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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

Northern Light said:
From PWIC's April 11 Agenda, Thorncliffe/Flemingdon area to get a network of bike lanes.

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2018.PW28.13

Map here:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-113647.pdf
Click to expand...

As usual, Transportation has done it all wrong. I'm up in this area fairly often, and the streets that already have bike lanes are terrifying because they're not protected -- drivers tear around the neighbourhoods at breakneck speeds and park in the bike lanes with impunity. This won't make much of a difference, and it's so easy to do the right thing (full protection).

- Thorncliffe Park Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Gateway Boulevard (bicycle lanes and short section of parking-protected cycle track)
- Grenoble Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Deauville Lane (bicycle lanes)

For so many reasons,protected bike lanes in these neighbourhoods are a really good idea, but Transportation has yet again proved its inability to put in best-in-class infrastructure.
 
ADRM said:
As usual, Transportation has done it all wrong. I'm up in this area fairly often, and the streets that already have bike lanes are terrifying because they're not protected -- drivers tear around the neighbourhoods at breakneck speeds and park in the bike lanes with impunity. This won't make much of a difference, and it's so easy to do the right thing (full protection).

- Thorncliffe Park Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Gateway Boulevard (bicycle lanes and short section of parking-protected cycle track)
- Grenoble Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Deauville Lane (bicycle lanes)

For so many reasons,protected bike lanes in these neighbourhoods are a really good idea, but Transportation has yet again proved its inability to put in best-in-class infrastructure.
Click to expand...

I completely agree, though may hold out more hope than you that this is the foot-in-the-door that leads to protected bike lanes over time.

I would hasten to add, that this does nothing to address Overlea, particularly the bridge over the West Don River, which I think is scary for pedestrians, never mind cyclists.

I totally get that they don't want to do lane reductions on Overlea, but this is the case of a road w/wide boulevards, frontages and a median where there is room available to add bike lanes w/o reducing vehicle travel lanes.

The bridge is likely a larger capital project, nonetheless it should be mentioned.
 
ADRM said:
As usual, Transportation has done it all wrong. I'm up in this area fairly often, and the streets that already have bike lanes are terrifying because they're not protected -- drivers tear around the neighbourhoods at breakneck speeds and park in the bike lanes with impunity. This won't make much of a difference, and it's so easy to do the right thing (full protection).

- Thorncliffe Park Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Gateway Boulevard (bicycle lanes and short section of parking-protected cycle track)
- Grenoble Drive (bicycle lanes)
- Deauville Lane (bicycle lanes)

For so many reasons,protected bike lanes in these neighbourhoods are a really good idea, but Transportation has yet again proved its inability to put in best-in-class infrastructure.
Click to expand...
They are all going to be protected with a painted buffer and bollards where possible. did you read the report? The map literally says "proposed cycle track / buffered bike lane" in the legend.

The Overlea bridge is planning to get a new pedestrian / cycling bridge beside it in the next few years. It's just a much larger project than a few painted lanes so it takes a bit longer.
 
innsertnamehere said:
They are all going to be protected with a painted buffer and bollards where possible. did you read the report? The map literally says "proposed cycle track / buffered bike lane" in the legend.
Click to expand...

Umm, the report identifies only Gateway for a receiving a partial cycle track.

The others are all 'bike lane' w/painted buffer where space permits.

The Overlea bridge is planning to get a new pedestrian / cycling bridge beside it in the next few years. It's just a much larger project than a few painted lanes so it takes a bit longer.
Click to expand...

Good to know.
 
innsertnamehere said:
They are all going to be protected with a painted buffer and bollards where possible. did you read the report? The map literally says "proposed cycle track / buffered bike lane" in the legend.

The Overlea bridge is planning to get a new pedestrian / cycling bridge beside it in the next few years. It's just a much larger project than a few painted lanes so it takes a bit longer.
Click to expand...

I did read the report, yes, thanks, and painted buffer does not equal protected by any stretch of the imagination.

One small stretch of one of the streets included is getting physical protection.
 
They are going to be similar to River, Gerrard, and Bloor street in design. All of those are pretty good, especially River and Gerrard. They rarely see parked cars.
 
innsertnamehere said:
They are going to be similar to River, Gerrard, and Bloor street in design. All of those are pretty good, especially River and Gerrard. They rarely see parked cars.
Click to expand...

Very different urban environments. The existing buffered bike lanes in this area almost always have cars parked in and/or swerving into them every time I’m there. Plus not all of the ones proposed here are parking-protected, which are more effective than just paint buffers.
 
The first one with the reduced curb radii at Weston and Lawrence would require right turn bans to work, and one of them does in fact reduce a lane, despite it claiming otherwise.
 
Interesting. I often used the utility road to go running/cycling and would climb up the informal embankment to Steeles to continue either north to trail in Markham off of Leslie, or south to the East Don Trail. It was a bit more difficult with a bike, but I managed. Most people would just turn around. The last time I used the trail was probably around the same time the notice was released. I moved to East York shortly afterwards.
 
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