Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[sche]

Off-street trails aren't necessarily bad. They just need to be fairly direct (minimal unneeded meandering) and provide reasonable access to points of origin and destination. In some ways they are desirable because there are less conflicts with cars and thus safer/more comfortable.

Off road multi use trails are great, but for them to be as useful as on-street cycling infrastructure they need to be paved, lit, maintained in the winter, and go to actual destinations. Needless to say, almost all Toronto trials don't meet that description.

^^^
If you go on Google Maps and look around the Netherlands, you see off-road bike trails all over the place. They are usually direct, often grade separated or have signal priority at crossings, and well integrated with the rest of the cycling network.

Really, the mentality with these off-road trails needs to just shift from being "recreational trails" to being real transportation routes. When we start recognizing these corridors as actual transportation assets, many things become no-brainers. Things like providing robust road crossing options (ahem, Beltline at Bathurst), direct routings (instead of meandering paths), separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists, and continuity over rail lines, river valleys, and highways. Pedestrian and cycling routes are really not that expensive compared to other projects.

Our trails in river valleys might always be purely recreational due to the topography. However, routes like the hydro corridors, the Belt Line, the path beside Eg West, and the W Toronto Raipath have real potential as commuter cycling highways (just the hydro corridors would connect NYCC, UTSC, York U, ECLRT, FWLRT, Kipling, Kennedy, Lawrence East, Finch, Finch West, and Old Cummer GO). They just don't perform as such right now because of poor design resulting from this recreational trail mentality.

 

[afransen]

Lighting is a big one. I have quite a bright light on my bike as some off-street trails are pitch black at night. Worse, I've had oncoming cyclists come right at me and I didn't see them until they were upon me (no lights, and a tiny reflector).

It kind of kills me that this stuff has largely been figured out but its 'not invented here', so we have to wait decades to see change that should be possible sooner. Never mind the tens of billions that will be invested over those intervening decades on inferior designs. I kind of laugh at the 'fashion bike lanes' you seen in marketing materials for new developments that don't actually look that usable, with car parking right on the lane for perfect dooring opportunities. Vancouver at least has a couple protected bike intersections, I'm not aware of any in Toronto. We pat ourselves on the back for having protected bike lanes. Most injuries and conflicts happen at intersections and we are still basically as bad as we were 20 years ago despite the improvements in mid block protection.

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1354500844532719619

 

[Northern Light]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1354500844532719619

Click through link here to the City's consultation page:

Bike Lane & Road Safety Upgrades on Davenport Road

This project was approved by the City’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IE20.13) on March 23, 2021 and City Council on April 7, 2021. The City of Toronto is proposing a number of cycling and pedestrian safety upgrades on Davenport Road between Dupont Street and Yonge Street in support...

www.toronto.ca

From said page:

To question or comment about this:

To submit comments, provide feedback and ask any questions about the proposed bike lane and road safety upgrades on Davenport Road, please contact Alyssa Cerbu at alyssa.cerbu@toronto.ca or 416-338-0503.

 

[Northern Light]

Some brief video of a cyclist making use of the new off-road multi-use path on the south side of Kingston Rd, just east of Birchmount:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1353912655086559232

 

[Northern Light]

 

[robmausser]

Some brief video of a cyclist making use of the new off-road multi-use path on the south side of Kingston Rd, just east of Birchmount:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1353912655086559232

This videos a bit too long do you have one thats edited down a bit more please?

 

[DSC]

A new link onto Lower Don trail:

Tender		Solicitation number:	Doc2780898047
Commodity:	Construction Services, Landscape Construction
Description:	Request For Tender - Lower Don Trail Phase 2 Improvements Ariba Public Posting: http://discovery.ariba.com/rfx/9618709 Posting Summary The Work of this Contract involves the new sloping ramp structure, improvements to the existing Lower Don Trail, steel staircase connecting the Dundas Street Bridge to the Lower Don Trail and the East Path accessibility improvements. The Work includes all appurtenances, fixtures, equipment, systems, building and civil services and municipal connections, to the extent and as documented and elaborated in the Construction Drawings and in the Construction Specification Project Manual, which constitute a fundamental component of this Tender Package.
Issue date:	January 20, 2021		Closing date:	February 17, 2021 at 12:00 Noon
Pre-bid meeting:	Site Meeting Info - A Site Information Bulletin will be published as an Addenda ASAP in lieu of a Mandatory Site Meeting.
Buyer:	Suits, Martin		Phone number:	416-392-7172
Email:	Martin.Suits@toronto.ca		Location:	City Hall, 19th Floor West Tower
Client Division:	Parks, Forestry & Recreation

 

[mickael]

A new link onto Lower Don trail:

Tender		Solicitation number:	Doc2780898047
Commodity:	Construction Services, Landscape Construction
Description:	Request For Tender - Lower Don Trail Phase 2 Improvements Ariba Public Posting: http://discovery.ariba.com/rfx/9618709 Posting Summary The Work of this Contract involves the new sloping ramp structure, improvements to the existing Lower Don Trail, steel staircase connecting the Dundas Street Bridge to the Lower Don Trail and the East Path accessibility improvements. The Work includes all appurtenances, fixtures, equipment, systems, building and civil services and municipal connections, to the extent and as documented and elaborated in the Construction Drawings and in the Construction Specification Project Manual, which constitute a fundamental component of this Tender Package.
Issue date:	January 20, 2021		Closing date:	February 17, 2021 at 12:00 Noon
Pre-bid meeting:	Site Meeting Info - A Site Information Bulletin will be published as an Addenda ASAP in lieu of a Mandatory Site Meeting.
Buyer:	Suits, Martin		Phone number:	416-392-7172
Email:	Martin.Suits@toronto.ca		Location:	City Hall, 19th Floor West Tower
Client Division:	Parks, Forestry & Recreation

So ramp or stairs? I'm confused

 

[Northern Light]

So ramp or stairs? I'm confused

Unless the design has changed materially since I last saw it (and it may have, nonesense from Mx stalled this work for several years)........

The connection to the Dundas Bridge is stairs.

If I recall correctly (don't hold me to this), there was a proposed ramp from the Riverdale Park Bridge to the Don Trail.

I'm guessing this tender includes both of those.

Hold it...........found it:

From: https://www.toronto.ca/city-governm...ents-expansion-redevelopment/lower-don-trail/

****

The report on which all the improvements are based (and a few have been delivered) is here:

https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/8da8-LowerDon_PIC1Summary.pdf

 

[mickael]

Unless the design has changed materially since I last saw it (and it may have, nonesense from Mx stalled this work for several years)........

The connection to the Dundas Bridge is stairs.

If I recall correctly (don't hold me to this), there was a proposed ramp from the Riverdale Park Bridge to the Don Trail.

I'm guessing this tender includes both of those.

Hold it...........found it:

View attachment 296947

From: https://www.toronto.ca/city-governm...ents-expansion-redevelopment/lower-don-trail/

****

The report on which all the improvements are based (and a few have been delivered) is here:

https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/8da8-LowerDon_PIC1Summary.pdf

Awesome thanks. It'd be good if they could squeeze a ramp into the west side of the park too, with proper access to the bridge. Rather than forcing cyclists to dismount for the stairs, as well as other more pressing reasons.

 

[Andy_in_Toronto]

Bloor St E bike lanes are still not a success story in terms of safety and desig!

Danforth is making a much better impression. Why is that?

 

[Andy_in_Toronto]

Part II - Disaster on Bloor St E

https://twitter.com/x/status/1355607236270321669

 

[afransen]

As predicted. Quite a shitshow. I'm surprised they didn't put the planters away for the winter.

 

[WillTo]

As predicted. Quite a shitshow. I'm surprised they didn't put the planters away for the winter.

Better a planter in the bike lane than a car