I Love Riding in the City

NAME: Claus Nader
LOCATION: Toronto, ON
OCCUPATION: History and Humanities Professor, Bike Shop Employee

Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
Right now (January 2008) it’s actually not too bad in Toronto. We had a few very cold days in December (-12° Celsius, don’t ask me about fucking Fahrenheit) where the booties just didn’t do the job and my toes were in distress. Last week it was 12° Celsius, which felt like Spring. So we get all kinds of crazy conditions. Traffic is, at times, aggressive. Bike lanes are rare and either covered in snow (thanks, city hall) or serve as additional parking spots. Although the city administration claims to support alternative transportation, I don’t see much encouragement to get people on bikes and out of their cars.

To date we are the largest city in Canada with the shortest network of bike lanes. To make a painful story short—Toronto is for motorists. Nevertheless, there are a lot of people who enjoy urban cycling and who ride with pride. Recently, some activists announced the creation of the Toronto Cyclists Union, which will try to bring various cycling related groups under one umbrella. I enjoy the monthly Critical Mass rides, which bring out about 250 bikers in the summer. The November ride in subzero temperatures and snowy conditions still brought about 75 people out, which was great.
Working part-time in the fourth oldest bike shop in North America (sounds more glamorous than it is) I get to meet a lot of cyclists and have struck plenty of connections with like-minded people. While riding in Toronto has it’s challenges, the scene and the late night pub-crawls make it well worth it.

What’s your favorite city to ride in and why?
I really liked riding in Germany. I am originally from Heidelberg, which is a rather sleepy city with 130,000 people. I can’t remember any time when I felt unsafe in traffic. The entire city has a thorough cycling network (thanks to a vocal cycling community) and it’s easy to get to other small towns in the periphery via country roads. My circle of operation was all within 20 miles, reaching everything quickly and hassle free. Sometimes I miss it.

Why do you love riding in the city?
Riding in the city is the only way I can transport myself around and have fun. I love the meditative aspect as well as the sense of freedom and independence. I see the city in many different ways on a bike, often ending up on side streets that I have never seen before. I am thrilled that I can contribute to cleaner air and a fit body. I believe that if more people make it out on their bikes, more novices will be recruited. And the more people ride in the city, the more city hall will have to respond to improve cycling related infrastructure.