gboykovekin
New Member
Heh, riding a bicycle as a vehicle has just gotten me into collisions with drivers who expect me to act like those cyclists who don't.
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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)
- Thread starter rp07
- Start date
Heh, riding a bicycle as a vehicle has just gotten me into collisions with drivers who expect me to act like those cyclists who don't.
casaguy
Senior Member
Perhap you have some inside information....?
If not, maybe someone else knows:
What happened with the pilot project along Queen's Quay last year? I was so proud of Toronto for moving into the future (present?) with such a feasible plan. This year, we're back to cyclists gambling with their lives along Queen's Quay between Spadina and Yonge St.
Northern Light
Superstar
Queen's Quay
Preliminary design is almost complete.
The new-look Queen's Quay design will go to community consulation later this fall.
Subject to how everyone reacts to the proposed design, implementation (construction) is likely in summer'08
* (just what I've heard....no guarantees in politics)
Preliminary design is almost complete.
The new-look Queen's Quay design will go to community consulation later this fall.
Subject to how everyone reacts to the proposed design, implementation (construction) is likely in summer'08
* (just what I've heard....no guarantees in politics)
casaguy
Senior Member
It's quite sad how slow things actually take to make happen. Usually unnecessarily.
But that is good news.
I suppose unless the Queen's Quay residents reject it, a bike friendly street that stretches 5 or so main blocks will have only taken 3+ years.
But that is good news.
I suppose unless the Queen's Quay residents reject it, a bike friendly street that stretches 5 or so main blocks will have only taken 3+ years.
casaguy
Senior Member
Glad to see this sort of progress in New York.
Toronto, take note!
----
From this weekend's NY Times:
A Busy City Street Makes Room for Bikes
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Cyclists and pedestrians never quite imagined it this way, but maybe there is a use for all those cars after all.
The city is planning to remake seven blocks of Ninth Avenue in Chelsea into what officials are billing enthusiastically, perhaps a bit hyperbolically, as the street of the future.
The most unusual aspect of the design, which will run from 16th Street to 23rd Street, is that it uses a lane of parked cars to protect cyclists from other traffic.
It does this by placing the bike lane directly next to the sidewalk on the western edge of Ninth Avenue, which is the left side of the street for those facing north, in the direction of traffic. The plan also takes a lane from cars, creating more room for pedestrians and for the bicycle lane.
“I think it’s a sneak peek at the future streets of New York,†said Janette Sadik-Khan, the city’s transportation commissioner. “It represents the kinds of innovative ideas that we can explore to make the streets more livable.â€
Next to the bike lane, which will be 10 feet wide, will be an eight-foot section of pavement that will act as a buffer, with plastic posts and large planters to keep cars from entering. The parking lane will be to the right of the buffer zone, and beyond that will be three lanes for traffic.
The result will be a barrier of parked cars between cyclists and moving vehicles.
“For cyclists, you’ve got a physically separate lane that prevents motorists from coming in,†Ms. Sadik-Khan said.
It is a design that has been used in cities in Europe but never in New York City.
Another feature will make life easier for people on foot. At each intersection, a raised island will extend into the avenue. Called a “pedestrian refuge,†it has the effect of shortening the distance traveled to cross the street to 45 feet, from 70 feet.
Ms. Sadik-Khan said that work would begin shortly and that the remade street would be completed by next month.
As part of the plan, single-space parking meters will be replaced by Muni-Meters, which control many spaces, and the cost of parking will increase to $2 an hour from $1.50.
Ms. Sadik-Khan said the makeover of the avenue was possible because traffic volume in the area was low enough that cars could move as smoothly in three lanes as in four.
It is not difficult to see how that rationale could dovetail with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal for congestion pricing, which would charge drivers a fee to use the streets of Manhattan below 86th Street. The fee is supposed to reduce the volume of traffic, which could theoretically free up street space for other uses.
Noah S. Budnick, the deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that works to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians, said he thought a protected bike lane would encourage more New Yorkers to get on bikes.
“If you talk to the average New Yorker, they’d ride a bike, but most people say the traffic is too scary,†Mr. Budnick said. He pointed to the example of a popular bike path in Hudson River Park.
“If you provide protected space for riding bikes, New Yorkers are going to use it in droves,†he said.
Mr. Budnick was asked if the idea of parked cars protecting cyclists changed his view of the oversized S.U.V.’s that are often the bugaboo of bikers and environmentalists. After all, the bigger the car, the better the barrier.
“As lon as they’re not moving,†he said.
Toronto, take note!
----
From this weekend's NY Times:
A Busy City Street Makes Room for Bikes
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Cyclists and pedestrians never quite imagined it this way, but maybe there is a use for all those cars after all.
The city is planning to remake seven blocks of Ninth Avenue in Chelsea into what officials are billing enthusiastically, perhaps a bit hyperbolically, as the street of the future.
The most unusual aspect of the design, which will run from 16th Street to 23rd Street, is that it uses a lane of parked cars to protect cyclists from other traffic.
It does this by placing the bike lane directly next to the sidewalk on the western edge of Ninth Avenue, which is the left side of the street for those facing north, in the direction of traffic. The plan also takes a lane from cars, creating more room for pedestrians and for the bicycle lane.
“I think it’s a sneak peek at the future streets of New York,†said Janette Sadik-Khan, the city’s transportation commissioner. “It represents the kinds of innovative ideas that we can explore to make the streets more livable.â€
Next to the bike lane, which will be 10 feet wide, will be an eight-foot section of pavement that will act as a buffer, with plastic posts and large planters to keep cars from entering. The parking lane will be to the right of the buffer zone, and beyond that will be three lanes for traffic.
The result will be a barrier of parked cars between cyclists and moving vehicles.
“For cyclists, you’ve got a physically separate lane that prevents motorists from coming in,†Ms. Sadik-Khan said.
It is a design that has been used in cities in Europe but never in New York City.
Another feature will make life easier for people on foot. At each intersection, a raised island will extend into the avenue. Called a “pedestrian refuge,†it has the effect of shortening the distance traveled to cross the street to 45 feet, from 70 feet.
Ms. Sadik-Khan said that work would begin shortly and that the remade street would be completed by next month.
As part of the plan, single-space parking meters will be replaced by Muni-Meters, which control many spaces, and the cost of parking will increase to $2 an hour from $1.50.
Ms. Sadik-Khan said the makeover of the avenue was possible because traffic volume in the area was low enough that cars could move as smoothly in three lanes as in four.
It is not difficult to see how that rationale could dovetail with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal for congestion pricing, which would charge drivers a fee to use the streets of Manhattan below 86th Street. The fee is supposed to reduce the volume of traffic, which could theoretically free up street space for other uses.
Noah S. Budnick, the deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that works to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians, said he thought a protected bike lane would encourage more New Yorkers to get on bikes.
“If you talk to the average New Yorker, they’d ride a bike, but most people say the traffic is too scary,†Mr. Budnick said. He pointed to the example of a popular bike path in Hudson River Park.
“If you provide protected space for riding bikes, New Yorkers are going to use it in droves,†he said.
Mr. Budnick was asked if the idea of parked cars protecting cyclists changed his view of the oversized S.U.V.’s that are often the bugaboo of bikers and environmentalists. After all, the bigger the car, the better the barrier.
“As lon as they’re not moving,†he said.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I'll stand corrected on my statement of only "20% of cyclists" are bad. I've been more tuned into observing cyclists as I'm walking, and the majority are not good. When I cycle I obviously saw cyclists as mostly obeying city by-laws, while walking around I can see that's not true at all.
Maybe it's time to license cyclists with plates and all. Break the law and pay the price. Could bring in a bit of revenue for the city (probably more in fines than licensing).
A
artgeek
Guest
Exactly.
gboykovekin
New Member
Eglinton Ave W, just east of Allen Rd is a mess for traffic (and dumb drivers). I bike at or above the speed of traffic in the diamond lane and have, on numerous occasions, had drivers:
fail to signal lane changes practically in front of me (one driver had his family with him...!?);
drivers slowing down traffic in open lanes because they fail to signal and merge into the the turning lane for Allen Rd (once I saw a police officer do this);
drivers' failure to anticipate advance greens;
and inconsiderate drivers who block lanes to turn into parking spaces or do u-turns, etc...
Even on downtown streets drivers aren't this bad!
fail to signal lane changes practically in front of me (one driver had his family with him...!?);
drivers slowing down traffic in open lanes because they fail to signal and merge into the the turning lane for Allen Rd (once I saw a police officer do this);
drivers' failure to anticipate advance greens;
and inconsiderate drivers who block lanes to turn into parking spaces or do u-turns, etc...
Even on downtown streets drivers aren't this bad!
Tuscani01
Senior Member
oh Eglinton West is horrible for traffic. I have to take a bus from Dufferin to Eglinton West Station. In the morning the diamond lanes are supposed to be bus only, yet many people still use them. I love it when bus drivers go crazy over people parking in the diamond lane. They will honk until the person gets embarrassed and drives off. Taxis, although permitted to use the diamond lanes, are the worst offenders. They will stop right in front of a bus just to pick up a person (who most of the time isn't even around). It annoys the hell out of me.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
That stretch of Eglinton was bad in the early 80's when I worked in that area. Funny how some things never change.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
City on path to new bike lanes
Under streamlined plan, 50 km could be added with no sidetracking by community councils
Nov 21, 2007 04:30 AM
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Toronto should be able to add 50 kilometres of bike lanes to city streets in 2008 if a bureaucratic speed bump is flattened out, says the chair of the bicycle committee.
City council voted 38-3 yesterday to work toward streamlining the process that bounced approval of new bike lanes back and forth between community councils and the works committee.
A city staff report to come in January will recommend cutting community councils out of the process, said Councillor Adrian Heaps, who chairs the cycling committee. Councillors who oppose bike lanes have often managed to stall approval at that level, he said.
Heaps argues that since new transit routes and road construction don't need blessing from community councils, bike lanes shouldn't need it either.
"This has been driven by staff, along with me," Heaps (Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest) said in an interview. "They've been saying: `Hey, for three years we've never got the bike lanes in that we've planned. Let's fix it.'"
The city has a master plan calling for about 500 kilometres of bike lanes, but has fallen far short of its goal. Some 230 kilometres were supposed to be up and pedalling by 2006, but only 70 kilometres have been created.
Under the new process, council will vote each year on which lanes in the master plan should be created, without consulting community councils.
The plan is to start with the bike path of least resistance.
Heaps said he's canvassed fellow councillors about who is and isn't keen on bike lanes in their ward.
Staff have identified 50 kilometres that will get an easy nod for next year, and will bring forward proposals in January, he said.
Heaps wouldn't say where they are except that they're "pretty evenly spread across the city."
The capital budget has earmarked $5.5 million for bike lanes next year, and that should be "ample," Heaps said.
Under streamlined plan, 50 km could be added with no sidetracking by community councils
Nov 21, 2007 04:30 AM
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Toronto should be able to add 50 kilometres of bike lanes to city streets in 2008 if a bureaucratic speed bump is flattened out, says the chair of the bicycle committee.
City council voted 38-3 yesterday to work toward streamlining the process that bounced approval of new bike lanes back and forth between community councils and the works committee.
A city staff report to come in January will recommend cutting community councils out of the process, said Councillor Adrian Heaps, who chairs the cycling committee. Councillors who oppose bike lanes have often managed to stall approval at that level, he said.
Heaps argues that since new transit routes and road construction don't need blessing from community councils, bike lanes shouldn't need it either.
"This has been driven by staff, along with me," Heaps (Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest) said in an interview. "They've been saying: `Hey, for three years we've never got the bike lanes in that we've planned. Let's fix it.'"
The city has a master plan calling for about 500 kilometres of bike lanes, but has fallen far short of its goal. Some 230 kilometres were supposed to be up and pedalling by 2006, but only 70 kilometres have been created.
Under the new process, council will vote each year on which lanes in the master plan should be created, without consulting community councils.
The plan is to start with the bike path of least resistance.
Heaps said he's canvassed fellow councillors about who is and isn't keen on bike lanes in their ward.
Staff have identified 50 kilometres that will get an easy nod for next year, and will bring forward proposals in January, he said.
Heaps wouldn't say where they are except that they're "pretty evenly spread across the city."
The capital budget has earmarked $5.5 million for bike lanes next year, and that should be "ample," Heaps said.
rp07
Active Member
This is a great news for cyclists and it's about time too.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Here's my plan....let's get the cyclists off the road downtown. Instead, we retro-fit the existing underground Path network, with separate lanes for bikes, with ramps at strategically located throughout the network.
CDL.TO
Moderator
ROTFL! Can't we just send the cars down there instead?
Admiral Beez
Superstar
No, because you'd need special ventilation systems, etc. The Path system as it exists is perfect for bicycle traffic. Check out the map http://www.toronto.ca/path/pdf/path_brochure.pdf you could ride your bike undercover of weather and away from cars all over downtown.