Or a AAA for bicycles...
Believed to be a global first, the union already has enrolled hundreds
of card-carrying members since it formed in May. Modeled on auto
programs like AAA, the union plans to offer members insurance,
roadside assistance, and advocacy on their behalf – all for a $24
annual fee.
“Our primary goal is give a voice to urban cyclists who use their
bikes in their daily lives as a mode of transportation,” explains
David Meslin, founder of the Toronto Cyclists Union. “Cyclists don’t
feel safe on the streets, and if they know there is a group fighting
for safer conditions, I believe a lot more will join.”
With 130 miles of dedicated bike lanes, Toronto is out in front of
other major Canadian cities such as Montreal (110 miles) and Vancouver
(64 miles). But its bike lanes are less connected than in Vancouver,
which many of Toronto’s 400,000 utilitarian cyclists – those who cycle
to work, school, or on their errands each day – say has made better
progress.
“Toronto was way ahead 10 to 15 years ago and it fell way behind
Vancouver,” says bike-union coordinator Rick Conroy. “Vancouver has
put a lot more thought, care, and money into their bike lanes in
recent years.”
To get up to speed, one of the union’s first tasks will be to lobby
the City of Toronto to implement a “visionary” plan for cyclists
commissioned in 2001 but never fully implemented.