Even the cab waits! But look at their lovely wide bike lanes.
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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)
- Thread starter rp07
- Start date
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Noticed too that the bike lanes are sometimes raised, maybe half-way between the roadway and the sidewalk. At the intersections they are ramp down to the roadway.
James
Senior Member
It's definitely a different culture in Copenhagen but one difference I do notice is that there isn't a huge backup of traffic in those right-turning lanes as there would be here in Toronto. Nevertheless, patience is a virtue that very few people seem to have these days.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Less automobile traffic because more of the, would have been, solitary drivers are riding bicycles in Copenhagen. There is less need for a couple tons of metal, plastic, and rubber if a couple of kilograms could move that same person and take up less real estate space.
the lemur
Senior Member
IIRC they don't have right turns on red either, like most of Europe.
the lemur
Senior Member
I noticed they do that more often than putting them at grade but between the sidewalk and a curb, as is often done in the Netherlands:
https://goo.gl/maps/AVvWH
hawc
Senior Member
I'd love to see multiple bike lanes and a single car lane, instead of multiple car lanes and a single bike lane. Radical thinking is required to get this city bike friendly.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Forget multiple lanes, IMO the biggest barrier to getting the city bike friendly is the weather, where for at least 4 months of the year only the hardiest cyclists dare venture out. For everyone else, urban cycling is solely a fair to moderate weather activity.
The solution isn't wider lanes, but a network of covered lanes, as advocated here http://www.lifeedited.com/bike-lane-in-the-sky/
the lemur
Senior Member
Really? You think the issue is the thing that affects everyone maybe one-third of the year (sometimes less)? I see people walking in that first photo, even though one might argue it's too cold to be a pedestrian - they adapt and we cater to them by clearing sidewalks (thought not as much as we could or should). That one bike lane with the canopy looks cool but it is probably going to be decried as wasteful spending right from the word go. Clearing roads and sidewalks for all users seems like an easier sell and if you make sidewalks and roads easier to use, the only issue that really remains is the cold - the response to which is the individual's choice.
smably
Senior Member
Seriously, have you ever been to Copenhagen? Somehow the cold weather doesn't seem to be a problem for the Danes...
If Copenhagen is too European for you, try Minneapolis. If you build the infrastructure, they will come.
Edit: Also, Montreal. Toronto is not a special snowflake. With proper snow clearing, winter cycling is just fine in Toronto, as it is in other cold cities.
ShonTron
Moderator
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Before I moved (I now walk to work), I was a cold-weather cyclist; only the snow and ice would keep me off the roads; you can always dress for the cold, and you heat up quickly riding so heavy parkas are not at all required.
wopchop
Building Toronto
You could say the same thing about driving. If we didn't clear and salt the roads, most people would not be able to drive to work in the winter.
The solution for cycling is the same - clear and salt the bike lanes. Perhaps provide some more covered bike stations for lockup.
The solution for cycling is the same - clear and salt the bike lanes. Perhaps provide some more covered bike stations for lockup.
the lemur
Senior Member
In fairness, Copenhagen's winters are more rainy and dark than snowy; when they do get snow, it's a moderate amount by Toronto standards but it's cleared from the bike paths and roads (in that order) very quickly. Other Scandinavian cities that get more snow and are colder are starting to realize that there isn't really any excuse not to clear the snow and what's really holding them back is that they didn't build the infrastructure that Denmark did; they have the space but didn't do much more than divide up sidewalks with lines of paint.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
If 1.3 per car, in Copenhagen there would be more bicyclists than car occupants, even in winter.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
When the roads are cleared, I'd say pretty much the same number of cars are on the road, especially during the commute. I agree we should clear the bikes paths and sidewalks, but to suggest that clearing the paths would have an equal affect on bike use is at best inaccurate. As a young adult I cycled in all weathers and simply rode on the curb lane.