Comments on The Urban Country Bicycle Blog: Canadian Cyclist Harassed At U.S. Border

'This bike is a pipe bomb'!

"off-hand and rude"? You must have been...

2011-12-14T08:48:12.823-05:00

"off-hand and rude"? You must have been coming back into Ontario.

Going up the escarpment is difficult, and from a U...

2011-12-13T13:01:02.402-05:00

Going up the escarpment is difficult, and from a University (and college) stand point both Brock and Niagara are located in terrible spots. Brock up on a "hill" and Niagara in the middle of no where. I have no reason to go to either place mind you.
As long as the Canal trail is open, I do see many students cycling to Niagara.

The south end of the city isn't the best for cycling as things are spread out, but it has improved over the years with regards to more bike lanes (especially since I lived in the area).
One of the bigger issues I find with the south end is you have a lot of out of town students who have no clue how to drive.

The West end is fairly spread out as most new stores are built here now (as well as the cities new hospital). Some roads have bike lanes and the ones that don't are quite wide. I'm always amazed when I'm in the west end at just how many people are using bikes.

I live in the north end (north of the QEW) and it's outstanding! It's pretty well completely flat, most major roads have bike lanes, and pretty well what ever you need is in the north end so everything is close by.

I've been riding for around 7 or 8 years and can't say I've ever encountered a stigma of not owning a car here.
On Friday I was talking to a librarian (who I deal with on a regular basis), and I had to show ID for an address check, so I showed the new Ontario ID card. She was thrilled about it because nearly everyone of her close friends don't have a drivers license. She also indicated she deals with many daily at the library who don't have a drivers license. Although vehicle ownership is still quite high here, it's not viewed as uncommon to not own a car.
It tends to be those who move here from other cities that find it odd.

Elsewhere in Niagara I'd agree it isn't at all good for cycling.
The tourist spots in Niagara Falls actually aren't bad, however for residents riding in other parts of the city it's terrible.
Welland has some strong points, but the closest I've ever been passed was in Welland (within a 1cm with the van doing 70kph).
Fort Erie/Port Colborne seems to be where most who phone in on the radio live who are against bikes, but there at the complete opposite end of the region from me.

All-in-all, St. Catharines since 2009 has drastically improved for people riding bikes.

Not wanting to deal with the border was a big reas...

2011-12-13T11:04:22.063-05:00

Not wanting to deal with the border was a big reason Ben went over Superior rather than under it whrn he biked from Toronto to Saskatoon last year. If those guys want to they will fuck with you for absolutely no reason. Better take a few extra days that put up with it.

Also the north shore of Superior is gorgeous, but the hills are murder. And there are bears.

Agreed. I grew up in Niagara and didn't find i...

2011-12-13T10:34:10.719-05:00

Agreed. I grew up in Niagara and didn't find it to be particularly bike friendly except for a wide range of great bike paths that are mostly recreational (Niagara River, Welland Canal, various rail trails, etc).

Despite Toronto's flaws politically, bicycling is still the best way to get around here...

Thanks for the story Jesse. You should have told h...

2011-12-13T10:27:51.033-05:00

Thanks for the story Jesse. You should have told him the bike was so expensive because the frame was packed with illegal drugs. Or not ;)

I know it's easy to make fun of the poor old A...

2011-12-13T10:15:15.403-05:00

I know it's easy to make fun of the poor old Americans with their paranoid view of the world. However, the Canadian border can be an unpleasant place for legitimate travellers. I have often crossed the border from the US to Canada on my British passport and the Canadian officials are often, but not always, off-hand and rude. My father, a Canadian, always said that you should never smile at the Canadian border.

The fact that the police or border officer doesn&#...

2011-12-13T09:33:34.743-05:00

The fact that the police or border officer doesn't know basic laws in his own county is ridiculous but it happens in many places. I guess one of the reasons for it is the increase in number of officers "by 700% since September 11th, 2001". It is likely that they are not trained well and were quickly hired as a part of "war on terror".

You see, if you live in U.S., be American. Drive a car (a pick-up truck!), eat hamburgers, live in fear and not try anything stupid like riding a bicycle to work. And all of you gay, French cycling vegetarians better stay home. ;)

--
http://bostonbybike.blogspot.com/

Let me tell you a funny story about US Customs and...

2011-12-13T09:23:18.722-05:00

Let me tell you a funny story about US Customs and bicycles.

Last March I drove from my home in Buffalo up to Toronto to buy a Pashley Roadster at Curbside Cycle (this is the closest place where I could see and test ride one before buying).

The ride home on the Gardiner and QEW with the heavy bicycle precariously secured to the trunk rack was, shall we say, exhilarating, so I was already full of adrenaline when I arrived at the border.

"Anything to declare?"

"Well, I bought this bicycle. Here's the receipt."

That really confused the border guard. "Why did you have to buy it in Toronto? You couldn't get it here?" "Is it for your own personal use, or are you reselling it?" "Why does it cost so much?" (And I don't really think $1,500 is all that much for a high-end bicycle!)

So I was instructed to park my car and come into the customs office while they figured out what to do with me. I was nervous about the duty and also nervous about the possibility of the bike being stolen off the back of my car while I was inside.

They kept me there for about half an hour, with about eight guys gathered around a computer, trying to figure out which duty category applies to it. "Where was it manufactured?" Apparently that would make a difference under NAFTA.

I was dreading that they would charge me $400 or something and that I would have been far better off just ordering the bike sight unseen from a shop in New York City. Or wishing I had just kept my mouth shut at the inspection booth, but I'm never really comfortable trying to pull one over men who carry loaded handguns.

Eventually, I was called to the counter and charged a grand total of... $22.50. "We found two categories that could apply so we charged you the lower amount."

I paid and got the hell out of there as fast as I could. I felt nearly sick in the car afterwards from the post-adrenaline acid stomach, but at the same time I thought it was pretty funny that they much have spent more money in salary time for all of the customs officials to figure out what to do with me than they received from me.

Apropos to this post, everyone there was quite polite and reasonable, with the exception of the perplexed guard at the inspection booth who didn't know what to do with me and asked annoying questions like "Why does it cost so much?"

Well... I went to Brock for my B.Ed and I did not ...

2011-12-13T09:04:51.545-05:00

Well... I went to Brock for my B.Ed and I did not find it that bike friendly. This is a decade back. Biking up to Brock was not only hard work, but not owning a car in that town was a bigger stigma than any I could have got based on a sexuality.

It's been almost 20 years since I went to the ...

2011-12-13T08:21:04.488-05:00

It's been almost 20 years since I went to the USA last. My Dad and I use to park at the Skylon tower and walk over to Niagara Falls (NY). Border guards back then were always friendly.

As for what's going on in Toronto? Makes me happy I live in St. Catharines. The north end has plenty of cycle lanes, everything is close by, motorists are for the most part courteous and our winters aren't as bad!
Although our mayor has made some mistakes with regards to cycling infrastructure (partial removal of a bike lane), he fully supports cycling and tries to encourage it.

I am fortunate that my work does not require me to...

2011-12-13T06:03:24.530-05:00

I am fortunate that my work does not require me to go to the US, because after dealing with traffic jams at the border, and their onerous airport security, BEFORE 9/11, I have found the best solution: never go there again.
http://hanlonsrzr.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-personal-quarantine-of-america.html