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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

 
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I like the idea of moving the Adelaide path to the northside, though it makes my trip up Bay from Union more tricky since I can't just turn right. But it does avoid the parked cars allowed on the broken path section just east of Bay.
 
Admiral Beez said:
I like the idea of moving the Adelaide path to the northside, though it makes my trip up Bay from Union more tricky since I can't just turn right. But it does avoid the parked cars allowed on the broken path section just east of Bay.
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When will construction to move the cycle tracks on Adelaide to the north-side start?
 
Got to put a photo of Jerry Agar up onto a dartboard.

AGAR: No, clearing bike lanes isn't a top priority

From the Toronto Sun (of course), at this link:

Few of us seem satisfied with city services when it comes to clearing snow in Toronto.

Everyone wants their needs looked after first. Is the priority the main streets, the side streets, the end of our driveways, the sidewalks or the bike lanes?

If resources were unlimited we wouldn’t have to ask. We’d all wake up the morning after a snowstorm to see our own personal city worker sweeping the walk and handing us the newspaper.

But resources are not unlimited, and in fact, too much of what we do have is regularly misspent.

I would prioritize main streets and concede that there is a debatable point to be made on how we would rank the other items. But it seems that since it is unarguable that fewer people get around on bicycles than walking, driving or public transit, especially in bad weather, bike lanes in the winter don’t need to be top of list.

But as with too many of our public issues today, the fanatics are framing the debate on bike lanes. I am sure the city is full of people who keep their two wheels off the sidewalks downtown, stop at red lights and who realize that creation and maintenance of bike lanes costs money. Those people might agree to some form of user fee, such as the one paid by auto drivers through license fees.

But on the weekend, bicycle activist Gerry Brown tweeted, “Hi @TorontosMayor Please process our invoice for $150 ($15x10x1hr) for clearing part of the Dundas East #biketo lane + sidewalk, send $ to @Ward32Spokes And please raise our taxes so the city can do it’s job per city snow clearing guidelines going forward.”
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Hoping that Mr. Brown was just being cheeky and highlighting the issue of snow clearance in general, I had him on my NEWTALK1010 radio show.

Sadly, he stuck to the bike fanatic talking points. He insisted the only reason people don’t ride in the winter is because we don’t have, “safe spaces for them.”

Addressing his group’s advocacy for higher taxes I asked why bike riders don’t pay a user fee. Again, back to the talking points, he said we need to raise property taxes, and insisted – another bike enthusiast talking point – that automobile riders don’t pay enough tax to pay for the roads.

We learned from a study by the Conference Board of Canada that Ontario drivers are covering most of the costs of road infrastructure.

In the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, the road infrastructure cost recovery is significantly higher at the urban level and is over 10%. But, “those in the GTHA are paying about $1 billion more in fees and taxes than the annual cost of construction, maintenance and policing,” of the roads.

The report indicates Toronto collects about $100 million a year in traffic tickets, and those are not to bicycle riders, regardless of their activity.

People may want to quibble with the statistics on how much auto drivers pay, but is it fair for bicycle riders to say that they want more bike lanes and better maintenance of them, but they want the bill to be passed on to homeowners in their property tax?

Do the bike activists who espouse such views speak for all bicycle riders? Unless others speak up, they do.
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When will the Adelaide bike lane be moved to the north side?

Given that it’s been designated permanent, it makes sense that they’d want to build physical separation with longer lasting and more attractive elements.
 
MetroMan said:
When will the Adelaide bike lane be moved to the north side?

Given that it’s been designated permanent, it makes sense that they’d want to build physical separation with longer lasting and more attractive elements.
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If the bike lane is moved to the north side as the commitment has been stated, then it goes without saying that *logic* demands it be physically separated. I have serious concerns about doing this, as it's counter-intuitive, especially at intersections, for both cyclists and motorists to effect turns safely. The very least to assist that is clear demarcation of of turning radii and lanes with solid white lines and broken, and enforcement of what that means.

As it is, at intuitive right hand turns, motorists and most cyclists still haven't a clue as to what the broken white line indicates and the need for motorists to *gain that lane legally* before turning right. God only knows that inability of understanding the HTA is going to be multiples more dangerous with cycle lanes on the left, and either the cyclist turning left, or even more dangerous, proceeding straight through with the right of way that their lane provides.

Until shown a better scheme otherwise, it's my belief that traffic signals will be necessary for cyclists to safely proceed, as is done for pedestrians, or the term "Ad-Richmond Roulette' will become official policy.
 
Went for my first ride of the season yesterday, down River to Corktown Common, then Queens Quay, up Bathurst to Trinity Bellwood’s park, up Montrose to Harbord, through Queens Park to Wellesley and home. I have to say watching all these spandex shod folks sitting on tiny saddles all bent over their bars, that my upright Breezer Downtown 8 with its big ass seat is divine.

On this ride I encountered six cars in the bike lanes. What we need is an app where anyone can photo a car in the bike lane and this sends them a warning from TPS. Unlike most regulated parking in Toronto there are no exemptions for handicapped stickers or city vehicles, etc. If it’s in the bike lane it’s illegally parked, and putting cyclists at risk so every single photo would be a confirmed infraction.
 
Tiny saddle = less contact. It's not a bad thing. You should try it. I ride both road and hybrid, and my road saddle is much more comfortable. Of course, it depends on what you're doing. That's the joy of biking, so many possibilities, so many styles of bike :)

That app has been around since 2015. (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ile-app-makes-it-easier-to-report-crimes.html) There's also one called "Tow It", not affiliated with TPS. I haven't tried either of them, so I don't know how well they work.
 
Admiral Beez said:
Went for my first ride of the season yesterday, down River to Corktown Common, then Queens Quay, up Bathurst to Trinity Bellwood’s park, up Montrose to Harbord, through Queens Park to Wellesley and home. I have to say watching all these spandex shod folks sitting on tiny saddles all bent over their bars, that my upright Breezer Downtown 8 with its big ass seat is divine.
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For all of you biking in the west end a heads up...the Humber river trail north of the Old Mill is still closed. Ice from the winter still has not melted in the Etienne Brule parking lot & surrounding area.

You can bike up Old Mill Dr and then use the paved trail that goes into the park from the corner of Old Mill Dr/Humbercrest. But mud (even on the paved trail) and lots of obstacles. Guessing it will take 2+ weeks for the trail to be operational.
 
Since Doug Ford is so emphatic about having the light rail grade separated from automobile traffic, wonder if that includes bicyclists. There seems to be nothing from the province level about cycling infrastructure. The city may have to go on its own in building superhighways for bicyclists, that includes grade separated paths and lanes.

 
Jonny5 said:
Can you elaborate on what you disaster you think would occour when a driver sees a cyclist going "the wrong way"? I can't think of any.
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Cannon Street in Hamilton is a bidirectional cycle track with bollards -- on a one-way-for-cars road.

I am okay with this given the special one-way-streets situation we are in -- as long as the conflict points are significantly improved during this year's reconstruction (this time with concrete curbs -- yay!). Though, we will have to put up with a 4-month shutdown while they repave Cannon while they install majorly upgraded cycle track.
 
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