Hi forum,

As this is my first post I thought to be upbeat.

I have just returned from Ontario Canada and have had a marvellous cycling experience. Living in Scotland as I do I can tell you that the courtesy and consideration I experienced in Canada from both trucks and light vehicles was awesome. They went out of their way to give me a wide berth and I can state that having a truck pass me without feeling the "suction" effect was a truly enjoyable experience.

I take off my hat to the good drivers who made my visit truly memorable by being so very polite to a rather nervous "on the wrong side of the road" cyclist.

Regards,

Shen

You definately weren't in Toronto then. :D Where'd you visit specifically and which routes did ya take? I know that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are even better than Ontario but because of the narrow roads and logging trucks it can be difficult at times (I had to go off a road because 3 large logging trucks -- fully loaded -- came barrelling behind me with oncoming traffic ahead. Hey I like cycling but I do like living more and there are just some things you don't argue with!)

I *love* the suction from trucks. Car carriers are the best. I can hit 35MPH into what USED to be a headwind for almost a minute after one of those puppies passes close!

Guess you haven't ridden in Toronto then, or when the traffic starts to get heavy. I've almost never had any problems with drivers around Richmond Hill (save for the VERY rare idiot), especially if you head north where it gets rural real fast.

Downtown Toronto however, with its traffic jam and gridlocks produces a lot more people ready to blow up. This is where the majority of the problem comes from.

You just didn't see the other side of the coin :) Having said that, most of the problem i've had came from sedans and regular vehicles, not buses/tractor trailers/trucks.

I was cycling around St Thomas.
I'm sure that there are rudies, around I was just lucky enough to not meet them. I was and am impressed by the people I did meet though!

In Canada, as long as you stay directly out of city centers, that's the kind of courtesy you can expect ;)

We all just like to be happy, eat our pancakes and make fur :D

I grew up on the US-Canadian border and always found Canadians to be nicely different from Americans

Last summer I went to British Colombia pulling a 25'tralier and found the kindness offered to me when changing lanes to be vastly diff from what I was used to in SOFLA

And traveling in general I have ALWAYS ranked Canadians with Aussies and Kiwis with the nicest and MOST polite of travelers

Long time ago a bud and I were in France when there was a bank strike and we couldn't change our travelers checks(long before ATM's), 2 Canadians took our checks and gave us the going rate in francs, had never met us before and Unfortunately I never saw them again

Isn't St Thomas where the Heinz ketchup factory is?

Obviously you weren't in Montreal either,where motorists are so impatient- god forbid they waste three seconds waiting at a stopsign, the roads are terrible and never get fixed. However, it's probably more bike friendly than many cities in North America; we have great bike paths. Unfortunately, they often cross at terrible, dangerous intersections where there are no lights, just stop signs. But i hear that other cities like Toronto are worse, and even Vancouver. I was surprised to hear that, because I imagined vancouver being so bike friendly, but someone I know who lived there for a long time said that in the city itself, it's really terrible and the drivers are the worst. The only good thing is that because of the mild winters, you can ride pretty much all year round.

Everything is filtered through one's perspective, I guess.

I just moved to Toronto, ON, from Minneapolis, MN. I've commuted by bike in both places and I've gotta say that once I got used to mixing simultaneously with two other modes (cars/trucks and streetcars), I find the biking in Toronto much more pleasant. Even riding on a major-ish thoroughfare like Dundas (TO) is far preferable to riding the same distance on an equivalent street like, say Hennepin Ave (MPLS).

Not all my experiences in TO have been positive but the ratio is heavy in its favor.

HOORAY FOR CANADA!!!!!

:o

Yes, I hear down by the waterfront in Montreal the biking trails are spectacular. Right in downtown is another story though :(

Yes, leave downtown to the crazy couriers. ALso some other major roads like SHerbrooke or Cote Vertu road- truly terrifying.

Did anyone else read the subject of this thread and think something along the lines of:
"For preserving your National Igloo!"

:)

I did a three day trip in September from Niagara (through Toronto) to Kingston and finally Ottawa. In the three days I don't think we heard three horns other than a few that cheered us on. I find it way more dangerous when I'm riding in my home town, tourists are focused on which street they're supposed to take, not the cyclist they're about to turn in front of.

E-yup! They need to bring that show back. :)

I gotta say, I was treated very rudely when last commuting through Canada. Maybe it was the big American flag and my custom-made jersey. It said, "Peter Forsberg's the greatest hockey player ever, and your beer sucks".

Dr. said the cuts and bruises should be better in a few more weeks. The fractures might require surgery.

Hehehe just kiddin' I love Canada.

"Peter Forsberg's the greatest hockey player ever, and your beer sucks"

How many world cups did Mr. Forsberg win last year? None.

How many Stanley cups? None.

MVP regular season or playoffs? Nope.

How about gold medals at the last Olympics? Didn't get one of those either.

Mr Forsberg is a very talented player but hardly the best. I'll save that for the Rocket, or Bobby Orr or 99.

Beer is a matter of taste. Considering you think Forsberg is the greatest you obviously have none:)

You can win gold metals at olympics?

metals

I would claim it is a unique Canadian way of spelling but seeing where you are from I'm busted!!!