Avenue
Active Member
WAIT A SECOND I thought there were no bicycles and bike lanes were %99.9 empty.
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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)
- Thread starter rp07
- Start date
WAIT A SECOND I thought there were no bicycles and bike lanes were %99.9 empty.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
As imperfect as Hamilton's bike infrastructure is (lots of work still needed), they did something right with this:
And this is ... *gasp* ... Hamilton, Ontario!
-- Buses can actually stop immediately without worrying about cyclists.
-- Hazard sign prevents cyclists from going onto the sidewalk island bus stop.
-- "Wait for Gap" sign telling cyclists to watch for pedestrians crossing the very obvious zebra bars across the cycle track.
-- Pedestrians patiently wait on either side of cycle track, feeling completely safe from cyclists
-- Cyclists don't have to get startled by buses suddenly trying to enter, just easily notice pedestrians hovering the obvious zebras
-- Noise pollution goes down since there's no emergency braking nor emergency horns.
Good examples like this are few and far in between -- but this Hamilton "bus-stop-in-front-of-a-cycle-track" design better design than what's happening in some parts of Richmond-Adelaide!
This may have been one of those Participatory Budgeting items (Ward 1 and 2 allots a portion of funds annually to participatory budgeting). These enhancements are the type of participatory budget funded items that keep popping up in Ward 1 and Ward 2 piecemeal one by one. See planlocal.ca/ward2/ and forward1.planlocal.ca
That said, I think this is the kind of streetscape design improvements that should happen eventually to Richmond/Adelaide.
It's no longer realistic for buses to pull over into the cycle track, so we need designs like this that keeps cyclists & pedestrians happy.
And this is ... *gasp* ... Hamilton, Ontario!
-- Buses can actually stop immediately without worrying about cyclists.
-- Hazard sign prevents cyclists from going onto the sidewalk island bus stop.
-- "Wait for Gap" sign telling cyclists to watch for pedestrians crossing the very obvious zebra bars across the cycle track.
-- Pedestrians patiently wait on either side of cycle track, feeling completely safe from cyclists
-- Cyclists don't have to get startled by buses suddenly trying to enter, just easily notice pedestrians hovering the obvious zebras
-- Noise pollution goes down since there's no emergency braking nor emergency horns.
Good examples like this are few and far in between -- but this Hamilton "bus-stop-in-front-of-a-cycle-track" design better design than what's happening in some parts of Richmond-Adelaide!
This may have been one of those Participatory Budgeting items (Ward 1 and 2 allots a portion of funds annually to participatory budgeting). These enhancements are the type of participatory budget funded items that keep popping up in Ward 1 and Ward 2 piecemeal one by one. See planlocal.ca/ward2/ and forward1.planlocal.ca
That said, I think this is the kind of streetscape design improvements that should happen eventually to Richmond/Adelaide.
It's no longer realistic for buses to pull over into the cycle track, so we need designs like this that keeps cyclists & pedestrians happy.
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muller877
Senior Member
Is this AODA compliant?
ADRM
Senior Member
All road users should indeed follow the rules, but it's plainly not nearly as dangerous to have a bike blow through a stop sign as it is a car. Cars and drivers kill people.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
doesn't have the bumps at the curb, so no. But I can't imagine it would be difficult to make it AODA compliant. Toronto has dozens of these bus stops around and they are all AODA complaint.
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6459...4!1ssD08z2Vu8PxUKwXeBX24_A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
ADRM
Senior Member
Yeah, I was gonna say -- both Wellesley and Sherbourne have raised, AODA-compliant versions of that Hamilton example and they seem to work well for both transit users and cyclists.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
As does Roncesvalles.
Avenue
Active Member
Roncesvalles is horrible. Teeny tiny stretches of bike lanes squeezed between parking areas. It's completely useless and such a fake attempt.
Sherbourne I like, but it only happened because there's no street animation from beginning to end and hence no push for on street parking.
Sherbourne I like, but it only happened because there's no street animation from beginning to end and hence no push for on street parking.
BejewelledCarp
New Member
There's a whole lot of stuff in Amsterdam that works far better for biking than what we have!
Admiral Beez
Superstar
I'm here in Amsterdam this week, and they've got a big issue with helmetless fuel powered scooters on the bike paths. Apparently the law says if it's less than 50cc you can skip the helmet and ride anywhere a bicycle can. Imagine my surprise walking through a nice park yesterday when several Vespas zoom down the path.
After seeing the behaviour of the gas scooter crowd here, maybe ebikes in Toronto aren't so bad.
steveintoronto
Superstar
It continues to be a good point of discussion, but to clarify after reading my original comment, there's a massive difference between *assisted e-bikes* and total electric propulsion. And there are some genuine medically needed cases for whom I have some sympathy.
The onus is on all road and path users to share them wisely.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
IMO, if it's not a wheelchair or mobility scooter, and runs without pedals, it's a motor vehicle and should be banned from sidewalks and must be licensed and insured, same as if you bought a 50cc moped today. Why is an ebike different from a moped, from a licensing POV? Top speed should not be a relevant factor.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/handbook/motorcycles/section1-4-0.shtml
The only ebikes not requiring insurance and license should be truly pedal assist machines, if you don't pedal, there's no go.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/handbook/motorcycles/section1-4-0.shtml
The only ebikes not requiring insurance and license should be truly pedal assist machines, if you don't pedal, there's no go.
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Admiral Beez
Superstar
Since my trade show ends early at 4:30pm today, I’m going to rent a bicycle and go for a spin around Amsterdam to compare the experience to Toronto. It’ll be strange not to be wearing a helmet, but no one does here.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
I've seen bicyclists and pedestrians wearing reflective vests. Wonder when reflective vests will become mandatory in Ontario?
