Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
OURS Victoria Strikes Again
Guerrilla street painters struck on Cook Street this week, were “sharrows” briefly appeared between Fairfield Road and Southgate Street, but were immediately painted over by city of Victoria crews.
The sharrows — shared-use arrows reminding drivers to share road space in areas too narrow for full bike lanes — were painted by Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad, which describes itself as a “collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members.”
The group said in a news release that the Cook Street sharrows were the fourth attempt to increase cycling security in Greater Victoria.
Sharrows painted earlier this year on Lansdowne Road have not been removed, but last year, two sets of markings on Hillside Avenue were immediately painted over as city staff said they were confusing and could be dangerous. Sharrows are used in some cities, but are not approved in Greater Victoria.
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
The sharrows — shared-use arrows reminding drivers to share road space in areas too narrow for full bike lanes — were painted by Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad, which describes itself as a “collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members.”
The group said in a news release that the Cook Street sharrows were the fourth attempt to increase cycling security in Greater Victoria.
Sharrows painted earlier this year on Lansdowne Road have not been removed, but last year, two sets of markings on Hillside Avenue were immediately painted over as city staff said they were confusing and could be dangerous. Sharrows are used in some cities, but are not approved in Greater Victoria.
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The View From The West Coast
OURS strikes for their one year anniversary
by the Other Urban Repair Squad
Coast Salish Territories - Victoria's Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) struck once again on Monday July 19, painting sharrows on one of the most unsafe cycling roads in Victoria on Cook Street between Fairfield and Southgate.
"Sharrows" aim to increase driver awareness of bicycles
One year ago, they came out for the first time painting sharrows on Hillside Avenue, a heavy traffic corridor with no bike lane and used by both cyclists and cars. Monday July 19th was OURS fourth attempt to increase the cycling security and bike friendliness of greater Victoria.
OURS, a collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members, argue that sharrows are an excellent way to increase bike visibility and promote sharing the road. Facing the reality of many unsafe biking areas in Victoria and the slow bureaucratic system in place, OURS has decided to help the community by painting sharrows themselves based on the recommended design and dimension standards.
Sharrows are not a replacement for lanes but they indicate major bike routes and are accepted by the Transportation Association of Canada as a minimum safety standard.
"They are perfect for Victoria with its narrow roads and tight budget," says OURS spokeperson, Yukon Duit. Sharrows are short for "Shared Use Arrow". They are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that cannot incorporate a full bike lane.
"Our sharrows [on cook] got painted over by the city of Victoria crew before morning traffic could enjoy the safety of a real bike friendly city!" says Duit. Saanich municipality, on the other hand, has left the sharrows done by OURS over a month ago, which is greatly appreciated by the cyclist community. "I was always afraid to bike to school before, but seeing the sharrows on the road has helped me know that cars pay attention to me on my bike" says Eva Moores-Afetly yesterday when OURS interviewed random cyclists that biked using the sharrows on their way past Camosun College.
Sharrows are used by cities in Australia, France, Germany, Switizerland, UK and the US. The Toronto Urban Repair Squad (URS) has been more creative even than OURS Victoria, using pink paint and drawing their own bike symbols with square wheels and funky bike designs. Toronto has also left the sharrows up. "The point is visibility and sending the message to drivers that the streets are to be shared," Carey Tive of URS said, reminding us that Canadian citizens have a strong history of being active
These actions are being taken because of the slow response to make cycling in the city safer and more friendly. Montreal boasts 2400 + kms of trails and a budget of more than $134 million dedicated for bike infrastructure. With 27k of Lochside trail and 55k of Galloping Goose trail, Victoria, is left in the dust even with their tilte of Cycling Capital of Canada. "The greater Victoria has been creating positive changes for the cycling community over the last decade and it is important to acknowledge what's been done, but OURS wants more and the cycling community deserved sharrows and inner-urban areas to be on the agenda too." says Duit. "The focus needs to change from costly road expansions like bike lanes to effective alternatives such as sharrows".
OURS is not only putting words into action but is also doing it quickly and cheap. "Cook Street got done in fifteen minutes and with about ten dollars worth of paint," says Duit. With that type of efficiency, Victoria might even want to consider contracting OURS for their future cycling safety marking!
So far OURS 4-City 0...the match is still on!
by the Other Urban Repair Squad
Coast Salish Territories - Victoria's Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) struck once again on Monday July 19, painting sharrows on one of the most unsafe cycling roads in Victoria on Cook Street between Fairfield and Southgate.
"Sharrows" aim to increase driver awareness of bicycles
One year ago, they came out for the first time painting sharrows on Hillside Avenue, a heavy traffic corridor with no bike lane and used by both cyclists and cars. Monday July 19th was OURS fourth attempt to increase the cycling security and bike friendliness of greater Victoria.
OURS, a collective of bike advocates, commuter cyclists and active community members, argue that sharrows are an excellent way to increase bike visibility and promote sharing the road. Facing the reality of many unsafe biking areas in Victoria and the slow bureaucratic system in place, OURS has decided to help the community by painting sharrows themselves based on the recommended design and dimension standards.
Sharrows are not a replacement for lanes but they indicate major bike routes and are accepted by the Transportation Association of Canada as a minimum safety standard.
"They are perfect for Victoria with its narrow roads and tight budget," says OURS spokeperson, Yukon Duit. Sharrows are short for "Shared Use Arrow". They are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that cannot incorporate a full bike lane.
"Our sharrows [on cook] got painted over by the city of Victoria crew before morning traffic could enjoy the safety of a real bike friendly city!" says Duit. Saanich municipality, on the other hand, has left the sharrows done by OURS over a month ago, which is greatly appreciated by the cyclist community. "I was always afraid to bike to school before, but seeing the sharrows on the road has helped me know that cars pay attention to me on my bike" says Eva Moores-Afetly yesterday when OURS interviewed random cyclists that biked using the sharrows on their way past Camosun College.
Sharrows are used by cities in Australia, France, Germany, Switizerland, UK and the US. The Toronto Urban Repair Squad (URS) has been more creative even than OURS Victoria, using pink paint and drawing their own bike symbols with square wheels and funky bike designs. Toronto has also left the sharrows up. "The point is visibility and sending the message to drivers that the streets are to be shared," Carey Tive of URS said, reminding us that Canadian citizens have a strong history of being active
These actions are being taken because of the slow response to make cycling in the city safer and more friendly. Montreal boasts 2400 + kms of trails and a budget of more than $134 million dedicated for bike infrastructure. With 27k of Lochside trail and 55k of Galloping Goose trail, Victoria, is left in the dust even with their tilte of Cycling Capital of Canada. "The greater Victoria has been creating positive changes for the cycling community over the last decade and it is important to acknowledge what's been done, but OURS wants more and the cycling community deserved sharrows and inner-urban areas to be on the agenda too." says Duit. "The focus needs to change from costly road expansions like bike lanes to effective alternatives such as sharrows".
OURS is not only putting words into action but is also doing it quickly and cheap. "Cook Street got done in fifteen minutes and with about ten dollars worth of paint," says Duit. With that type of efficiency, Victoria might even want to consider contracting OURS for their future cycling safety marking!
So far OURS 4-City 0...the match is still on!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Awesome O.U.R.S. (Victoria) Strikes Again (Press Release)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‘Other Urban Repair Squad’ (O.U.R.S.) Hits Victoria Again:
Cycling Activists Paint “Guerrilla Sharrows” in Response to Slow Expansion of Bike Lanes
(Lansdowne Road between Richmond Road and Foul Bay roads)
June 24, 2010 - Coast Salish Territories, Victoria –Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) has painted more “sharrows” along a busy commuter route in Victoria. The markings run along a street linking downtown and Camosun and University of Victoria campuses.
"It's been nearly a year since we painted the sharrows on Hillside and there's been no action at all from the CRD in terms of providing more bike lanes," says Yukon Duit, spokesperson for the group. The Hillside sharrows were subsequently painted over by City workers last July.
Sharrows – short for “Shared Use Arrow” – are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that are too narrow to incorporate a full bike lane.
Sharrows were adopted last year by the Transportation Association of Canada, which approves standards and guidelines for road design and markings across Canada. The markings have not been officially adopted by any of the municipalities in the CRD, although they are used to designate major bike routes in many other cities in Canada - most notably in Montreal and Vancouver.
"It’s clear that despite touting Victoria as the cycling capital of Canada, the CRD and the City do not see cycling infrastructure as a priority,” states Duit. “None of the City of Victoria’s $189-million 2010 budget has been allocated to the Sustainability Department, yet nearly $69-million will be spent repairing major vehicular roadways into the city and $3-million will be spent on automobile parkades.”
The City of Victoria 2009-2028 Capital Plan Project Budget allocates $2-million for a bike lane along Yates from Government to Wharf. Duit, however, says that the funds are misdirected.
“That’s a lot of money to spend on one block – and a lane on a downtown commercial block does not do much to support commuter cycling,” notes Duit. Alternatively, bike lanes along the Hillside-Lansdowne corridor would encourage cycling among the University of Victoria and Camosun College communities which see over 34,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff accessing the campuses during the school year. Studies have shown that the biggest barrier to getting more people on bicycles is the perception of danger on the road due to inadequate cycling infrastructure.
The sharrows were painted 2 weeks ago. “I feel much safer having [the sharrows] there,“ says commuter cyclist Idid Itoo. “Cars and trucks are definitely responding differently, and giving me more space on the road.”
"We know from our experience that painting bike lanes is cheap. You can buy a lot of paint with $2-million, so we thought we'd show the CRD how it's done. Again," says Duit. “For its part, the City is making decisions in the dark, without the input of the cycling community, and at a snail’s pace” claims Duit, pointing to the shutting down of the City of Victoria Cycling Advisory Committee nearly two years ago.
O.U.R.S Victoria is part of a larger international network of Urban Repair Squads across North America, Europe and South America that encourages people to reclaim ownership and stewardship of urban spaces by constructing urban infrastructure through direct action.
-30-
For more information:
To receive more info on the whereabouts of the new sharrows or to see photos email: oursvictoria@graffiti.net
O.U.R.S. Victoria media (2010)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/97162834.html
O.U.R.S Victoria media (2009):
http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/to-diy-or-not-to-diy/food-and-life/ http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Sharrows+need+official http://www.timescolonist.com/news/City+crews+obliterate+guerrilla+road+marks http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/City+erases+more+bike+sharrows+Hillside http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Cycling+activists+leading
An earlier report by City of Victoria Councillor John Luton on the success of sharrows in Montreal:
http://cyclfac_toolbox-3wc.thecyclistwebhouse.com/sharrows/Index.htm
‘Other Urban Repair Squad’ (O.U.R.S.) Hits Victoria Again:
Cycling Activists Paint “Guerrilla Sharrows” in Response to Slow Expansion of Bike Lanes
(Lansdowne Road between Richmond Road and Foul Bay roads)
June 24, 2010 - Coast Salish Territories, Victoria –Victoria’s Other Urban Repair Squad (O.U.R.S) has painted more “sharrows” along a busy commuter route in Victoria. The markings run along a street linking downtown and Camosun and University of Victoria campuses.
"It's been nearly a year since we painted the sharrows on Hillside and there's been no action at all from the CRD in terms of providing more bike lanes," says Yukon Duit, spokesperson for the group. The Hillside sharrows were subsequently painted over by City workers last July.
Sharrows – short for “Shared Use Arrow” – are bicycle-and-chevron markings indicating a shared use lane. The markings are used in cities across North America and Europe on roadways that are too narrow to incorporate a full bike lane.
Sharrows were adopted last year by the Transportation Association of Canada, which approves standards and guidelines for road design and markings across Canada. The markings have not been officially adopted by any of the municipalities in the CRD, although they are used to designate major bike routes in many other cities in Canada - most notably in Montreal and Vancouver.
"It’s clear that despite touting Victoria as the cycling capital of Canada, the CRD and the City do not see cycling infrastructure as a priority,” states Duit. “None of the City of Victoria’s $189-million 2010 budget has been allocated to the Sustainability Department, yet nearly $69-million will be spent repairing major vehicular roadways into the city and $3-million will be spent on automobile parkades.”
The City of Victoria 2009-2028 Capital Plan Project Budget allocates $2-million for a bike lane along Yates from Government to Wharf. Duit, however, says that the funds are misdirected.
“That’s a lot of money to spend on one block – and a lane on a downtown commercial block does not do much to support commuter cycling,” notes Duit. Alternatively, bike lanes along the Hillside-Lansdowne corridor would encourage cycling among the University of Victoria and Camosun College communities which see over 34,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff accessing the campuses during the school year. Studies have shown that the biggest barrier to getting more people on bicycles is the perception of danger on the road due to inadequate cycling infrastructure.
"We know from our experience that painting bike lanes is cheap. You can buy a lot of paint with $2-million, so we thought we'd show the CRD how it's done. Again," says Duit. “For its part, the City is making decisions in the dark, without the input of the cycling community, and at a snail’s pace” claims Duit, pointing to the shutting down of the City of Victoria Cycling Advisory Committee nearly two years ago.
O.U.R.S Victoria is part of a larger international network of Urban Repair Squads across North America, Europe and South America that encourages people to reclaim ownership and stewardship of urban spaces by constructing urban infrastructure through direct action.
-30-
For more information:
To receive more info on the whereabouts of the new sharrows or to see photos email: oursvictoria@graffiti.net
O.U.R.S. Victoria media (2010)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/97162834.html
O.U.R.S Victoria media (2009):
http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/to-diy-or-not-to-diy/food-and-life/ http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Sharrows+need+official http://www.timescolonist.com/news/City+crews+obliterate+guerrilla+road+marks http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/City+erases+more+bike+sharrows+Hillside http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Cycling+activists+leading
An earlier report by City of Victoria Councillor John Luton on the success of sharrows in Montreal:
http://cyclfac_toolbox-3wc.thecyclistwebhouse.com/sharrows/Index.htm
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
With Love From Lyon, France
Lots of people gathered on that peculiar Saturday afternoon (may 29) with the motto « draw yourself the bike lane you always asked for ». Indeed, bikers associations have been asking for real bike-lane planning in Lyon for years without being even heard. The existing bike lanes are ageing (pictograms disappearing...), mysteriously stop at dangerous crossroads, do not cross over bridges (there are many in Lyon), are not connected etc.
Despite, the major is boasting about “Lyon being a great biking city”.
Obviously, he has never tried biking around... This symbolic action was an attempt to draw everybody's attention and to show it is possible (and quite easy !) to create bike lanes. If we can do it, the city can surely do so...
The action was repeated the following Saturday to create bike lanes against the traffic in one-way streets in Lyon city centre. The city centre is a 30 km/h speed limit zone and all one-way streets should be opened to two-way traffic for bikes (as allowed by regulation). But once again, the municipality does not seem ready to move on. The action demonstrated the feasibility of such an urban
development... Let's hope it will inspire our city council !
Links: http://velorutionlyon.free.fr/
http://velorutionlyon.free.fr/
Sunday, May 30, 2010
URS In The Toronto Star
As the Star’s Robyn Doolittle reported in June, 2007, a group of activists calling themselves the Other Urban Repair Squad began putting unofficial — and illegal; they could have been arrested — bicycle lanes on city streets, using hot pink paint.
It was a protest against the city’s years-behind-schedule program to expand bike lanes. The painting had to be done during the rush hour, the only time cars wouldn’t be parked where the bike lane would be.
Doolittle accompanied the squad on one foray along Bloor St. She wrote, "Commuters instinctively take their positions, and bikes head right for the new lane as drivers dutifully merge left."
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/816124--how-one-french-town-deals-with-the-inevitable-car-bicycle-rivalry
Thursday, May 27, 2010
ATSA - Change (Toronto Free Gallery)
ATSA is Proud to present CHANGE at the TORONTO FREE GALLERY! Closing Saturday, July 24, 2010.
CHANGE, is ATSA’s complete body of work together in one location, enabling the visitor to discover or rediscover this socially engaged collective through an appreciation of its overall output.
EXHIBITION, ART, DERIVED PRODUCTS FOR SALE!
EVERYTHING MUST GO!
FROM $2 TO $2,000!
www.atsa.qc.ca
CHANGE, a retrospective of ATSA’s work coupled with an intervention on marketing, all at a “store” near you!
CHANGE, a platform for reexamining the major societal issues covered by ATSA: wealth and resource distribution; rampant consumerism; stewardship of our natural, built and intangible heritage; addiction to fossil fuels; violence toward children; globalization; and more.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Crossing the bridge
One of the main challenges faced by daily bicyclist's in Sao Paulo is crossing the bridges over Pinheiros and Tiete rivers.
Last sunday, Urban Repair folks painted more than 40 sharrows in Cidade Universitária bridge, warning drivers about the existence of bikes on the road that connects Pinheiros neighborhood and Sao Paulo University (USP).
The painting happend just after a solidarity gathering for a young bicyclist hit by a car in a street close to the bridge. Relatives of the young Tomas said the accident was not driver's fault.
The repair men and women painted "Devagar Vidas" on the ground, highlighting the importance of lower speeds in the city. Photos: aline / macacoveio
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
With Love From L.A.'s Dept of D.I.Y.
Operation Caelia Shortface from The Dept of D.I.Y. on Vimeo.
Close to 1000 signs were posted ... totally amazing!
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Different Path - HotDocs May 7 at the Royal | International Premiere
| Fri, May 07 7:15 pm | The Royal | |||||
| Sun, May 09 6:30 pm | The Cumberland 3 http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/a_different_path |
Official trailer: Trailer | Director(s) : Monteith McCollum
Friday, April 16, 2010
City of Toronto Announces Bike Boxes Pilot Project (Maybe)
Toronto's First Bike Box was installed by URS in 2008.
Let's see if they actually paint them.
In any case, why wait?
News story
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ghost Bike & Traffic Calming Action in Sao Paulo (Devagar Vidas)
http://www.apocalipsemotorizado.net/2010/03/29/noticias-de-uma-guerra-publica/
Ghost bike installation for Manoel Perreira Torres. Photo by Va de bike
Sunday, April 11, 2010
With Love From Bratislava
Cykloguerilla Manifesto - Bratislava, Slovakia
We have had enough! To hell with the Mayor, who doesn't treat cyclists as full-fledged citizens. To hell with the City's and the city districts' administration who have been inactive in marking new biking lanes in the city. Initiative is in our hands now. The City hasn't been able to provide us with the working system of bike lanes in the past 20 years, so we are going to mark them ourselves. End to the ignorance of bike traffic, we want to travel safely in the city.
More photos here
Cykloguerrilla Blog
(translated from Slovak via Google Translate)
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