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Toronto Eglinton Line 5 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

W. K. Lis said:
With plans for the LRT to be on a surface right-of-way, east of the Science Centre Station to Kennedy Station, I think the bicycle lanes are only added as an afterthought. There really has been no thinking done how to incorporate bicycle lanes in the roadway. Especially at the intersections. See this video on how they separate bicycles from the automobile traffic in The Netherlands.


In the west end, with the extension along Eglinton Avenue West, they seem to be assuming that only the current bicycle path (with modifications) will be used. It's only on the south side. There should be a north side cycle path, as well.
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If you're not Dutch you're not much
 
W. K. Lis said:
With plans for the LRT to be on a surface right-of-way, east of the Science Centre Station to Kennedy Station, I think the bicycle lanes are only added as an afterthought. There really has been no thinking done how to incorporate bicycle lanes in the roadway. Especially at the intersections. See this video on how they separate bicycles from the automobile traffic in The Netherlands.


In the west end, with the extension along Eglinton Avenue West, they seem to be assuming that only the current bicycle path (with modifications) will be used. It's only on the south side. There should be a north side cycle path, as well. Along with a sidewalk on the north side.
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The design of the bike infrastructure shouldn't have yet been designed in detail. Perhaps you can bring it up at a future public consultation?
 
Bus terminal demolition in full swing from yesterday:

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TheTigerMaster said:
The design of the bike infrastructure shouldn't have yet been designed in detail. Perhaps you can bring it up at a future public consultation?
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I don't relly get why we have to add bike lanes to every new project. Queens Quay is a different example as it was a continuation of the Martin Goodman trail. With Bike lanes in the rest of the city does use of them justify their existence, and would or should bike users pay something to the city for the maintenance of them?
 
EastYorkTTCFan said:
I don't relly get why we have to add bike lanes to every new project. Queens Quay is a different example as it was a continuation of the Martin Goodman trail. With Bike lanes in the rest of the city does use of them justify their existence, and would or should bike users pay something to the city for the maintenance of them?
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The streets got paved because of the bicycles. Then the automobile took them over, apparently for just themselves. They called us "Muddy York" because it was muddy.

20100822-Eglintonwestfromyonge.jpg

Eglinton west of Yonge Street in 1922.

 
Last edited:
If you take the example of the viva purple bike lanes the simple fact is despite making them hardly anyone uses it. What it has done however is compromise the right turning lane so now if buses or cars stop gridlock ensues. Sure bikes are good, but if there's not enough statistical usage to warrant a separate lane at the expense of the harmony of road traffic I don't think it would be a great idea. Drivers won't simply jump into the ect nor will there be a bloor or downtown level of bicycle traffic anytime within the next decade or so on the Eglinton at grade sections
 
cplchanb said:
If you take the example of the viva purple bike lanes the simple fact is despite making them hardly anyone uses it. What it has done however is compromise the right turning lane so now if buses or cars stop gridlock ensues. Sure bikes are good, but if there's not enough statistical usage to warrant a separate lane at the expense of the harmony of road traffic I don't think it would be a great idea. Drivers won't simply jump into the ect nor will there be a bloor or downtown level of bicycle traffic anytime within the next decade or so on the Eglinton at grade sections
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By that logic, we should get rid of the Viva rapidway too--it's hardly used at all. Most of the day, buses come what, every 15 minutes (if they're not late)? You can drive down a LONG stretch of that rapidway without seeing a single bus on it. Those are 2+ perfectly good lanes, sitting there almost entirely empty, while the traffic lanes are often jam-packed. Even in rush hour there are hardly any buses on it. Compare that to something like the 510 Spadina in Toronto where there are tons of streetcars down the length of it at all times, and clearly this rapidway isn't needed.

But, that's not logical. This rapidway, and the bike lanes, were an incredibly unusual act of foresight in the GTHA. Usually transit here gets built years after it's needed, if at all. Highway 7 has had a few condos go up, but the overall density is still incredibly low...but if you look at all of the buildings under construction right now, plus all of the prime space adjacent to the rapidway+bike lanes that's ripe for intensification, and if you look ahead even a couple of years, yet alone 5 or 10, the local population is slated to rise substantially.

So yes, the bike lanes--and the rapidway, for that matter--are pretty much empty and would be better off, I'd agree, as regular traffic lanes at this very moment. However, in just a few years, they will likely be much more well-used, with many cyclists and with much more frequent Viva service due to the number of condos going up.

And if you look 15 or 25 years into the future, the rapidway will probably be upgraded to an LRT by then, and the bike lanes to cycle tracks, because it'll probably be in such high demand.

We shouldn't built transit that serves the exact demand that's needed on opening day. We do, but it's stupid to do so. We should build transit that has spare capacity for future growth, at least a couple of years before it happens. Examples of where the process "1) build it, 2) have a massive population influx, 3) wait a few years, 4) oh wait we forgot about transit" goes horribly wrong are New Toronto, and Liberty Village, and I'll say it's 99% going to happen again with Queen's Quay East and the port lands due to the Waterfront East LRT being stalled.
 
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