General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[CDL.TO]

Some sad stories in that article. There's far too much aggression these days... an unfortunate off-shoot of trying to get around in a congested city.

The whole concept of "mixed use paths" needs to get thrown out the window and eliminated from the field of recreation planning. There are too many conflicting movements when you mix adult cyclists, child cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, and others all moving at differing speeds and all moving in both directions on a 2 or 3-metre wide pathway. I have heard of far too many collisions and accidents on these pathways.

On the eastern and western beaches where uses are separated and cyclists tend to stick to the asphalt path while casual strollers stick to the boardwalk, things work far better.

 

[vic]

West-end Bikeways: Call for submissions

The City is looking for feedback / suggestions for bikeways in the west-end area bounded by High Park, Bathurst, Bloor, and the Lake.

Details here:
http://www.ibiketo.ca/node/2606

 

[W. K. Lis]

Has any thought been given to using the laneways and alleys as bike paths? As a kid, I used them to transverse the west end. The only problem is that the lanes usually don't always lineup or connect to where I needed to go. Usually, they were short-cuts for myself.

 

[B.Dub]

Some dude once almost hit me and actually blamed me for not looking where I was going. This guy was riding in the dark with no light and on the sidewalk! Cyclists need to remember that when they are riding in pedestrian space (sidewalks, crosswalks), which they shouldn't, pedestrians have the right of way...

I'm embarrassed when I'm stopped with my bike at a red light, and another cyclist decides to pass me and go right through the red light.

But anyway, my fantasy would be a covered highway (like the DVP) for bikes linking North York and downtown. No traffic lights or stops. Just 6-8 bike lanes. No cars. No pedestrians. Pumping stations along the route, as well as vending machines selling things like spare tubes. Unlike a car highway, there would be barely any noise pollution. It's just a fantasy.

 

[CDL.TO]

I'm embarrassed when I'm stopped with my bike at a red light, and another cyclist decides to pass me and go right through the red light.

Amen to that. It is embarrassing. Or standing with your bike on the loop detector wondering whether or not you're going to make the light change.

 

[vic]

But anyway, my fantasy would be a covered highway (like the DVP) for bikes linking North Y and downtown. No traffic lights or stops. Just 6-8 bike lanes. No cars. No pedestrians. Pumping stations along the route, as well as vending machines selling things like spare tubes. Unlike a car highway, there would be barely any noise pollution. It's just a fantasy.

Have you seen Chris Hardwicke's "Velo City" idea?
http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/features/freewheeling/velocity.html

 

[Mustapha]

Some dude once almost hit me and actually blamed me for not looking where I was going. This guy was riding in the dark with no light and on the sidewalk! Cyclists need to remember that when they are riding in pedestrian space (sidewalks, crosswalks), which they shouldn't, pedestrians have the right of way...

I'm embarrassed when I'm stopped with my bike at a red light, and another cyclist decides to pass me and go right through the red light.

But anyway, my fantasy would be a covered highway (like the DVP) for bikes linking North York and downtown. No traffic lights or stops. Just 6-8 bike lanes. No cars. No pedestrians. Pumping stations along the route, as well as vending machines selling things like spare tubes. Unlike a car highway, there would be barely any noise pollution. It's just a fantasy.

Yes, the problem is powder keg anger on both sides of the divide/debate. I jaywalked Bloor in front of Brunswick house and was roundly cursed by a cyclist who was just barrelling. I was riding my bike - puttering speed - on the walk at night at a deserted Yonge and Lawrence and was lectured by a driver who took the time to stop in the roadway and roll down the window to lecture me. Both individuals appeared to be a bit 'off' but hey, so's my eldest.

 

[W. K. Lis]

"change lanes to pass" signs replace "share the road" signs

New road rules expand bike lanes in San Carlos

From San Francisco The Examiner:

SAN CARLOS – Margaret Pye remembers the honking, shouting and tailgating she endured while commuting home.

The bicyclist grew tiresome of the treatment she received from drivers in San Carlos, and fought for equal access to the roads by lobbying city leaders for a unique kind of sign.

Bicyclists and vehicles share the road on Brittan Avenue in San Carlos.

Instead of “share the road†signs, which Pye said are ineffective, the city recently installed “change lanes to pass†signs on the two-lane portion of Brittan Avenue that links El Camino Real to U.S. Highway 101. It notifies drivers that bicyclists have full access to a car lane: if drivers want to speed past them, they must switch lanes.

Once the sign went up this summer, the honking quickly stopped, she said.

“I believe the motorists understand and do what they’re supposed to do,†Pye said. “I think it’s been a significant difference.â€

From bicyclists receiving access to full car lanes to slimming down drivers’ lanes to make way for bikes, local leaders are providing bike riders with more and more roadway access — and are about to be infused with tens of millions of dollars for more projects.

In addition to cities’ efforts, the City/County Association of Governments will soon release its first Peninsula bike map in 10 years, Executive Director Richard Napier said. It will outline ideal routes for bicycles while accounting for narrow roads, steep hills and bike lanes, he said.

From Jan. 1 through 2033, cities will also receive an estimated $70 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects under Measure A. Since San Mateo County voters approved the measure in 1988, the only bicycle-related funds allotted have been for printing previous bike maps, said Christine Dunn, spokeswoman for the county Transportation Authority, which distributes Measure A funds.

Even with limited funds, cities are finding creative ways to add space for bikes. “Lane diets†have been used three times in Redwood City to slim down car-lane widths in large roadways.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Pavement sensors still a mystery to some

From the Star of October 28, 2008:

Dots mark the spot for bicyclists to trigger traffic light
Pavement sensors still a mystery to some
October 28, 2008
Paola Loriggio
Staff Reporter

You may have seen them, without knowing what they were: three white dots, each about the size of a dinner plate, painted on the road at intersections throughout the city.

The mysterious markings, dubbed "bike dots," are one of the lesser-known and least-advertised components of the city's ambitious bike plan.

Bike dots – or "bicycle detector pavement markings," as they're officially called – are traffic sensors sensitive enough to detect cyclists stopped at a red light, just like they do for cars.

When used properly, they keep cyclists from waiting forever for the right-of-way, or from having to dismount and hit the pedestrian crossing button.

"It gives cyclists a chance to trigger the light change, instead of just waiting," said Yvonne Bambrick, spokesperson for the Toronto Cyclists Union.

The problem: Most cyclists don't know the dots exist, much less how to use them.

"It's the best-kept secret in the city," said Councillor Adrian Heaps, who chairs the cycling committee.

"The dots were there all this time, but unless you know, you wouldn't know they're there."

He said the bike dots are a sign of respect towards cyclists, a group whose needs are often eclipsed by those of drivers.

They're strategically placed on the sensors' "sweet spot," where bikes are more easily detected, according to city documents. Cyclists can wait a long time for the light to change if they don't stop at the right spot.

To make things easier, the city plans to paint a new symbol – most likely a bike – near the dots, Heaps said. That should start sometime next year, when work on the bike plan resumes after the winter, he said.

The city began installing the sensors in the mid-1990s, following a study by the former Metro Transportation Department. Now, about 20 per cent of the city's 1,880 signalized intersections have bike dots, according to city staff.

The sensors are integrated at all new intersections with side streets or left-turn traffic sensors.

Tammy Thorne wrote about the bike dots in the inaugural issue of Dandyhorse, the bicycle magazine she edits. She said cyclists who know about the dots are often skeptical about their efficacy.

"A lot of people think they don't work," she said, recalling her own long waits at a set of College St. dots.

These pavement marking are better than the current bike dots, along with the sign to show what they are:

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

East and westbound bike lanes have now been added to Wellesley Street from Sherbourne Street (probably Parliament Street) to Queens Park Cresc. Traffic lanes are also being re-drawn along this route.

 

[casaguy]

Quote from Sept. 2007:

Also of note, since I saw the discussion on Wellesley...bike lanes on that road are likely in 2008.

To the Powers That Be,

For finally making proper use of the width of this stretch of Wellesley: Thank you.

The new bike lanes are great.

 

[jmacmillan]

License bicycles

Cyclists need to obey traffic laws. Bikes should be licensed like cars so there is accountability when cyclists choose to break the law (e.g., riding on sidewalks, riding the wrong way on 1-way streets like Charles East). Oh, and to get a bike license, cyclists would have to pass a CAN-Bike course!

Incidentally, I commute by bike and cycle thousands of km each year. I'm fed up with the jerks who make all cyclists look bad.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Cyclists need to obey traffic laws. Bikes should be licensed like cars so there is accountability when cyclists choose to break the law (e.g., riding on sidewalks, riding the wrong way on 1-way streets like Charles East). Oh, and to get a bike license, cyclists would have to pass a CAN-Bike course!

Incidentally, I commute by bike and cycle thousands of km each year. I'm fed up with the jerks who make all cyclists look bad.

I agree and am of the same mind, I made a similar point on one of these threads eons ago. There's also a fresh revenue stream here waiting to be tapped.

 

[Ladyj]

Compared to other cities, Toronto does not measure up in terms of bike safety. I was recently in Copenhagen and I was amazed at how bike friendly the city was, same as in the Netherlands. I live in London and considering the amount of cyclists it is incredible risky to cycle here as buses, taxis and bikes share a lane (and there is even talk of trialing motorcycles in this lane as well!).

Ultimately, I think a cultural change is required in order to promote investment in cycle lanes. Not only does the general population need to re-consider heavy reliance on cars and get on their bikes, but the government needs to invest in making infrastructure for cyclists better.

 

[confusion]

Compared to other cities, Toronto does not measure up in terms of bike safety. I was recently in Copenhagen and I was amazed at how bike friendly the city was, same as in the Netherlands. I live in London and considering the amount of cyclists it is incredible risky to cycle here as buses, taxis and bikes share a lane (and there is even talk of trialing motorcycles in this lane as well!).

Ultimately, I think a cultural change is required in order to promote investment in cycle lanes. Not only does the general population need to re-consider heavy reliance on cars and get on their bikes, but the government needs to invest in making infrastructure for cyclists better.

Agreed!

I just wish more shared that opinion. Too many are reliant on their cars when they don't need to be.