- 6/6/2025
I composed unclassical music and blended it with the original audio for the ride. I recorded it normally and adjusted it for time (which resulted in the original audio turning out quite strange!).
As for the speeches made at the stage, I held the camera in my hands. A few times it got pointed downwards due to not handling it properly and forgetting to zoom out when I had to check the time (whoops).
The coffee and pancake breakfast was awesome.
As for the speeches made at the stage, I held the camera in my hands. A few times it got pointed downwards due to not handling it properly and forgetting to zoom out when I had to check the time (whoops).
The coffee and pancake breakfast was awesome.
Category
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TravelTranscript
00:00Alright, let's go.
00:30Let's go.
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02:50that we cannot be complacent, that advocacy doesn't end, and the importance of coming
02:54together as a community.
02:55And I want to thank all the political leaders who are fighting for us today.
02:58Thank you so much.
03:04Bike Month is also about community, and so I want to give a shout out to our exhibitors
03:08that are behind us here.
03:10We have Bike Chain, a do-it-yourself bike shop serving U of T in the public.
03:14We have Charlie's Free Wheels, an award-winning non-profit connecting young people to bikes
03:18and cycling opportunities.
03:20We have Community Place Hub, a health-access hub providing programs and services in Weston
03:26and Mount Dennis, and one of our Learn to Ride partners.
03:29Curbside Cycle, a bike shop along Bloor and the Annex serving urban cyclists.
03:34Go Dutch, a retailer of new and previously loved Dutch bikes along Eglinton.
03:40Police Orlando, one of the co-presenters of the Alex Semero Cycling Kindness Award.
03:44And please check out CycleToronto.ca to nominate someone in Alex's name who represents a sort
03:51of kindness and beauty in our world, and I think we need more of that right now.
03:58We have Snake E-Bike Rentals.
04:00We do subscriptions and sales for delivery riders, commuters, and families.
04:04We have Live Green Smart Commute offering programs to help individuals and organizations travel efficiently and sustainably.
04:09And of course, we have Bike Share Toronto, which is dollar for dollar, still the best way to get around the city.
04:16And last but certainly not least, for the second year in a row, pancakes are back.
04:22I look forward to the year round to see they're back.
04:25They're just here.
04:26They're pancakes.
04:27So big thank the Anne's Kitchen from St. Lawrence Market for pancakes and coffee.
04:32And of course, they've got those wonderful new bikeways that are coming along in Esplanade as well.
04:36And so, you know, there's no question of how our first speaker got to Nathan Phillips Square today.
04:43I suspect she might have been riding her bike down here, regardless of what else was happening.
04:48And so with that, I'd like to please welcome Her Worship, Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto.
04:52I'm way too short.
05:02Good morning.
05:03Good morning.
05:04Good morning.
05:05You just had the pancakes.
05:06You had the pancakes good?
05:07Oh, yeah.
05:08Okay.
05:09So let's do this again.
05:10Good morning.
05:11Good morning.
05:12Good morning.
05:13Welcome to Nathan Phillips Square.
05:15We take off June as the bike month.
05:19And this is the bike to work week.
05:24And doesn't it feel great coming down on university?
05:29Yeah.
05:30If you join us and free, it's a terrific ride.
05:35We feel very safe because there's a bike lane there.
05:39Isn't it?
05:40Yeah.
05:41And let's keep it that way.
05:43And let us build infrastructure that can support cyclists and make sure they're riding safely.
05:52So the City of Toronto, your council have been working very closely with all of you to find ways to encourage more people to come out to ride.
06:05And we are making cycling safer and more accessible.
06:12Imagine if all of us are in a car.
06:15That would pick up a lot of space.
06:18But as you and I know, cycling is growing every day, every year.
06:26Last year alone, in 2024, people took almost 7 million bike share rides.
06:367 million is in order.
06:38And here's the good news.
06:44165,000 of these rides, the users, first time ever, have they tried to use a bike share.
06:56165,000 more people try a bike share.
07:01That is encouraging.
07:05Well, to promote it, on June 14th, you can pick up a bike from any bike share all across the city for free.
07:20Imagine.
07:21Wow.
07:22Yeah.
07:23I'll be joining them on the Saturday.
07:25It's not a weekday.
07:26It's Saturday.
07:27There will be so many new people picking up a new bike share, a new bike.
07:33And have you tried a yee bike?
07:35I haven't, but I want to.
07:38I know there's a dramatic increase also.
07:40And for the first time, you know, you go over to the island, you take the ferry over,
07:47and you didn't bring your bike, and, ah, there's no bike share.
07:52For the first time this year, if you go over to the island, whether it's Central Island Wards or Hanans,
08:00you'll be able to pick up a bike share bike.
08:04Yeah.
08:05So, even more people cycling.
08:10So, I just want to thank Tangerine Bank for providing the, next Saturday, the free bike share day.
08:24I also want to thank Smart Commute Toronto and Cycle Toronto for partnering with us in this great event.
08:36Let me tell you, I've been coming to the Bike to Work week ride for decades.
08:42And every year, I see so many new faces.
08:44It's very, very encouraging.
08:46So, keep cycling, do it safe, and enjoy the coffee and the pancakes.
08:55Have a fabulous, fabulous day.
08:57Thank you so much.
08:59And so, I'd like to, ah, now invite up, ah, Roger Brown, ah, Director of Traffic Management
09:09and Transportation Services.
09:11Thanks, Michael.
09:13Thanks, Michael.
09:14I'll thank you, Mary Cho, for that introduction.
09:16Good morning, everybody.
09:17Good morning.
09:18I'm also not much of a podium guy, but, ah.
09:21So, I'm Roger Brown, Director of Traffic Management, ah, for the City of Toronto,
09:25and Happy Bike Month and Happy Bike to Work Day.
09:29Now, as the Mary mentioned, road safety is at the heart of all that we do in Transportation
09:36Services.
09:37No matter your mode of travel, your age, your abilities, we want to get to your destination
09:42safely and efficiently.
09:43I'm so happy to be here.
09:45Ah, as you guys know, I lead the team that, ah, that runs the City's Congestion Management
09:50Plan, and this is one of those really unsung parts of the plan.
09:53All the support that we do in terms of infrastructure, bike heads, ah, to basically, ah, and other features,
10:00specifically for the purposes of improving and making our bike infrastructure as safe
10:04as possible.
10:05You know, we've heard from the community that it's really important to connect bikeways
10:09so people can travel busy routes and reach their destinations without having to ride in
10:13mixed traffic, as well as improving cyclist safety at intersections.
10:17We also recognize the important role of cycling and other smart commute travel options
10:21and helping ease traffic congestion in our city, especially by reducing the number of
10:26single-occupant vehicle trips.
10:28Now, throughout the month, ah, there are a number of ways to get involved in Bike Month
10:32events.
10:33We are going to be hosting weekly webinars, a community ride in North York on June 14th,
10:37cycling engagement stations, ah, taking place across the city, and a Bike Month contest,
10:42where you can track your cycling trips for a chance to win prizes, so please, ah, visit
10:47toronto.ca backslash bike month for all the details.
10:51Encouraging safe and accessible ways to get around Toronto is an important part of the
10:56city's congestion management plan.
10:57I can't emphasize that enough.
10:58When you make a smart commute, you help ease congestion, helping the environment, and
11:03active transportation is great for your health as well.
11:06One critical step to our net goal at the City of Toronto, a net zero goal, I should say,
11:11at City of Toronto is the goal of 75% of all school and work trips are under five kilometers
11:18taken either by foot, bike, or transit.
11:21All of you are helping us on the path to achieving that goal, so thank you.
11:26And thank you again for joining us this morning.
11:28I also want to thank, ah, Smart Commute Toronto, Cycle Toronto, and our other partners for joining
11:32us here today to celebrate Bike to Work Day.
11:35And on that note, I'll hand it over to Scott Foyer,
11:38ah, President of, ah, Toronto Party Authority.
11:40Thanks, Scott.
11:41Oh, sorry.
11:42We're gonna, ah, we're gonna go with Natalie first.
11:46That's okay.
11:47Oh, one sec.
11:49So, I would now like to, ah, invite up, ah, Natalie Jones, the Chief, ah, Marketing Officer, ah,
11:55for Tangerine.
11:56Woo!
11:57Hello.
11:58Good morning, everyone.
12:00We're thrilled to be here today.
12:03And thank you for having us.
12:05We are, Tangerine Bank is the presenting sponsor of Toronto Bike Share.
12:10And this year, we're thrilled to be here to announce that we're sponsoring the second annual
12:14Bike for Free Day on June 14th.
12:16Woo!
12:17Woo!
12:18Tangerine Bank and Toronto Bike Share have been partners since 2023.
12:23And we've really been focused on moving the city forward.
12:26Whether that's moving your money forward, or whether that's moving you forward from point A to point B.
12:31And Bike for Free Day is a very real way that we bring that commitment to life.
12:35And so, all you have to do is log into the Toronto Bike Share app, select a $0 day pass, and hop on a bike and ride.
12:45It's really that easy.
12:46And we're hoping that we see many of you out and about having an absolute blast exploring your city.
12:52I want to send a huge thanks to Toronto, um, Toronto Bike Share for helping partner to bring this to life with us.
12:58And for Mayor Chow for being such an advocate of cycling in the city.
13:03So on June 14th, jump on a bike, compliments of Tangerine Bank, and we'll see you out there.
13:08Thank you Natalie.
13:17Uh, partnership.
13:18Uh, Scott Paul, uh, Scott Collier, the President of Toronto Parking Authority.
13:21Good morning everybody.
13:22So, what Natalie said, that concludes my comments today.
13:31Uh, good morning, uh, thank you Mayor Chow for your, uh, brilliant remarks.
13:34Guests and cyclists here today.
13:36Another beautiful day in Toronto.
13:38It's about time from a weather standpoint.
13:41My friends, very quickly want to talk about bikes, bicycles, cycles.
13:45We like to call them at Bike Share Toronto, happiness machines.
13:50They provide freedom and adventure, speed and excitement, utility and versatility.
13:55Physical and emotional well-being and connections with communities both near and far.
14:01Make no mistake, bikes are the superpower of mobility systems across cities, right across the world.
14:09And most importantly in Toronto.
14:11To that end, and on behalf of Bike Share, the Toronto Parking Authority,
14:15and in partnership with our great friends at the Tangerine Bank,
14:18we're delighted to kick off Bike Month in the city.
14:22Bike Share Toronto, nobody needs a reminder, but I will,
14:25is North America's third largest system,
14:27with, uh, ridership tripling since 2019, three times.
14:31Her team was thrilled to deploy Bike Share and Toronto Islands back in May,
14:36and our system will be fully accessible in all 25 city wards by the end of this year.
14:46Congratulations for the team in delivering it.
14:48Uh, and in celebration of this continued success,
14:51Toronto, uh, Tangerine Bank will once again, make cycling more accessible.
14:55In big word, accessibility will drive, uh, better outcomes for transportation for everyone in Toronto.
15:01Join us on, uh, Saturday, June 14th.
15:04Saturday, June 14th, we can ride Toronto Bike Share for free.
15:08Not a bad deal.
15:10So in closing, my personal thanks to CycleTree, uh, Toronto for bringing us together once again,
15:15and hosting another Ride to Work event for the city.
15:18And lastly, special call out to the mayor for her, for enthusiastic support for all things active, uh, active transportation across,
15:29not only in the city of Toronto, but across the country.
15:32Mayor Chow, thank you very much.
15:38Uh, thanks Scott.
15:39And of course, this isn't just, uh, Bike Month and Bike to Work Day,
15:42it's also, uh, we're in the middle of Bike to School Week.
15:45And so I'd like to invite up, uh, Michelle Arts Support Trustee from the Toronto District School Board.
15:54Thank you, Mike.
15:55I, uh, I realize I'm probably standing between you and pancakes, so I will keep it short.
15:59I want to have, I want, I just want to say a really big thank you from, uh, the School Boards in Toronto,
16:05to the City of Toronto, and Cycle Toronto, and all of you as advocates.
16:09Um, we know, for, for children, we know that biking to school, or being active on your way to school,
16:15improves the ability to learn.
16:17It improves, um, their, their, students' well-being, and it's connected to academic success for students.
16:24So being able to ride to school, um, from your neighborhood is a huge well-being issue for families across the city,
16:34and the City of Toronto is a huge partner for school boards.
16:37The City of Toronto provides, um, bike racks, uh, the street safety signs,
16:43that kind of infrastructure that our schools need so our kids feel safe on the way to school.
16:47The other big stat for schools is that the number one safety issue for children getting to school is cars and drivers,
16:54and that's generally parents dropping their kids off to school.
16:57So the more that families feel safe, uh, feel good about biking to school,
17:03the healthier the kids are, the safer the kids are, and the, and the better they're going to learn.
17:08So a huge thank you to all of you who advocate for this infrastructure,
17:12and we're gonna work, keep working with the city, um, and our, and our cycling partners, green communities,
17:17and other partners, um, to expand, hopefully, bike infrastructure into more and more communities,
17:24and especially more high-needs areas, so that, so that more of our kids have access to some healthy and safe ways to school.
17:30Thank you very much. Have a great day. I'm gonna go get myself some coffee.
17:34Hey, I get to make a decoration. Just before I do that, I saw the, uh, Council General of Netherlands was here.
17:49He, uh, he, uh, he's an average cyclist, and every city of Toronto cycling events, he attends.
17:57Oh, there he is! Ah! Getting a t-shirt! Thank you! Thank you for joining us again.
18:05I'm, uh, I'm, uh, going to make, oh, by the way, let us say thank you to all the folks that work for the city.
18:12Uh, whether it's EMS, the, uh, paramedics, the vital enforcement officer, the police officer,
18:20the, uh, many, many, uh, sound people, photographer, lots of, uh, lots of folks from, uh, the city of Toronto, uh, here joining you.
18:30Now, uh, yes, uh, thank you for joining us. Thank you for the public service.
18:36I just want to, uh, declare June 25th as the Bike Month as we celebrate cycling in Toronto.
18:45This month features hundreds of cycling events that encourage people to get outdoors,
18:51stay active while riding their bikes. It's a good mode of transportation, right?
18:56It's, uh, also very affordable. Um, the City of Toronto actively promotes cycling, et cetera, et cetera.
19:05And, uh, it also said, ah, we are committed to, uh, the Cycling Network Implementation Program,
19:13which commits to delivering a hundred kilometers of new and major upgrade bikeways.
19:23And, um, a key goal of the city, Accelerated TransformTO Net Zero.
19:37You know, Net Zero is our climate action strategy.
19:42As it gets hazy because of the fire, we know climate crisis is real.
19:49And it's important that we meet our Net Zero climate action strategy.
19:55And it is that by 2030, 75% of school work trips under five kilometers will be blocked, cycled on by transit.
20:11Is that not a good road? Good, good, good road to have 75%.
20:16Okay.
20:18So, I, therefore, Mayor Olivia Chow on behalf of Toronto City Council proclaiming June 25th as Bike Month in the City of Toronto.
20:29Uh, let me give this to, uh, Michael.
20:32Let me give this to, uh, Michael.
20:41Thanks to all of you.
20:42Thanks to the ride guides who, uh, kept us safe.
20:44Can I give a big round of applause for the ride guides?
20:47Um, I want to give a thanks to Roger's team as well.
20:51We've got, uh, by-law enforcement officers who are here riding with us.
20:54So, just to let folks know.
20:55Those folks who are paramedics, uh, it's not Toronto for services.
20:58It's by-law officers and paramedics.
21:00And again, just show us, you know, what we can do with the good use of the resources.
21:04So, thank you so much for having them with us here today.
21:06Um, T-shirts are ten bucks.
21:08Uh, today only at the square, ten bucks.
21:11They're all cotton for a change.
21:12They're super comfy.
21:13Be sure to grab one there.
21:14And, uh, that's it.
21:16Um, Bike Month is all month.
21:17Check out the website Toronto.ca slash Bike Month.
21:21Um, and, you know, June 14th, serve it on your calendar.
21:24Not only for, uh, the Tangerine Free Bike Share Day,
21:27but we're also riding in North York for another community ride along the Finch Corridor.
21:32So, you can find our Finch-Hiber Corridor.
21:34You can find out about that on the website as well.
21:36Thank you, everyone. We're coming in.
21:37That means a lot. Thanks.
21:43Officer, EMS, you know who you are?
21:46Yes, you are?
21:47Yeah. Come on up.
21:48Let's do a photo together.
21:50Uh, calling all city of Toronto staff.
21:53Uh, you have uniforms.
21:55Then come up.
21:56You're looking great.
21:58Come on up and join in the photo.
22:00EMS, police, yeah.
22:03Come on up.
22:04The City of Toronto, if you work for the city, come.