Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[pawlyshyn]

So Hoskin/Harbord is ridable and pretty much complete from Queen's Park to Grace with poured in place curbs, but I noticed that wherever there is street parking adjacent to the cycling lane, the curb is flush with the asphalt which means no physical separation between bikes and cars. Why would they do that?

Especially the entire block westbound in front of Harbord Collegiate. I guess that's so school buses can pull right in and park on the bike lane.
Plus there's a block eastbound, east of Grace, where's there's NOTHING — not even a painted line (last time I checked, anyway). The plans show separation there, but there's none. Did they just forget?

 

[Admiral Beez]

The fix is clear.

How e-bikes came to rule the road in Toronto — and who’s really paying the price

The use of e-bikes has skyrocketed in recent years, catching governments flat-footed — and outraging other road users.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/RX4z6

Starting Jan 1, 2026, Queen’s Park should outlaw province-wide the use, sale and ownership of all unlicensed e-motorized bikes beyond solely pedal assist models. All remaining e-motor bikes should be treated like gas-powered mopeds or motorcycles, with the province requiring licensing and insurance, and proper use of the roads - and prohibiting their transport on the GO Train or public transit (too bad, UberEats et al). That’s exactly what Finland does, for example, where any ebike capable of running without pedalling and anything faster than 25 kph is treated as a motor vehicle, and must be registered, licensed and insured. I believe Switzerland is similar.

We’d still need to separately address or set regs and apply actual enforcement for electric kick scooters. But as they say on the Riverbank, that’s another story.

 

[afransen]

The fix is clear.

How e-bikes came to rule the road in Toronto — and who’s really paying the price

The use of e-bikes has skyrocketed in recent years, catching governments flat-footed — and outraging other road users.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/RX4z6

Starting Jan 1, 2026, Queen’s Park should outlaw province-wide the use, sale and ownership of all unlicensed e-motorized bikes beyond solely pedal assist models. All remaining e-motor bikes should be treated like gas-powered mopeds or motorcycles, with the province requiring licensing and insurance, and proper use of the roads - and prohibiting their transport on the GO Train or public transit (too bad, UberEats et al). That’s exactly what Finland does, for example, where any ebike capable of running without pedalling and anything faster than 25 kph is treated as a motor vehicle, and must be registered, licensed and insured. I believe Switzerland is similar.

We’d still need to separately address or set regs and apply actual enforcement for electric kick scooters. But as they say on the Riverbank, that’s another story.

I think throttle-only operation is fine under maybe 10 kph, but anything over that should be pedal assist only.

 

[DSCToronto]

I think throttle-only operation is fine under maybe 10 kph, but anything over that should be pedal assist only.

Whatever the limits are they should be clear and easy to enforce.

 

[Mihairokov]

New Esplanade bike lane separators with diverted marathon traffic going straight through a no-straight

 

[DSCToronto]

New Esplanade bike lane separators with diverted marathon traffic going straight through a no-straight
View attachment 689493

The Esplanade has been semi-officially open for two-way traffic several times recently when Lower Jarvis or Lower Sherbourne have been closed for Ontario Line bridgework and it is not unreasonable to do this when the marathon is going on as very few north-south streets are open and to reach them from south of Front the Esplanade can be the only way..

 

[Northern Light]

So Hoskin/Harbord is ridable and pretty much complete from Queen's Park to Grace with poured in place curbs, but I noticed that wherever there is street parking adjacent to the cycling lane, the curb is flush with the asphalt which means no physical separation between bikes and cars. Why would they do that?

The answer is accessibility.

The concrete curbs were seen as an impediment not only to those w/mobility aids/challenges, but to those trying to load/unload strollers w/children.

For clarity, the City was responding to negative feedback in relation to the above.

 

[chrisw]

Wayfinding signage has been added to the Finch Hydro Corridor between Birchmount and Pharmacy. Also there was also a sign about no winter maintenance.

 

[NoahB]

We are famous!
LA is installing "Toronto Barriers" on their bike lanes. From a post on Facebook.

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

Wayfinding signage has been added to the Finch Hydro Corridor between Birchmount and Pharmacy. Also there was also a sign about no winter maintenance.

View attachment 689594

View attachment 689595

View attachment 689596

This is the first time I'm seeing this kind of trail signage. What happened to the orange signage used along parts of the Don River trails?

Having said that, Toronto could use replacing some of the trail signage which has faded over the years.

 

[Northern Light]

This is the first time I'm seeing this kind of trail signage. What happened to the orange signage used along parts of the Don River trails?

Having said that, Toronto could use replacing some of the trail signage which has faded over the years.

The signage above appears to my eye to be Transportation Services.

The stuff in the Lower Don is Parks/Forestry.

****

Note that the current Lower Don Trail project is being managed by Parks; but the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail project is being managed by the Cycling and Pedestrian Unit in Transportation Services.

 

[MisterF]

I guess two city departments using the same signage would make too much sense.

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

The signage above appears to my eye to be Transportation Services.

The stuff in the Lower Don is Parks/Forestry.

****

Note that the current Lower Don Trail project is being managed by Parks; but the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail project is being managed by the Cycling and Pedestrian Unit in Transportation Services.

Thanks for the clarification. It's crazy how the City can't do consistent wayfinding across the board.

 

[DSCToronto]

Thanks for the clarification. It's crazy how the City can't do consistent wayfinding across the board.

TO360 (run from Transportation) was supposed to set the standards. I actually attended a meeting where we discussed TTC signage based on the TO360 maps and standards. I think it was probably pre-covid and I have seen little evidence of new TTC wayfinding.

 

[txlseries4]

So many small companies struggle with multiple related departments talking to each other or getting them to coordinate. That it happens in an organization with tens of thousands of employees who have historically worked in silos is completely unsurprising. It will take a lot of time and effort to untangle the systemic forces at play.