Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[ShonTron]

Isn't octane calculated differently in Europe as it is here?

 

[W. K. Lis]

...
A lot of Berliners drive diesel cars, which is often cheaper than gas by a considerable margin. Berliners also drive much smaller cars that have manual shift - these cars are much more fuel efficient than the average car in Toronto.....

European countries are slowly banning diesel vehicles (cars, trucks, and buses). See link.

Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that it's only a matter of time before Germany follows France, Britain, India and other countries in banning new sales of cars fitted only with gas or diesel engines.

Asked whether it would make sense for Germany to set a deadline to end sales of such vehicles, Merkel told weekly tabloid Super Illu in its latest edition:

"I cannot name an exact year yet, but the approach is right because if we quickly invest in more charging infrastructure and technology for electric cars, a general changeover will be structurally possible....

 

[junctionist]

For example, biking from Bloor/Dundas to the beaches is still a life harrowing experience. There's no excuse for this poor network.

How is it a harrowing experience? You ride south on Dundas and then down Roncesvalles. Traffic moves slowly and predictably on those streets. Then you use the pedestrian bridge at the foot of Roncesvalles, which connects directly to the Martin Goodman Trail. From there, you have a cycling path that will take you to the Beach separated from motor vehicle traffic.

 

[LNahid2000]

Traffic moves slowly and predictably on those streets.

lol predictably? Traffic is never predictable when there's a Beck taxi involved.

 

[junctionist]

lol predictably? Traffic is never predictable when there's a Beck taxi involved.

Even the Beck taxi is predictable in its lack of predictability. That's why I often ride slower around them with my fingers on the brake levers.

 

[amnesiajune]

A lot of Berliners drive diesel cars.

Not really. It's slightly more common, but the vast majority of cars there are gas-powered, just like here in Toronto.

European countries are slowly banning diesel vehicles (cars, trucks, and buses).

Also not really correct. They're banning vehicles that only run on diesel and gas, but hybrid cars will still be allowed under all of these proposals. These bans also don't take effect for another 10-20 years at the very least.

Berliners also drive much smaller cars that have manual shift - these cars are much more fuel efficient than the average car in Toronto.

Nowadays the difference in fuel efficiency between manual and automatic cars is very, very tiny.

Gas in Berlin (like Europe) is high performance and starts at Octane 95+. That's even better than our top-line 94 gas. I rented the same car I drive in Toronto to cruise the autobahns in Germany, and it's amazing how much more performance and fuel efficiency I got out of the car.

Octane ratings are different in the rest of the world. That 95-octane fuel in Europe is roughly equivalent to the 91-octane fuel here. Also, higher octane fuel isn't any more efficient, nor does it get any better performance out of a car (unless you're driving a car that needs that higher-octane gas). It's just a placebo effect that gas companies gladly promote.

 

[LNahid2000]

Even the Beck taxi is predictable in its lack of predictability. That's why I often ride slower around them with my fingers on the brake levers.

Now that's a stretch.

 

[junctionist]

Now that's a stretch.

Do you have a point?

Do you even cycle?

 

[LNahid2000]

Do you have a point?

Do you even cycle?

Yep, everyday...even in January.

I bike on Yonge from Bloor to Sheppard twice a week, so I know unpredictable.

 

[junctionist]

Yep, everyday...even in January.

I bike on Yonge from Bloor to Sheppard twice a week, so I know unpredictable.

You have a problem with every statement about them. If they're unpredictable, all you can do is be cautious.

 

[junctionist]

...and if you ever get hurt out there, sue. You won't pay any legal fees unless you win. Often times, the bad guys don't change their ways until it hits them in the pocketbook through higher insurance rates. PM me for more information.

 

[BMO]

Berlin is a pretty cool city to ride along the S-Bahn and view it from the elevated railway. Overall I'd say it's got a great network of cycling facilities, but you still can't come close to what the Netherlands and Denmark have going for them. Although I would much prefer to strive toward a more balanced mode share like we see in Berlin (or in Germany in general) than what we see in the Netherlands.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Not really. It's slightly more common, but the vast majority of cars there are gas-powered, just like here in Toronto.

It's about 48/52, diesel vs. gas. Have a look: http://www.acea.be/statistics/tag/category/share-of-diesel-in-new-passenger-cars

 

[DB9]

Not really. It's slightly more common, but the vast majority of cars there are gas-powered, just like here in Toronto.

Refer to the stats another forumer posted.

The reality on the ground says otherwise.. if anything on occasion I had to jump around a few gas stations in Berlin, because a few of them were diesel only. This would never be an issue in the GTA.

Nowadays the difference in fuel efficiency between manual and automatic cars is very, very tiny.

It's not as wide a gap as before, but it still adds up if you drive often enough.

Octane ratings are different in the rest of the world. That 95-octane fuel in Europe is roughly equivalent to the 91-octane fuel here. Also, higher octane fuel isn't any more efficient, nor does it get any better performance out of a car (unless you're driving a car that needs that higher-octane gas). It's just a placebo effect that gas companies gladly promote.

To simply write it off as a placebo effect is a bit naive. Cars like BMW, Audi and Benz wouldn't be able to achieve their designed performance standards without higher Octane gas. You don't "need' to put 91 gas into these cars...plenty of people put 87/89 in them, but they won't perform as well, engine depletion will happen faster and you'll find out the gas mileage isn't as good.

 

[DB9]

Berlin is a pretty cool city to ride along the S-Bahn and view it from the elevated railway. Overall I'd say it's got a great network of cycling facilities, but you still can't come close to what the Netherlands and Denmark have going for them. Although I would much prefer to strive toward a more balanced mode share like we see in Berlin (or in Germany in general) than what we see in the Netherlands.

Agreed. It's definitely not Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Berlin is a more reasonable target for the GTA. It has a strong national car culture (Germans are obsessively passionate about das auto in a way that Canadians just aren't..and yet their rhetoric about "war against the car" is so much more subdued than in Toronto), train lines sprawling all over the city, a huge urban footprint (by European standards) and wide arterial roads similar to most of the GTA.