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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

andrewpmk said:
These councillors want to take 2 lanes away from Woodbine Avenue, a very busy road which is an extension of Lake Shore Boulevard, for a mere "150-200 bicyclists a day" (it says right in the report). So if city council is crazy enough to do this, I guarantee there will be huge traffic jams in rush hour and this will get taken out a few years from now, while the bike lane will be almost entirely empty. This is Jarvis Street all over again.
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As someone who routinely travels on Woodbine at rush hour, this is utter nonsense.
 
andrewpmk said:
There are also bus routes 91, 92 and 93, which carry far more than 200 people a day and would be stuck in traffic because of this.
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If the street is clogged, it's because of inconsiderate jerks riding one to a car. You do make a good point though, since the bus is carrying approx 100 people in rush-hour. Cars carrying only one person should be banned. They're choking up the street.
andrewpmk said:
These councillors want to take 2 lanes away from Woodbine Avenue
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Parking already does that. Again, you make a good point: Ban parking.

Have to add this, someone just sent me this:
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Parking is banned in rush hour on Woodbine.

I really think that the opinions of the general public on this are very different from city council, the bike activist groups, the ratepayer's association and UrbanToronto users. Practically no one bicycles in this area, compared to 5200 using bus route 91 (will soon be split into 91 and 93) and 3400 using bus route 92. This is going to be really unpopular with residents of this area and is pretty much guaranteed to make traffic a lot worse (and dump a lot of extra traffic onto Coxwell).
 
andrewpmk said:
Parking is banned in rush hour on Woodbine.
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Good, so there's space for lanes. Parking should be banned all on major streets during rush-hour, starting with the TTC routes you're just *so* concerned with. Start with King and Queen.
Practically no one bicycles in this area
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Good, that's about to change.
 
Woodbine bike lanes closer to becoming reality
September 28, 2016 Lara O'Keefe
Woodbine-Cycling-Facilities.jpg

GRAPHIC: City of Toronto

The East End is one step closer to seeing bike lanes on Woodbine Avenue.

The city’s public works committee agreed yesterday, September 27, to adopt a proposal to install bicycle lanes along Woodbine Avenue. The proposal, with amendments, now goes to city council.

Ward 32 city councillor — and avid cyclist — Mary-Margaret McMahon said she is “thrilled” with the decision, particularly with how efficient the decision-making process has been compared to other bike lane projects.

“It took us three years to get a contra-flow [lane] on Dixon and this is basically six months to get us a bike lane here,” she said.

Previously approved in principle, the lanes are a part of transportation services’ recent “Ten Year Cycling Network Plan”, a roadmap which aims to connect, build and establish the city’s bike network. The overall plan identifies 525 centreline kms of new infrastructure which includes 280 centreline kms of bike lanes or cycle tracks on fast, busy streets, 55 centreline kms of sidewalk-level boulevard trails along fast, busy streets, and 190 centreline kms of cycling routes along quiet streets.

Community consultations regarding the proposed bike lanes were held earlier this year. City staff are recommending that the lanes run northbound and southbound on Woodbine Avenue from O’Connor Drive to Queen Street East, in addition to an eastbound contraflow (also commonly known as counterflow) lane on Corley Avenue from Woodbine Avenue to Brookside Drive.

“Cycling facilities on Woodbine Avenue would improve safety and reduce risk for all road users by providing designated space for cyclists as well as to make cycling a more comfortable experience, encouraging more people to travel by bicycle and reduce long-term traffic congestion and transportation-related emissions,” reads a city report on the proposal.

But for the chair of the Woodbine Heights Association, the initiative is about more than improving roads for cyclists.

The Woodbine Heights Association “support continuous, separated and protected bicycle lanes along Woodbine Avenue, not just because they promote cycling safety but because they are essential for the revival of our commercial ‘main street’: Woodbine Avenue,” wrote James Ward, chair and membership officer of the Woodbine Heights Association in a June 17th email to the city.

“It is important to remember that our stretch of Woodbine Avenue is the heart of the Woodbine Heights neighbourhood, rather than just a high-speed through-route for motorists headed downtown. Woodbine has the right ‘bones’ to be a vibrant and successful main street,” he said, also noting that many people currently avoid Woodbine Avenue, fearing the combination of fast drivers and narrow sidewalks.

According to a City of Toronto report, a May 2016 count found that approximately 150-200 cyclists frequent Woodbine every day. Compare this number to the rest of Toronto — the intersection of College and Spadina sees an average of 2,300 cyclists per workday — it’s clear that Woodbine has a long road ahead.

But councillor McMahon is convinced hope is not lost. Pointing to the recent success of the Richmond and Adelaide cycle tracks which now count over 4,200 cycle trips each weekday, McMahon explained that “what we’ve seen elsewhere in the city is if you build it, they will come. People just want a safe place to bike.”

Along with the bicycle lanes, staff also recommends that city council amend current traffic and parking regulations in the area. This would result in a reduction of pay and display spaces along Woodbine, which its estimated would decrease the net revenue of Toronto Parking Authority by approximately $3,500 per year.

Once the lanes are installed, ongoing maintenance would cost approximately $133,000 per year, with the total financial impact coming in at around $400,000.

Transportation services will have to make adjustments to signals, lane markings and other traffic measures, as necessary, to help mitigate any impacts, agreed the committee at the September 27 public works meeting, stating as such in an amendment.

Final approval for the project now rests in the hands of city council, with councillors scheduled to consider the proposal October 5.
http://www.beachmetro.com/2016/09/28/woodbine-bike-lanes-closer-becoming-reality/
 
steveintoronto said:
Good, so there's space for lanes. Parking should be banned all on major streets during rush-hour, starting with the TTC routes you're just *so* concerned with. Start with King and Queen.
Good, that's about to change.
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I don't think so. The few existing bike lanes outside of downtown and the immediate area around it (like Royal York etc.) are practically deserted of bicyclists. If there are 300 bicyclists a day riding along Woodbine than it will be a "100% increase!" according to Cycle Toronto but it will be an increase from a very low level.

The number of bicyclists on Woodbine is a tiny fraction of Bloor before the bike lanes.

If council starts narrowing even more busy 4 lane roads to put in bike lanes I guarantee you that traffic will get a lot worse in this city and there will be a big backlash.
 
There are quite a sizable number of cyclists.

That said, the decision to pursue Woodbine with much challenging topography than Coxwell, was a mixture of politics, and the practical (the bike lanes would have ended at Upper Gerrard due to the streetcar tracks south of there).

Woodbine does appear at first blush too busy for bike lanes, south of Gerrard.

North of Gerrard really isn't an issue, I live nearby and this section consistently moves well.

But, the principle delay for traffic along Woodbine at Gerrard is left turns.

So as long as the design addresses this, the situation shouldn't deteriorate.

On balance I'm supportive of the bike lanes; overwhelmingly, I think they're good for the area (and I say that as someone who drives more than I bike).

But, I will add, there is one other good reason for supporting these.

Andrew opposes them!
 
andrewpmk said:
[...] I really think that the opinions of the general public on this are very different from city council, the bike activist groups, the ratepayer's association and UrbanToronto users. Practically no one bicycles in this area, compared to 5200 using bus route 91 (will soon be split into 91 and 93) and 3400 using bus route 92. This is going to be really unpopular with residents of this area and is pretty much guaranteed to make traffic a lot worse (and dump a lot of extra traffic onto Coxwell).
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Again, as someone who is very familiar with this area, including travelling on Woodbine during both rush hours, and lives nearby, this is utter nonsense.
 
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ADRM said:
In general, there are so many streets in Toronto that are almost never congested and would be shoe-in protected cycle track candidates if this city was actually serious about building cycle safety infrastructure.
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Big thumbs up on that one. I choose the back streets every time they're offered as a safer option. A congested street with just lanes delineated by paint offer only *implied* safety, not real safety, and I think it gets some cyclists into trouble, not out of it. Painted lines don't stop car wheels.
 
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