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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

ADRM said:
Believe so, and it actually makes me wonder if that blue strip is related to the curb/patio extension rather than the bike lane (it also looks narrower than the CoT minimum width); it's tough to see from the perspective of that photo, but it looks like they may have painted guiding lines for the bike lane to the left of that blue strip.
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Supposition; answer.

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1283454832389566465
 
ADRM said:
Believe so, and it actually makes me wonder if that blue strip is related to the curb/patio extension rather than the bike lane (it also looks narrower than the CoT minimum width); it's tough to see from the perspective of that photo, but it looks like they may have painted guiding lines for the bike lane to the left of that blue strip.
Click to expand...
Left of the blue 'buffer' will be parking. To the right is the cycling lane.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1284138250861502465

“If you talk to any of the older generation on the Danforth that own property, they always say that, when Danforth had the streetcar, people used to get off and peruse their business,” Johnson tells me.

Streetcars won’t be returning to Toronto’s east end thoroughfare, but Johnson thinks another vehicle could now serve as the merchant’s friend during these difficult times: the bicycle. Moving at a more leisurely pace than motorists, cyclists notice local stores and have the ability to stop quickly and shop.

“People can get off their bike much easier than they can when they’re going 50 kilometres an hour [by car],” he says. “It’s quite easy to get off your bike and check out a business you’ve always wanted to try.”

But to get folks cycling the “Danny” and supporting the local economy, the city needs to make the roadway less dangerous. Now, Johnson says, “It’s not particularly safe to bike on the Danforth… It’s actually pretty scary.”

There are bike lanes on a portion of Bloor and across the viaduct, but when cyclists hit the start of Danforth, at Broadview, the protection abruptly ends.

The solution, Johnson suggests, is giving east end riders the same separated cycle tracks that west-enders have.

Johnson — whose BIA represents more than 500 local businesses — believes bike lanes could be especially useful as pandemic restrictions are eased and eateries are allowed to serve customers outside. “I find bikes and patios tend to go together,” he explains. “If it’s a hot summer day and you’re thirsty and you want a beer you get off your bike and have a drink.”
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Forbes 2018:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1063475084734676992

New research from Transport for London (TfL) claims that people walking, cycling and using public transport spend more than motorists in local shops. Conducted by Matthew Carmona from University College London's Bartlett School of Planning, the research reveals that those not in cars spend 40% more each month in neighborhood shops than motorists.

The research was conducted in areas of London which have benefitted from Dutch-style streetscape improvements, such as the addition of cycleways.

Transport for London's “Healthy Streets Approach” designs streets for people that are easy to access by foot or bike.

TfL's Director of Transport Strategy Lilli Matson said: “This research from our new online hub shows the link between creating enjoyable spaces, where people want to spend time, and the results for better business.”

In those areas improved – such as Bromley – the number of people walking in the streets increased by 93%.

People also spent more time in the street, with a 216% increase in activity such as going into shops and cafés.
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The word is that a lot of the Greektown BIA members are not happy with the bike lanes. Many of the old timers who run the Greek restos are stuffy, conservative types, who are concerned about the long-term impact of bike lanes on group bookings of their restaurants for weddings and events which rely heavily on car parking.

It’s in contrast to the other Danforth BIAs east and west of Greektown which are whole heartedly embracing the lanes.
 
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That’s not entirely true. I went to Christinas on the Danforth yesterday evening for dinner which is inside the Greektown BIA. The owner are supporting it. They said Danforth is less noisy and more pleasant for customers to sit outside.
 
Andy_in_Toronto said:
That’s not entirely true. I went to Christinas on the Danforth yesterday evening for dinner which is inside the Greektown BIA. The owner are supporting it. They said Danforth is less noisy and more pleasant for customers to sit outside.
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The thing is, both things can be (and sometimes are) simultaneously true (a BIA taking one position and some, many, or most of its constituent businesses holding the other).

I know a number of business owners in Koreatown, for instance, who *hated* their BIA’s opposition to the first phase of the Bloor Bike lanes; it’s the same oft-shitty reality where Residents’ Associations oppose a piece of public policy (or a new housing development) that most of their residents support. Just an unfortunate reality of the politics of some of these organizations.
 
Admiral Beez said:
Interesting. I never, ever ride my bicycle to shops. I either walk or drive, or on rare occasion take bikeshare. My bike is too nice to leave anywhere, and I don’t have space for a beater bike.
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I’m pretty much the polar opposite, with a few exceptions. More or less, if I’m making a single trip to a big box or chain store, I’m likely to do it in my car, but I’m much more likely to frequent a number of local, independent businesses in a row if I’m on my bike.
 
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