2 Thursday, June 9, 2023 brooklintowncrier.com Brooklin's Community Newspaper Proud to be a Brooklinite Since 2000. Published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com • Circulation 8000 • Delivery via Canada Post Locally owned and operated. A publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, June 23, 2023 Deadline: Friday, June 16, 2023 Brooklin TOWN CRIER.com Monday - Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm Friday 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday Closed Fun Truck Time 2023 Colorado 1201 Dundas St. East, Whitby SALES 905-668-5846 SERVICE 905-668-8871 PARTS 905-668-8853 Top Dollar for your Trade 4WD Crew Cab Short Box ZR2 ORDER YOUR PRE-OWNED CAR WITH US! SALES (905) 721-6599 SERVICE (905) 721-6588 PARTS (905) 721-6577 445 Winchester Road East, Brooklin Hyundai - Official Partner of the NHL Swing by to take a practice shot on our Net in the showroom! Check out our Pre-Owned Inventory on our website! Made for Those Who Drive Hockey!Made for Those Who Drive Hockey! Ron Lalonde, Durham Cycling Coalition exec, is going to lead me around Brooklin to show off how safe cycling is. He oughta know. Cycled through Germany. Cycled to and from Renfrew. Me? To the drugstore - and back. Still, I'm dubious, my go-to sentiment. For starters, my all-road beast's tires need inflating. How much before they blow up? Is a best guess safe? Helmet's a bit dusty though the wind from my speed should blow it all away. The tinker bell works. Spiffy sunglasses have disappeared. No glasses means the cool look is gone. We meet at the Memorial Park stone entrance. He's sent me our route map and I've memorized the first block. After that, I'll just follow. He commends me on wearing a bright coloured pullover. Actually, it's the only place I can wear it and not invite abuse for its brightness. I stay a safe distance behind as he negotiates the streets, displaying hand signals and pointing out signage which, as a driver, I always found a bit confusing. Bike routes versus bike lanes. Share the road. Lots of barely discernible road markings. This sure isn't Copenhagen where bike lanes are a different colour. On Carnwith, we cross Thickson, with the light of course, then head to the dead end to jump onto a path even Ron doesn't know. It's called the Pipeline Trail, a misnomer, but a lovely way to travel across northern Brooklin. The path ends at Thickson, about 50 m north of a stop light. A steep gully discourages us from illegally, and unsafely, crossing in the middle of the road. We head to the stop light and then to the strip mall where there's no indication if the path resumes or where. Ah wait, there it is, behind the mall. Clever to disguise it. He's kindly slowed to a speed I can handle as we head west to Croxall. A construction vehicle blocks the cycle path's exit to the street. He snaps a photo and shakes his head. How hard would it have been, he offers only slightly rhetorically, for that vehicle to have parked one metre back? Disrespect for cyclists noted again. You see interesting things while cycling, he tells me over his shoulder. Paths with oddly located entrances and exits. But also beautiful backyards plus peace and quiet. Back at the stone gates, the 7 km tour is over. Whatever unnatural fears I harboured have vanished. Note to self: Do it again - alone. Post-script: Two days later, I bike to Brooklin Medical Centre for an appointment. There's nothing to lock my bike to. I peek around the entrance and notice the electrical pipes that feed the building. A solution, though obviously not a great one. Simpler answer? A bike rack. Ron's been right. You don't see it till you need it. Less than half the picture by Richard Bercuson Le Tour de Brooklin