an essential and vital service to Windsor’s community (on and off campus), and as such, should be given more of a supporting hand than an au-thoritarian one. Or at least be given the benefit of consulta-tion before being told to stop the presses.”Josh KolmFormer arts editor and sports editor, The Lance

THANKS FORYOUR SUPPORTThe Lance, the University of Windsor’s student newspaper, the second largest and only weekly in the city, was forced to immedi-ately suspend print operations by the outgoing University of Windsor Students’ Alliance board of directors, following the release of the last issue of the Lance.

“We think it very appropriate that our paper is called the Lance,” read a Nov. 1, 1963 Lance editorial. “That is just what we want to be— a weapon with a sharp point, which we chose to use not for warfare but prodding university people into action.”

Nothing has changed. Nothing should. Hopefully ... nothing will.

The Lance has a rich history of reporting on events that occur on campus and in the broader community. While the fate of The Lance is uncertain, the outpouring of support has been overwhelming and heartening. Students, faculty, alumni, community members, business leaders, politicians and various media have taken notice. The im-mense support for the newspaper speaks to importance of The Lance to continue providing quality journalism both online and in print. Thanks for your, readership, support and help.

-The staff of The Lance

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NATASHAMARAReditor-in-chief__________________________

Little else evokes Detroit’s status as the Motor City than the annual Woodward Dream Cruise showcasing classic cars down America’s

first highway.

In just over two year’s time, cars on the same road will be making room for a 3.3-mile, 11-station light rail train sys-tem reaching from the heart of downtown Detroit south along Woodward Avenue.

Not unlike the streetcars that traversed through Windsor decades ago, M-1 Rail will provide easy, affordable access to downtown and midtown’s best offerings.

James Canning, media consul-tant for M-1 Rail, said there are 7,000 residents and 140,000 jobs along the corridor, as well as shopping, restaurants and attractions such as Comerica Park, Ford Field, Hart Plaza, Fox Theatre, Fillmore Theatre, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Symphony, Wayne State Uni-versity, Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Hospital.

Project leaders are currently wrapping up an environmen-tal assessment, and expect to break ground this summer. The Supplemental Environmental Assessment, released in Febru-ary, includes a potential 12th stop that would serve Henry Ford Hospital and TechTown. Canning estimates the LRT will shuttle between 5,000 and

8,000 riders a day when it’s completed in late 2015.

The $131-million project is be-ing funded through private and public partnerships includes donations from automotive, banking, medical, commercial and academic institutions. In January, the United States Department of Transportation pledged $25 million in federal funding. The LRT will cost $5.1 million annually to oper-ate.

The LRT was first conceived in 2007, and at one point was proposed as a 9.3-mile LRT reaching all the way to 8 Mile Road. According to Canning, “That more ambitions plan eventually stalled when it could not meet key ridership, funding and other criteria.”

Despite scaling back initial plans, M-1 is being built with future expansion in mind.

When launched, it will inte-grate with existing transit pro-vided by Detroit Department of Transportation, Suburban Mo-bility Authority for Regional Transportation, Amtrak and the Detroit People Mover. There are also plans to incorporate the LRT within a proposed bus rapid transit down the 27-mile long stretch of Woodward Av-enue from downtown Detroit to downtown Pontiac.

Accessible from the Tunnel Bus, Windsorites can easily commute to work and activities in Detroit, further connecting the cross-border cities.

M-1 has been met with both excitement and caution over funding concerns, but with the commitment of federal fund-ing, residents and project, of-ficials are confident the project will continue on schedule. The LRT has already spurred urban renewal efforts among busi-

nesses along the Woodward Avenue corridor.

M-1 will feature rail stops every seven to eight minutes during peak hours and every 12 to 13 minutes during off-peak hours, with service daily until 10 p.m. One-way tickets will be $1.50, and the accessible streetcars will be outfitted with heating and air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.

Windsorite Sozan Akel goes to Michigan two to three times a month to shop at suburban clothing and grocery stores. She doesn’t frequent Detroit, but says she’d nix her car to use the M-1 if she was going to downtown attractions.

“I think this would be a great option for those who do not drive. A lot of people might love to be able to go to all the [downtown/midtown] places if they had a quicker way around

than having to walk from the bus station,” said Akel, adding that parking can be “discourag-ing”.

“Provided that the cost to ride is reasonable, I can see this being a great option. Also, if someone wants to take the train, as there are none from Windsor to the States, it would be convenient to Tunnel Bus and then take the (Amtrak) train,” Akel added.

According to transit website The Transport Politic, 2013 will see more than $64.3 bil-lion worth of transit expansion projects in the United States. There are 31 U.S. cities and five in Canada― Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa— that will begin or continue construction or start service this year.

G R A B B I N G DETROIT

BY THE RAILS THE NEW LIGHT RAIL THAT PLANS TO GET THE D MOVING

all images • courtesy M-1 Rail

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LESS CAR, MORE CARGOWINDSORITES’ DETRIOT STARTUP HAS IT IN THE BAG

p.04

STEPHENHARGREAVESmanaging editor__________________________

Following a year-and-a-half of research and development, Detroit Cargo launched its debut line of leather bicycle bags this spring.

The businesses was started by Raj Jajoo, who moved to Windsor after emigrating from India, and Windsor-born University of Windsor grad Marc Bay, who relocated to Detroit in the recent “new Detroit” industrial rebirth.

Detroit Cargo make three basic and classic leather bags named for Detroit streets, which are available in three colours: lager, amber and stout. Yes, like the beer.

“We’re making a handlebar bag (Jefferson), a traditional tool bag that mounts to the seat (Woodward) and a unique proprietary piece that mounts to the frame rails (Davison),” said Bay of their new creations made a mile north of Detroit. The team plans to relocate in the depths of the city later this year.

Bay started his career in the cycle world at a bike shop on Wyandotte

Street right by the university in the late 1970s before designing mass produced motorcycle bags and accessories.

“I design and import motorcycle product from Asian countries and I really wanted to start a project that was local, which lessens the environmental impact further. With motorcycles my customers burn gas for recreation and I wanted something the complete opposite,” said Bay.

It’s obvious that environmentalism is paramount at Detroit Cargo. Of their two-man crew, Jajoo is vegetarian and Bay rarely eats meat.

“Initially we tried really hard to make [the bags] vegan,” said Bay. “We couldn’t find anything [vegan] with the character that would hold up, but we are still working on that.”

Jajoo ran a large leather work factory in India before moving to Windsor and establishing a smaller leather works in Warren, Mich. The two realized that cyclists who buy nylon or PVC bags often dispose of them due to wear after two or three years. The bags they set to design would

be made of beef cattle leather and made last 30 to 40 years.

“We also note that a cow is never killed for leather, unless you are making ridiculously overpriced cars. Leather is a by-product of the food industry,” said Bay, who believes that using the leftover hide in an object of quality is ultimately more eco-friendly than using man-made materials which are often oil based and leave a larger carbon footprint.

The bags have a true Windsor/Detroit feel and what Bay calls “a simple ruggedness” to them. Unlike English made Brooks bags, while the workmanship is equally high-end, Detroit Cargo bags are made of thicker hardier leather; the type of bag you can toss a bike chain in for years without it losing its shape.

“I cannot get over the resources in Detroit; I don’t think products like ours could start as easily in another city without Detroit’s industrial heritage.”__________________________

All Detroit Cargo bags are $89 and available locally at City Cyclery and via detroitcargo.com. Detroit Cargo bags, top to bottom, Woodward seat bag, Jefferson

handlebar bag, Davidson frame Bag • photos Marc Bay

1896 Walkerville Road Race champ Chas Fox with his trophy at the 5th annual 10-mile road race sponsored by the Walkerville Wheelmen bicycle club • courtesy Walkerville Publishing

A.D. Bowlby ‘The Only Bicycle Importing House West of London’from Windsor’s Evening Record, April 1893 • courtesy internationalmetropolis.com

BIKEBRAINCYCLING COMPUTER APP FOR iPHONE (BIOLOGIC) $0

BikeBrain, the iPhone cycling app by developer BioLogic, turns a phone into a bicycle computer for the nerdiest of cyclists.

BikeBrain features GPS mapping combined with in-tegrated speed, dis-tance, altitude and elapsed time calcu-lations, adjustable for metric or impe-rial. Though, for most cyclists, the app is like many apps just a bit of fun. For the serious cyclist, the app is ideal for training; featuring a Blue-tooth sensor con-nectivity for accu-rate heart rate and cadence measures.

The hardcore cyclist will have to shell out for the paid version to upgrade as part of the “Training Module” for $0.99. Other upgrades include “Social Sharing” which in-cludes the option to integrate with Facebook and Twitter to post your data, photos and video journals of your rides, and the “Data Enhance-ments” data upgrade module for $0.99, or the three as a bundle for $1.99.

BikeBrain supports two bicycle profiles so sensors and parameters have to be set up separately includ-ing the wheel size and user created name of the bike. Once rolling, the console, map, digital and training screens are simply exchanged in

either landscape or portrait modes.

The map works using data (3G or 4G LTE) or Google Maps-based GPS, and is fairly accurate. The most interesting data generated is end trip calculations, which in-clude start and finish times, ride and rest times, total distance, av-erage speeds, maximum speed achieved, calories burned and,

even for the en-vironmentally minded, the CO2 (carbon) offset achieved.

The app, avail-able only for iPhone 4 and 5, incorporates its own social net-work for shar-ing your bicycle adventures after creating a profile on bikebrain.net.

OTHER GOOD CYCLING APPS INCLUDE:

Bike Doctor: featuring 29 of the most common repairs (iPhone and Android - $4.99).

Bike Hub: promises to get you from A to B via the best route for cycling (iPhone and Android - free).

Cychosis: A journal app for cy-clists (iPhone - $3.99).

Rendezvous: helps connect cy-clists and organize group rides (iPhone - free).

No matter what cycle app fits your life best, pick up a smart phone handlebar mount for your bike. It makes the app easier to use and a lot safer for you and your phone.

DIGITAL CYCLINGWITH ‘BIKE BRAIN’

BICY

CLE A

PPS

iPhone bike mounts make app use easier

u GPS mapping

u Customizable windows display

u Training mode tracks speed, distance, laps, intervals, etc.

u Automatically keeps details of all rides

u Heart rate monitor connectivity for accurate speed, cadence and heart rate data (paid upgrade)

u Ability to upload pictures and video in app to social media sites (paid upgrade)

• courtesy BioLogic

BICY

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ON

M-1

BIKE RACKS REPLACE PARKING SPOTS ON WOODWARD

Cyclists in Detroit will soon be able to park their bikes on Woodward, literally.

The first of many bike racks to placed right on the roadway of Woodward Avenue is soon to be installed in Detroit suburb Ferndale in what’s now a parking place in front of Howe’s Bayou restaurant. Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Rob Morosi told the Detroit Free Press it’s a signal that state highway engineers are changing the way they approach road designs and metro Detroiters are changing their transportation options.

Home to America’s most famous auto cruise, the Woodward Dream Cruise, Woodward Avenue is headed toward a broad range of transit options, including discussions of regional transit and light rail in Detroit (see page 3).

The State took a year to review the plan for installing the rack on the edge of a roadway that carries tens of thousands of cars a day. Over the past four years, Detroit has installed 35 bike racks all over the city, and last year it began putting them on the edge of streets a practice that is common place in Amsterdam and Portland, Ore.

This newest rack will hold 12 two-wheelers in a parking space once occupied by a single vehicle.

The bike rack fits into a philosophy called Complete Streets, which aims to make roads and sidewalks safe and friendly to all.This spring, Action Association is using a $750,000 federal highway planning grant to create a master plan for implementing Complete Streets on Woodward, from the Detroit River to Pontiac.

Five community meetings are planned through June in the Woodward corridor, starting at 5 p.m. April 17 at St. James Catholic Church at Pearson and Woodward in Ferndale. MDOT representatives will be in attendance.

• photo courtesy Huntco Supply, LLC

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(SPRING 2O13 WINDSOR)

TWEED RIDE

Departing from Willistead Manor {1899 Niagara} at noon, cycling throughout the city with stops including one for a custom Windsor Tweed cocktail at Canadian Club HQ, and culminating in a shindig outside of City Cyclery for their grand opening with music, drinks, food & merriment.

SATURDAY MAY 11TH

Cyclists are encouraged to dress in traditional British cycling attire, particularly tweed. Any bicycle is acceptable,but vintage bicycles are encouraged. Some effort to recreate the spirit of a bygone era is always appreciated.

presented by

{ }( for details see facebook.com/windsortweedride or call +226.674.0648 )

~ with the generous support of ~

{ {

it’s back

WIN

1 OF 2 NEW

PROCEEDS TO WILLISTEAD

MANOR RESTORATION

win one of two new bicycles! official media sponsor:

BICY

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UWINDSOR BICYCLE REGISTRATION SYSTEMThe university’s Bicycle Regis-tration System is a free service offered by the University of Windsor Campus Community Police to combat bike thefts on the campus. The system serves to compile data on owner’s bikes. In the event of theft, critical infor-mation such as serial numbers and detailed descriptions of the stolen bike are preserved. This data is useful in possible recovery of the bike, and can be added to a Canada-wide computer network that designates and identifies sto-len property.

SIGN UP FOR FREE @ uwindsor.ca/campuspolice/bicycle-registration

SURVIVAL TIPS FOR YOUR BIKEUWindsor Campus Community Police suggest forethought and planning. Most thefts occur when the bike is an easier target. A bit of planning on your part may not guarantee that your bike or accessories won’t be stolen, but making your bike a harder target for thieves reduces the risk of theft.

The highest percentage of bikes stolen on campus are those with lower-cost chain or cable-type locks. One lock is always good, but consider two locks to deter theft.

gPark and secure your bike in well-traveled areas if possible. The more people around, the more likely a thief will pass on to a less-conspicuous target. gUse a good quality locking device. Although no lock is undefeatable, the U-lock types seem to deter the most. Avoid cables and chains as locks, and most importantly, make sure the structure where you secure your bike is in fact secure. gIf your bike has panniers or saddlebags, don’t leave items of value inside them when parking your bike. Also, make sure that any valuable accessories (i.e. detachable lights/batteries) are securely fixed to the bike, or even removable and taken with you after you park.

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WINDSOR TWEED RIDE(SATURDAY, MAY 11, WINDSOR)

The cycling event that took the city by storm last year is back. The Windsor Tweed Ride is the most stylish group bicycle ride through the city you will ever experience. Departing from Willistead Manor, this year’s ride is even bigger with the involvement of Canadian Club, Walkerville Brewery, Willistead Manor and City Cyclery. The event will culminate in the cyclery’s grand opening and a street party with live music and an exhibition of vintage and antique bicycles. Cyclists are encouraged to dress in traditional British cycling attire, particularly tweed. Any bicycle is acceptable, but vintage bicycles are encouraged. Some effort to recreate the spirit of a bygone era is al-ways appreciated.facebook.com/windsortweedride

TOP CYCLING EVENTS OF 2O13

Windsor Tweed Ride on Saturday May 11

TOUR DE TROIT(SATURDAY, SEPT. 21, DETROIT)

The Tour de Troit is a bike ride that explores some of the city’s historic areas, takes in many of its most breathtaking sights, and provides bicyclists a unique opportunity to legally “take over” the streets of the Motor City. The 2012 TdT attracted a record number of cyclists— over 5,000! Registration is online now and early bird rates are $40 ($35 for students) before May 31. The Tour de Troit offers several rides to choose from; the first— and primary— is a leisurely ride of 30 miles with police escort on a closed route. The other is for extremely experienced cyclists, a two metric century (62 miles) options that do not include police escort. The main ride takes off at 9 a.m., registration opens at 7:30 a.m.tour-de-troit.org

BIKE THE BRIDGE(SUNDAY, JUNE 9, WINDSOR/DETROIT)

Bike the Bridge is an annual cycling event that lets riders cross the Ambassador Bridge, the only day of the year you can cycle on the bridge. Once across the bridge, a tour of the host city with a short and long option lets participants learn about the region and enjoy the local offerings. The two cities swap hosting duties each year— in the inaugural year of 2009, Detroit welcomed Windsor. In 2010, Windsor showed off its culture and history for guests. The next year brought us back to Detroit with a breakfast at Milliken State Park and tours across the city, Detroit again plays host in 2013. Details on this year’s international bicycle ride will be released on the Bike the Bridge website in May.bikethebridge.wordpress.com

TOP

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BIKE TO UWINDSOR WEEK(SEPT. 16-20, WINDSOR)

Details to be announced late summer. uwindsor.ca/bike

TOUR DI VIA ITALIA(SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, WINDSOR)

The Erie Street Bicycle Race, first held on November 2, 1958, has become an important tradition in the Italian community and in the city of Windsor. The Tour Di Via Italia has provided an opportu-nity for riders from all over the world to visit our area and compete against other Canadian riders, many of whom are from our own city.tourdiviaitalia.com

CAMP

US CY

CLIN

GWHO’S CYCLING TO CAMPUS?

NICOLE A. NOËL, research co-ordinator at the Centre for Stud-ies in Social Justice. She rides 14 km to campus.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of com-muting by bike?

You don’t need the lycra shorts and funny shoes to ride a bike. I didn’t start riding my bike regu-larly until I stopped thinking of cycling as a sport and started to see it as a legitimate form of transportation. It sounds pain-fully obvious now, but before I thought cycling required dressing like I was in the Tour de France.

What is the best thing about com-muting by bike?

It only takes me about 15 minutes longer to get to the university by bike than by car. Just by adding 30 minutes to my daily commute I get exercise without having to go to a gym. A bike does not pollute like a car does and I save money.

CHRISTOPHER WATERS, for-mer associate dean at Windsor Law, cycles to campus daily, year round.

Why do you ride a bike to work?

Exercise, environmentally friend-ly, more relaxing.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of com-muting by bike?

Don’t ride too close to the curb and watch out for ‘door prizes.’ Also, lots of lubricant is needed if you are winter riding.

What is the best thing about com-muting by bike?

My stretch along the Detroit Riv-er and Windsor’s slowly emerging bicycle culture (I sit on the Wind-sor Bicycling Committee and we are heartened to see a great deal of interest in cycling).

What is the worst thing?

Disrespectful drivers and scoff-law cyclists.

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DETRO IT B I CYC L E COMPANY (MADE IN D ETRO IT )

PRICE RANGE: $2,000-$8,000+

CYCLE RANGE: Detroit Bicycle Company offers six cycles named for streets in the D: the Madison Street, featuring a copper plated frame and fork; the Cass Ave, the Woodbridge Street, with a raw finish, the Russell Street, the Canfield Street and the Jefferson Avenue, with chrome frame, fork and handlebars. They’ll also sell just the frame and fork with a polished stainless steel lugs and brass head badge if you’re feeling DIY.

ABOUT THE BICYCLES: Bespoke hadmade fixed gear cycles with lugged frames incorporating vintage hardware and Brooks saddles.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Detroiter Steven Bock founded Detroit Bicycle Company in 2010 to hand-make high-end bespoke bikes with a vintage track bicycle look. With their unique chrome and copper finishes and stripped-down aesthetic— they’re fixed gear bikes with no brakes— Detroit Bicycle Company designs are a luxurious antidote to tricked out rides.

WHERE TO BUY: via detroitbicyclecompany.com

detroitbicyclecompany.com

Detroit Bicycle Company : Jefferson Avenue

SH INOLA (MADE IN D ETRO IT )

PRICE RANGE: $1,950-$2,950

CYCLE RANGE: Shinola just released its first line of bicycles, The Runwell, an enduring French style Porteur bicycle and the cruiser bike they call Bixby in both men’s and women’s frame de-signs.

ABOUT THE BICYCLES: The lugged steel frame and fork cycles are designed by famed bicycle de-signer Sky Yaeger, best know for her designs made by high-end Italian bicycle company Bian-chi, feature a Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal hub, disc brakes and internal cable routing.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Shinola launched their new bicycles with custom-level assembly in their De-troit workshop within the College for Creative Studies. Every bike is made one at a time, by hand, with rigorous attention to detail.

WHERE TO BUY: Shinola (485 W Milwaukee St., Detroit) or via shinola.com/shop/bicycles

shinola.com/shop/bicycles

Shinola : The Runwell

Shinola : Bixby (women’s frame)

ROUNDTA I L (MADE IN WINDSOR)

PRICE RANGE: $700-$1,500

CYCLE RANGE: RoundTail make custom road and racing bicycles plus three normal run bicycles: the hybrid road/touring Delia, the San Massimo mountain bike and the large 29-inch Campitello.

ABOUT THE BICYCLES: Inventor of the RoundTail Windsorite Lou Tortola has reimagined the bi-cycle’s long standing diamond geometry. He believed that a pair of continuous rings beneath the rider would absorb road vibrations without compromising performance or lateral stiffness. His bicycles’ designs absorb 60 times more road vibrations over a traditional frame design, reduc-ing fatigue to the rider’s body.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: RoundTail cycles are de-signed and manufactured in Windsor and sell around the globe. The company’s profile is growing with the bicycle featured on the cover of Road Bike Magazine and in Popular Science.

WHERE TO BUY: via shop.roundtailcanada.ca

roundtail.ca

RoundTail : 26” MTB San Massimo

RoundTail : Delia

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CYCLE CHIC & CYCLE STYLE:THE SARTORIALISTS ON TWO WHEELS

STEPHENHARGREAVESmanaging editor__________________________

The street fashion blogs born of The New York Times’ Bill Cunningham, known for his candid and street photography, begat a slew

of photo books including Scott Schuman’s famed The Sartorial-ist series and Facehunter Yvan Rodic, who has fired up the presses four times now. Inter-estingly, the French edition of Facehunter and his newest book, Travels with Face Hunter: Street Style from Around the World both feature cyclists on their covers.

And now, unsurprisingly, there’s the release of acclaimed photog-rapher Horst A. Friedrichs’ Cycle Style and Cycle Chic, compiled

by Mikael Colville-Andersen, filmmaker, street photographer, urban mobility expert and the man behind popular cycle blogs Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Slow Bicycle Movement.

The trend makes perfect sense, the creatively fashionable peo-ple featured in so many street fashion photos are such because of the state of the pocketbooks of the millennials (God, I hate that word). The generation that ushered in the vintage trend are educated and aware that ex-perimentation with limited bud-gets may be the only virtue af-

forded to them. And the vehicle for those rich is environmentally consciousness and stylish: the bicycle.

Cycle Chic is a fat hardcover, ideally sized to clamp on to your bike rack, while the skinnier (by about 100 pages) softcover Cycle Style fairs better on the coffee table. Shot entirely by acclaimed London, UK-based photographer Horst Friedrichs, Cycle Style is dedicated to the city and its stylishly eclectic cy-clists who reside and ride around it, capturing the essence of their character, from the hipsters of

Shoreditch to the perfectly man-icured Saville Row riders— in-cluding designer Sir Paul Smith, who made the bicycle an integral part of his eponymous fashion signature— and everyone in be-tween. Friedrichs also allows for pages upon pages of collect-ed shots of cyclists of a bygone era taken over three years’ worth of London’s famous Tweed Run.

Cycle Style forgoes Bill Cun-ningham style candid shots, rather taking portraits of men and women with their bicycles. The focused stillness highlights, complements and at times con-

trasts the rider’s style with their fateful cycle.

Colville-Andersen’s Cycle Chic showcases photographs from all corners of the globe including Tokyo, London, Copenhagen, Ottawa, Vancouver, Paris and New York. Unlike Friedrichs’ book, Cycle Chic is filled with candid action shots grouped to-gether in chapters based on ideas as simple as colours or weather, accompanied by cycle related quotes and Colville-Andersen’s commentary running along the footer. Cycle Chic is in the sim-plest of descriptions interesting photos of interesting people on bicycles, while Cycle Style ven-tures deeper into the relationship of cycle and rider in style, func-tion and relationship.

_________________________

Cycle Style by Horst A. Fried-richs, Prestel Publishing (2012) $18.50

Cycle Chic by Mikael Colville-Andersen, Thames & Hudson (2012) $19.99

ptop row: photos from Cycle Chic

by Mikael Colville-Andersen

• courtesy Thames & Hudson

ubottom row: photos from Cycle

Style by Horst A. Friedrichs

• courtesy Prestel Publishing

g

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WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ? BICYCLE LANESA bike lane is a 1.5m-wide lane restricted to bicycle trav-el marked with a bicycle and diamond stencil (left). Always travel in the same direction as traffic and remember cy-cling on the sidewalk is illegal and dangerous. When beside parked cars watch for doors opening. Motorists, it’’s illegal to park or drive in a bike lane.

SHARROWS >>A sharrow or ‘shared lane marking’ (right) is a pavement marking installed on streets too narrow for conventional bike lanes. The sharrow is painted 11 feet from the curb, four feet from parked cars. It is intended to indicate where bi-cyclists should ride to avoid traveling within the door zone of parked cars. It also alerts motorists to share the road with bicyclists and conveys that the street is a preferred bike route. •

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DETRO IT B IK E S (MADE IN D ETRO IT )

PRICE RANGE: $500-$600 (estimated)

CYCLE RANGE: Detroit Bikes makes one bike so far, the A-Type, available July 2013.

ABOUT THE BICYCLE: The one-size-fits-almost-all (suitable for thouse 5’5″ and 6’2″) lightweight chromoly steel frame A-Type is strong. The slightly larger wheels make for a smooth ride. Coupling (back) pedal and (front) hand brakes ensure control and positive safe braking power. The bike has three speeds in an internal hub and one flat black paint job.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Detroit Bikes, started by Canadian Zak Pashak, built the early prototypes in a coach house off Woodward Avenue, a cou-ple of blocks from where Henry Ford once lived. They now manufacture every bicycle at their factory in west Detroit, from welding, painting and assembling to packaging.

WHERE TO BUY: City Cyclery (1755 Wyandotte St. E., Windsor) taking orders for July delivery.

detroitbikes.com

Detroit Bikes : A-Type

DETROIT BIKES: ANY COLOUR SO LONG AS IT’S BLACKSTEPHENHARGREAVESmanaging editor______________________

In 2003, a 23-year-old Cal-garian Zak Pashak opened Broken City, a music venue that became the city’s top spot for live music. In 2007,

he went to the streets and cre-ated Sled Island music festival, Alberta’s biggest annual live music festival featuring the likes of Tegan and Sara, Griz-zly Bear, Of Montreal, The Buzzcocks and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Pashak then took the same formula in 2008 and opened the Vancouver venue Biltmore. In 2010, Pashak was named one of Alberta Venture’s 50 most influential Albertans and ran for munici-pal office. He wasn’t elected, so the Calgary-centric, music-oriented, political defeatist moved to Detroit and bought an old factory.

“I’ve had a personal fasci-nation with the city,” said Pashak. “I thought that the perception [of Detroit] must be wrong. People [in Calgary] would talk about it like, ‘You can’t go out in public down-town, it’s a dangerous place.’ I wanted to disprove that and when I came down here, I was captivated. There are so many good things going on. It feels like something is growing here, it feels like something is happening here.”

In Pashak’s bid for office in 2010 he came against Cal-

gary’s famously car-minded city planning, unearthing his appreciation for alternative ways to traverse a city.

“It comes from a love of all forms of alternate transpor-tation,” said Pashak. “I like trains a lot and buses, just any-way to get out of the car … it’s a better way to experience the city.”

That’s when he went to buy a bicycle.

“It wasn’t what I expected,” he recalled. “The bikes were too expensive and not what I wanted, so I went to a second hand store and bought a bike for 60 bucks and it fell apart on me. I didn’t want to become a bike mechanic and I felt that there were people like me who liked to ride a bike and it wasn’t as easy as it should be.”

Pashak then started Detroit Bikes, and set out to design a city bike that was locally made, easy to ride and main-tain, well made and, impor-tantly, affordable. The result is the first Detroit Bikes bicycle, A-Type.

“It functions as a city bike partly because the [large 28”] wheel size makes it easier to coast along. It’s not on those fat tires that are not conducive to city riding. It’s got just three speeds, which is all you really need. If you’re not racing, I don’t think you need 21 speeds on your bike, it adds overkill

and adds complication,” ex-plained Pashak.

The geometry of the bike was designed with the city-com-muter cyclist in mind, from the arched top-bar to the one-size-fits-most (ideally riders from 5’5″ to 6’2″,) lightweight chromoly steel frame to the beautiful, functional custom rear rack.

When production is in full swing in June, Detroit Bikes will become the largest— by volume— bicycle manufac-turer in North America. Most bicycles, even high-end ones, are made in the Far East.

“From the quality of the steel, to the quality of the welds, that is because it’s made here in Detroit,” said Pashak, who doesn’t deny that the ‘made in Detroit’ label adds a huge cool-factor. “Hopefully, the bike speaks for itself … hopefully people won’t just choose it because it was made here, but because it’s a superior bike. That’s the real message, don’t buy it because you feel guilty, or you think it’s the right thing to do. I want you to prefer this bike and choose it.”

“The Detroit part of it isn’t just smoke and mirrors; it’s part of the quality,” said Pashak. “That’d be hard in another city. Detroit is cool because it has a history of making great stuff, that’s why Detroit is cool and there is a bit of Detroit in the bike.”

WATCH OUR VIDEO REVIEW OF THE DETROIT BIKES A-TYPE

PROTOTYPE ONLINE @ UWINDSORLANCE.CA

Detriot Bikes founder Zak Pashak • photo Stephen Hargreaves

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WHAT I S H E / SHE DO ING WITH H I S /HER ARM?

TURNING SIGNALS

STOPPING/BRAKING fExtend your left upper arm out to the left, horizontally and angle your forearm vertically downward.

HANDSIGNALS

Hand signals are given by cyclists to indicate their intentions to other traffic. While many cyclists fail to use them, doing so creates a friendlier and safer interaction with others on the roads and trails. So start using these simple signals.

gRIGHT TURN Extend right arm straight out in the direction of the

turn, horizontally or extend your left upper

arm out to the left, horizontally and angle

your forearm vertically upward.

fLEFT TURN extend left arm straight out in the direction of the turn, horizontally.

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FAIZAMIRZAnews editor__________________________

With the support of city officials, some environ-mentally minded stu-dents hope to bring a lit-tle bit of Copenhagen’s

cycle chic to Windsor.

In the fall of 2012, a bike share program was proposed for Uni-versity of Windsor students by an environmental advocacy committee under Ontario Public Interest Research Group. The group believes a bike share proj-ect will contribute to cleaner air, less traffic and parking issues and a more active community.

The mission is to start with a pilot project on campus aimed towards students, which could then grow outwards to the com-munity. Since the initiation of the program, Angela Demarse, a student spearheading bike share project, has been meeting up with committees and authorities to develop the program further.

“I met up with Alan Halberstadt from the City of Windsor and he was recommending that we get an environmental grant to get us a consultant for the first year that the bike share is running. In that way we can analyze if the proj-ect would work on a larger scale. So bike share would start as a university-oriented project and

eventually will grow to the city,” said Demarse.

However, Demarse thinks ana-lyzing the program will be a full-time job and would require a rather large grant. Hiring a consultant can be expensive but she thinks “if the city wants evidence that the bike share pro-gram is viable in the long run, a consultant would be essential.”

“City council seems to totally favour it. They like the idea of bike share and want it to hap-pen,” added Demarse.

To make their research more holistic and concrete, the bike share group has conducted a survey aimed to assess students’ attitude towards the program.

Around 400 surveys have been completed and, according to Demarse, the results appear to be promising. “The last time I checked, we had inputted only 100 of the surveys but more than 60 to 70 per cent of the people said they would do this,” said Demarse.

Windsor’s bike share group is still investigating different op-tions with groups and commit-tees, including University of Windsor Students’ Alliance, to analyze the business and com-mercial side of the project. De-marse wants to turn bike share into a student-run business rath-er than bringing in a third party so that students can benefit from the profits.

Many other universities across Canada have initiated bike share programs to address environ-mental issues and to reduce the number of car trips on campus.

University of British Columbia has one of the most extensive and well-planned programs. Called UBC Bike Co-op, the program provides students and the wider community with an accessible environment where they can learn to fix bicycles, share resources and work to-gether. They mainly engage in cycling education, outreach and advocacy to promote biking as a safe and sustainable means of transportation.

According to Cole Murphy, president of UBC Bike Co-op, some of their goals are to in-crease volunteers’ knowledge of bike mechanics and maintenance skills, provide a functional, safe and accessible fleet of bikes for member use on campus and re-use donated bikes and parts in-stead trashing or recycling them.

“If the world as a whole is to conquer the problem of climate change, governments and aca-demia are going to have to take a leading role in moving society towards a more sustainable way of living,” said Murphy.

Marie-Hélène Houle is a com-munications and social media co-ordinator for BIXI Toronto— a low cost bike sharing sys-tem launched in 2011 featuring 80 stations and 1,000 bikes in downtown Toronto. “Our plan-ning and development analyst did an analysis for the City of Windsor and suggested to the City to install three stations for the Windsor university campus.”

Houle said it’s really important for academia and government to understand the role of envi-ronmental friendly systems and processes such as bike shar-ing as it’s an economical, non-polluting form of transportation and will improve the health of people who are using it.

“ City council seems to totally favour it. They like the idea of bike share and want it to happen

ANGELADEMARSE, OPIRG WINDSOR

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JONLIEDTKEfeatures editor__________________________

Plans are underway to create a ferry route between the downtowns of Windsor and Detroit to increase tourism for the region and further

integrate the two cities economi-cally.

The U.S. Department of Trans-portation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Detroit Port Authority have secured a grant of $2.4 million dollars to create ferry service between De-troit and Windsor, the first inter-national passenger ferry crossing between the U.S. and Canada since the last one crossed the Detroit River in 1929.

“We’re in the process of trying to build a business case to show there is a viable market between Detroit and Windsor for this fer-ry service,” explained Christo-pher Johnson of the Detroit Port Authority.

Market research, surveys and preliminary research is com-plete, with the Port Authority already considering ferry deck amenities including a newsstand and bike rack.

“The original market was to focus on the healthcare work-ers that travel [between the two countries]” said Johnson, who explained that many nurses in Windsor travel to Detroit to work at the Henry Ford Medical Center and the Detroit Medical Center.

Johnson explained that there is virtually no opposition to the proposal and that “everyone re-ally seems to like it.”

“We’re encouraged from what we’ve heard. It’ll be the first in-ternational passenger-only ferry operating between the United States and Canada,” said John-son, who was unable to provide a complete timeline but did ex-press that the project could begin construction this spring.

“Even if we did get everything sorted out with the respected customs and governments on both sides, the time to actual build a boat is six months or so, and the intended schedule [hasn’t been set], but roughly [aims for] shipping season for the Great Lakes.”

Excitement is mounting on the Canadian side of the border and Windsor-West MP Brian Masse hopes to see the project advance over the coming months.

“We’re excited to work with [Detroit Port Authority] and get it off the ground here. We’ve made connection with the De-partment of Transportation, so as soon as that [business] case is available we’ll be active on the file,” said Masse, who believes that the ferry would help im-prove tourism between the two cities.

“We were able to get a bike lane on the bridge [and] we can cre-ate an incredible international biking loop and circuit with the ferry,” said Masse.” We know that Michigan cyclists are inter-ested … when you look at De-troit’s waterfront, they’ve done a lot of work on it [and] spent a lot of money on this nice water-front and likewise on the Cana-dian side, and it’d be great to be able to [take part in recreational activity] back and forth for the whole day.”

There are several locations on the Windsor waterfront that would be ideal for a docking lo-cation, but Masse explained that a full analysis needs to be con-ducted before a specific location would be decided.

“I’d imagine it would be the city and core area, but I’ll leave it to the experts to determine the best location,” said Masse. He added that the Detroit River was ideal for sea navigation as it’s “well protected, it’s not very choppy and it’s one of the reasons … that it’s so advantageous for fer-ries.”

Masse’s counterpart on the American side of the border, Congressman Gary Peters, also looks forward to seeing a ferry further integrating the two coun-tries.

“I’ve certainly been very in-trigued by the idea [and] I think it’s certainly a potentially very promising project that we need to continue to pursue, make sure the economics are sound and that some of the issues related to the border crossing could be worked out, but [it’s] something that could be a real benefit to both sides of the river,” said Pe-ters.

Like Masse, Peters believes that a ferry will help to increase tour-ism and trade while making the region “more of a destination for people to come down and enjoy and riverfront and traverse back and forth between our two coun-tries and it will increase business

on both sides of the river.”

Regarding border security, Pe-ters explained that there are lo-gistical issues which will need to be sorted out, but he is confi-dent that with all of the relevant stakeholders working together that any issues will be overcome.

Peters has a grand vision for further developing transporta-tion and linking the two regions intrinsically together by apply-ing for funding to create a new rail tunnel between Windsor and Detroit.

“Right now we have a very old tunnel that services the border crossing, it was built back in 1909 and it doesn’t accommo-date the double containers that modern freight travels on by rail now,” said Peters. “I believe we need to build a new tunnel that can accommodate that kind of traffic between our two coun-

tries and accommodate the ways in which goods are moved via rail today.”

Following construction of a new rail tunnel, Peters would like to the existing rail tunnel upgraded for high-speed rail.

“My ultimate dream would be after we build that tunnel, we would convert the current tun-nel into a high speed passenger rail tunnel [and] what would be transformative for us in Wind-sor and Detroit would be a high speed rail that travels between Chicago and Toronto,” said Pe-ters.

Peters believes that the new De-troit River International Cross-ing, the ferry service, a new cargo tunnel and a high speed rail tunnel would transform the region.

“Throughout human history, if you are city located on an in-ternational border crossing be-tween two major world financial centres … if you’ve been a city in that location, you will thrive,” said Peters. “We need to make sure that Detroit and Windsor are thriving because of our key geographic positioning between two economic powerhouses of Chicago and Toronto … we just need to make it a reality now.”

FERRY‘CROSS THE DETROIT RIVER? A PROPOSED CROSS-BORDER LINKCOULD UNITE TWO DOWNTOWN CORES

PUBL I C TRANS I T FOR FUN ?

THE DETROIT PEOPLE MOVERThe Detroit People Mover is the 4.7-km monorail encircling downtown Detroit. For most riding, like any subway or light rail system, the People Mover is part of a daily commute to work, to dinner or to an event. Unlike subways, which admittedly have their charm, the DPM glides along three storeys overhead, weav-ing through buildings and offering an incredible viewpoint of the city in transition. Past abandoned mid-century masterpieces and through the Renaissance Center the DMP offers incredible views, though most impressive may be the view of Windsor over the river as the train pulls into Joe Lewis Arena. Each station has original artwork including tile mural, mosiacs, bas relief, neon work and sculpture.

Take the train that connects the core of the Motor City, even if you get off at the same stop you borded, it’s worth it and, even better, it’s only 75 cents!

• map courtesy SubwayNut.com

Port Detroit, the proposed dock for the Windsor-Detroit passenger ferry • photo Stephen Hargreaves

“ We’re encouraged from what we’ve heard. It’ll be the first international passenger-only ferry operating between the United States and Canada

CHRISTOPHERJOHNSON , DETROIT PORT AUTHORITY

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THE LANCE IS HIRINGfor all positions

Please send a cover letter, resume and samples to:The Lance, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON N9B 3P4or e-mail: editor@uwindsorlance.ca

for full details visit uwindsorlance.ca/careers

managing editor art director

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FAIZAMIRZAnews editor__________________________

Rideshare has become one of the emerging trends to save gas, money and time, not just for travelling students but Canadians at large.

Although rideshare networks are not very well-defined in Wind-sor, travellers are still able to connect with drivers and vice versa through online channels, mostly through kijiji.com.

Farhan Aslam, a student at Uni-versity of Windsor who fre-quently avails rideshare services to travel in and out of Windsor, described the process to con-tact drivers. “Usually, ads are posted by the driver on Kijiji in the community section three or four days prior to intended day of travel ... but if you cannot find any rideshare, you can post an ad “rideshare wanted” for specific dates in Kijiji as well. Someone, if going, will contact you.”

Some Canadian companies such as Smart Commute and Jack Bell Rideshare have turned carpooling into a full-fledged business model. They provide services and reach wider audi-ences through their scattered online network in Greater To-ronto/Hamilton area and British Columbia, respectively. Some of their services include emergency ride home programs, vanpool-ing, exclusive ride matching and shuttle programs.

One of the most talked about benefits of ride sharing is its cost effectiveness for drivers and the passengers.

“It is beneficial from a driver’s point of view. If he is driving

alone he will spend money on gas alone, but if he offers ride-share services he will recover that cost and make some extra bucks,” added Aslam.

Alsam said government should support and facilitate rideshare as it is environmentally friendly, low-cost and administratively manageable. “If you go to To-ronto rather GTA (Greater To-ronto Area) on highways, you can see carpool lane and parking for carpool ... they are encourag-ing drivers to share rides so that there will be less traffic on the road.”

The Ministry of Transportation incentivizes passengers and drivers who carpool by provid-ing free carpool parking lots near dozens of highway interchanges throughout Ontario. These park-ing lots serve as ideal locations to meet with pre-arranged car-pool partners before entering the highway system. However, it is important to note that only work-related carpool is permitted by the provincial government.

Recently, Niagara’s Regional Council Committee decided to add two carpool lanes to the Queen Elizabeth Way into St. Catharines, paving way for other committees to take similar ac-tions.

Jagdeep Singh, a resident from Windsor who drives passengers to and from Windsor, thinks if public transport is more efficient rideshare services will not be needed. “I read an article some time back which ranked Cana-dian transport 25th around the globe and it is considered [to be] one of the slowest transports. If the government does increase the frequency and increase the

efficiency of their public trans-port there will be no need for cars.”

Singh believes that if the public transport system functions prop-erly and buses travel the same route then people would prefer to travel in buses. “If everyone travels in buses then it would save more gas than rideshare. … If the government increases the efficiency of the transport that will be the best option,” added Singh.

Many people cite unreliability and safety concerns due to the unstructured nature of current rideshare programs. “If govern-ment intervenes or regulates rideshare processes then the safety and unreliability concerns will be eliminated,” added Far-han.

Saranjit Tikka, another driver who endorses rideshares and offers services quite often, ex-plained why travellers prefer rideshares over public transport. “Whoever is dropping you will drop you close to home. I only take two people so it is still

pretty much as comfortable as in VIA [Rail]. You can’t even com-pare it with Greyhound which is worse. It takes six to six-and-a-half hours [from Windsor to To-ronto] and is not comfortable at all.”

“I can usually cover up my gas with people who are paying me. They are paying me half of the Greyhound price and maybe one-third of the VIA Rail price,” Tikka added.

Economy class travel on VIA Rail can cost over $80 whereas Greyhound charges $75 or above for a one-way trip from Windsor to Toronto. Deals and discounts are available for students and other passengers but they are not

significant or guaranteed. More-over, if someone has to travel quickly, booking just in time be-fore the voyage can turn out to be quite expensive. By compari-son, rideshares only costs $30 to $40 for a one-way trip from Windsor to Toronto.

Rideshares are considered more structured in many U.S. cities. New Jersey state website, for in-stance, provides potential com-muters with services to feed their itinerary and requirements. And many universities, including the University of Washington, have their own rideshare programs. The level of commitment shown by the U.S. authorities with re-spect to ridesharing and carpool-ing is yet to be seen in Canada.

“ If the government does increase the frequency and increase the efficiency of their public transport there will be no need for cars

JAGDEEPSINGH, RIDESHARE DRIVER

R I D E S H A R E THE TREND OF DIGITAL HITCHHIKING ON THE CHEAP

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THE LANCE IS HIRINGfor all positions

Please send a cover letter, resume and samples to:The Lance, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON N9B 3P4or e-mail: editor@uwindsorlance.ca

for full details visit uwindsorlance.ca/careers

CITY GOES ALL IN ON BUSES AND BIKE LANES WITH 2O13 BUDGET

BICYCLE USE MASTER PLAN RECOMMENDED CYCLING NETWORK

• map courtesy City of Windsor

JAYVERSPEELTlance reporter__________________________

With a 2013 City budget centered around buses and bikes, many chang-es are on the way for Transit Windsor’s plans

to increase services and a bicy-cle master plan that’s peddling along.

Bicycle Use Master Plan, initi-ated in 2001, is a 20-year plan to improve cycling in Windsor through multi-use trails, bike lanes, signed roads and end-use facilities such as bike lockers and showers. Over the years it has guided city planning to in-stall new lanes and paths, but some still think action has not come fast enough.

There’s plans for a multi-use trail for cyclist and pedestrians along Lauzon Parkway starting

from Hawthorn to Forest Glade Drive this year. A signed road will also be added to Spring Gar-den Road from Malden Road to the Ministry of Transportation jurisdiction. The developments are expected to be completed by this summer.

A bike lane connection from Walker Road to Herb Gray Park-way is also in progress with a connection from the riverfront path to Gnatchio Trail. Simul-taneously, the City of Windsor has been working with the Wa-terfront Regeneration Trust to connect Windsor via a cycle path along the Great Lakes up to the Quebec border.

“[BUMP] has not been effec-tive,” said Kari Gignac, chair of the Windsor Bicycle Commit-tee. “I look at the five-year strat-egy and the 10-year, we were at about 25 per cent of what should

have been completed in five years and it had already been six years.”

“The amount of money allot-ted to cycling infrastructure in reality comes nowhere close to what BUMP recommended,” she added.

However, Gignac believes that many improvements have been made over the years.

This year, Transit Windsor re-ceived additional city funding

to increase services such as the global positioning system track-ing, which is expected to roll out in the fall. But with more funds than ever before, the transit com-pany is scaling back on other services, providing one more reason to commuters for using alternative means of transporta-tion.

“There’s a bit of a mix. We did get some support for one time funding for service improve-ment and technology. The chal-lenge on the other side was [that] we still had to find budget cuts to meet our allocated budget,” said Patrick Delmore, operations manager for Transit Windsor. “It’s a good news story but there are some drawbacks.”

The drawbacks include reduced daily service of Crosstown 2, 1C and Ottawa 4 routes. They will be ending their runs at midnight rather than 12:30 a.m., signi-fying half an hour reduction. However, Crosstown 2 and 1C service will increase to every 10 minutes as opposed to 15 during peak hours starting September.

The South Windsor 7 route will also be reduced, ending its run at 8 p.m. instead of 11p.m.

“That one there (South Wind-

sor 7) has had some real chal-lenges over the last few years,” said Delmore. “It has really good ridership throughout the day be-cause of students, but at night it really dies down.”

Along with reduced hours, South Windsor 7 will no longer provide services to the Univer-sity of Windsor. This portion of the route is considered redun-dant as the Crosstown 2 and 1C both have university on their itinerary.

Amid the cut, $1.7 million has been given to the transit com-pany this year for the “smart bus technology.” The system is being modified to make logistics more efficient. The control room will determine where different buses are which will make it easier to dispatch detour information to the drivers.

Transit Windsor is not planning on building a new application but will work in conjunction with an existing application such as Google Transit. This will be an open-source software allow-ing others to build their own ap-plication for the system. How-ever, the company doesn’t have a contract from vendors to pur-chase the system yet.

Additional transit plans include an agreement to purchase elec-tric buses from Chinese auto-maker BYD, which is currently on hold until the buses can be made in accordance with Minis-try of Transportation standards. Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis told The Lance last fall that the City is waiting on BYD to obtain government approval.

“ The amount of money allotted to cycling infrastructure in reality comes nowhere close to what BUMP recommended

KARIGIGNAC, WINDSOR BICYCLE COMMITTEE

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