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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

I'm hopeful that one of the BIAs along this stretch will install planters a la Richmond and Simcoe. I think that'll be crucial to forcing drivers to park better or not at all; a bollard does no damage to one's bumper, but planters may.
Brings up a point I forgot to mention, albeit absolutely agreed with your intent. *Something more substantial* must define and establish the buffer, albeit with breaks in it to allow cycle passage into and out of the adjacent vehicle lanes, and pedestrians crossing. Narrow planters much be just the thing, and they soften and beautify the area too. Store-owners will in most cases gladly plant and care for them. It presents their community spirit too.

Some of the bollards I looked at today are already badly dented! I'll check again tomorrow, but the bollards may be on borrowed time. BIA's might be one of the most influential voices on the matter. I know one of the service techs at Sweet Pete's, known her for years, and I'll see if she has any lines of communication up. (Get this, she claimed she was going to do Toronto to Montreal on a 'fixie' years back. I joked with her about it after not seeing her for six years, as if it was a manic concept never realized. She said: "I did it!" Yikes!)
 
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Somewhat relatedly, Dandyhorse Magazine reports that the Annex BIA will be working with the city to implement a 30% increase in bike parking along the pilot "by 2017." The City's Acting Transportation Director confirmed this and said they will be corrals (or similar), as opposed to rings.
 
Somewhat relatedly, Dandyhorse Magazine reports that the Annex BIA will be working with the city to implement a 30% increase in bike parking along the pilot "by 2017." The City's Acting Transportation Director confirmed this and said they will be corrals (or similar), as opposed to rings.

In this context, what is a corral?
 
Couldn't find a TO pic (there are some along Harbord, as elsewhere), but this is the general idea:

Bike-Corral-Abbot-Kinney.jpg

http://yovenice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Bike-Corral-Abbot-Kinney.jpg
 
ADRM beat me to it, here's one I found, albeit as with ADRM's this is more elegant than the ones I'm seeing in Toronto, but there's an essential point about these, besides making efficient use of the spaces blanked off with white stripes to denote no-go zones for vehicles: They don't obstruct sight-lines for cyclists or motorists, a very important point, and being on the road, they don't block pedestrians by being on the sidewalk.
11012891_819165364832339_8443018358627558888_n.jpg


Spotted on Harbord by Harbord Collegiate (just west of Bathurst) – a bike corral! Now a dozen bikes can be parked in the space formerly wasted on just 1 car.
 
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I'm hopeful that one of the BIAs along this stretch will install planters a la Richmond and Simcoe. I think that'll be crucial to forcing drivers to park better or not at all; a bollard does no damage to one's bumper, but planters may.

But then how would a passenger open the door if there's a bunch of planters only a few inches away from the parked car?
 
But then how would a passenger open the door if there's a bunch of planters only a few inches away from the parked car?

Move forward or backward a few inches. Though, to your point, we could have them placed as consistently as along Richmond/Adelaide. Also, I'd love to see the planters along the stretches without parking where the bollards are too spaced out.
 
But then how would a passenger open the door if there's a bunch of planters only a few inches away from the parked car?
Carefully, as they always should. Bear in mind that planters can come in all sorts of sizes, and shapes, and made from different materials, such as what Rubbermaid and Garbage bins are made from. Flexible but tough. I'd be more concerned about cyclist collisions with sharp cornered concrete planters than car doors and motorists, many of whom it seems can't park within a foot of a painted line. Pretty scary! That underlines the need for a concrete curb for at least the outer demarcation, as the only way they'll be able to align their vehicles is if their front tires are railed up against one. I'm equally critical of many cyclists' lack of cycling ability, but there's a massive difference in the consequence of hitting someone. Two hundred pounds max v. a ton or more.

Another consideration, if a narrow curb/median is used, is parking at a very soft angle, suffice that passenger doors swing on an arc that clears the median . It would also make parking easier, especially for the parking-challenged, which is a sizable minority.

Another thought is to add guard rails, albeit of a less rigid type than pressed steel: The recycled plastic used for picnic tables, boardwalks and deck planking would be perfect, and very low maintenance, and *green*. Longer and narrow planters could then be placed between the rails, with the softer rails on the cycle path side, and more rigid ones on the vehicle side. Gaps would have to be left every ten feet or so for pedestrian and cycle passage to cross the road or attain the vehicle lane. Think in terms of narrow 'medians' as used on parallel divided roadways.

And tests for drivers to make sure they can park....what a concept. That, apparently, will reduce the number licenced by 20% or more from what I see of their attempts. This is almost a moot point if twin bi-directional lanes are placed one side of Bloor, and parking the other. All that's need then is a curb high enough to block cars, a width suffice to act as a pedestrian island, and discreet enough not to waste road width and cycle lane width. In this case, shrubs could even be planted on the median, preferably flowering ones, with gaps to pass through for cyclists and pedestrians.

How much space do window-sill planters take?

Edit to Add: Did a quick Google to see what examples are published, and there's quite an amount on this. Salsa's question is a good one, and there's some good answers. I'll dig further later, but suffice for now:

hornby-beforeafter.jpg

http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/protected-bicycle-lanes.aspx

I particularly like this, as it manifests my concept: A bi-directional dual cycle lane one side, a barrier, and parking on the other side. It offers many advantages, albeit this instance is a one-way street, but the application to a two-way like Bloor is opportune also.

I'll add edits to this post later as I dig further.

Edit to Add: Hit the jackpot for overall cycle lane engineering and design:
title2.png

Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide
Decision Making Process Examples
The preceding sections highlighted numerous factors that inform the design of separated bike lanes, from the four primary design categories (directional characteristics and width, separation type, midblock considerations and intersection considerations) to secondary areas of focus. Because of space constraints and the complex nature of streets, design is often an iterative process where trade-offs between different design options must be evaluated and a change to one element of the design necessitates changes to other elements. Similarly, trade-offs may continually be made between facility design and planning considerations such as potential ridership, transit access, parking supply and maintenance throughout the design process.

This section illustrates the decision-making process for separated bike lane design through three hypothetical examples, underscoring the integrated nature of their designs.
[...continues in magnificent detail and sections, many design drawings, concept illustrations...]
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment...ublications/separated_bikelane_pdg/page15.cfm

Lots of reading to do here, will discuss this further with others who also read it.

Lis posted on Dutch cycle signs yesterday or the day before, I forget which, I always get carried away watching the incredibly beautiful way the Danes and Dutch set the stage for bicycle ballet to blossom in the vids he/she links.

Here's the answer I wanted to give at the time, but didn't have the reference to:
FHWAEnvironmentBicycle and Pedestrian ProgramPublicationsSeparated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide
Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide
Other Design Elements
Signs and pavement markings supplement good design and reinforce appropriate behavior for all roadway users. This section provides a summary of the most commonly used signs and pavement markings related to separated bike lane installation.

Sign Guidance
[...continues at length with many sign examples, all recognized in Canada too...](I would have posted them but character limit of this forum software dictates brevity)
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment...ublications/separated_bikelane_pdg/page14.cfm

Not to be outdone, City of Toronto publishes this, a 14 page file:
Roadway
Roadway design elements include the number and width of vehicular lanes, medians, traffic calming features, and mid-block crossings.
[...]
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-74530.pdf

Looking forward to discussing these!
 
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ADRM beat me to it, here's one I found, albeit as with ADRM's this is more elegant than the ones I'm seeing in Toronto, but there's an essential point about these, besides making efficient use of the spaces blanked off with white stripes to denote no-go zones for vehicles: They don't obstruct sight-lines for cyclists or motorists, a very important point, and being on the road, they don't block pedestrians by being on the sidewalk.
11012891_819165364832339_8443018358627558888_n.jpg


Spotted on Harbord by Harbord Collegiate (just west of Bathurst) – a bike corral! Now a dozen bikes can be parked in the space formerly wasted on just 1 car.

Is this thing s city of Toronto installation?
 
I think I am partial to rings because at the rate I am going my front wheel will be all that is left of my bike when I get back to it. I like how I can really lock my bike to a ring.
lol...you turn your bike around so your lock goes through your rear wheel and any part of the frame. Pop off your front wheel first, and include it in the lock loop, or take it inside with you.

Many people don't know how to lock their bikes. I can see a number of ways of securely locking (within the limits of your lock, beware) to that corral. Don't copy what the others have done, think it through. If you have a really valued bike, never trust a lock, take it inside or where you can see it, even if locked. In fact, don't use the loops that come out from the corral. Use the end panels of it, and lock your machine tightly against it, so some puke can't jerk your lock to break it. The bikes in that rack aren't worth stealing, so don't be a sitting duck with yours.

I see the city littered with front wheels still locked to rings, fences and lamp-posts. It's obvious what happened to them. You'd be well advised to use two locks, one a cable lock, the other something solid. Cables can be easily cut with bolt cutters, many u-locks easily frozen and shattered. Securing with two locks in different ways *usually* stymies thieves.

Is this thing a city of Toronto installation?
Answer was posted under pic:
Spotted on Harbord by Harbord Collegiate (just west of Bathurst)

If you're really baffled, click on the "just west of Bathurst" link.
 
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lol...you turn your bike around so your lock goes through your rear wheel and any part of the frame. Pop off your front wheel first, and include it in the lock loop, or take it inside with you.

Many people don't know how to lock their bikes. I can see a number of ways of securely locking (within the limits of your lock, beware) to that corral. Don't copy what the others have done, think it through. If you have a really valued bike, never trust a lock, take it inside or where you can see it, even if locked.

I see the city littered with front wheels still locked to rings, fences and lamp-posts. It's obvious what happened to them. You'd be well advised to use two locks, one a cable lock, the other something solid. Cables can be easily cut with bolt cutters, many u-locks easily frozen and shattered. Securing with two locks in different ways *usually* stymies thieves.

Personally I use one or two U-Locks + a cable lock to make sure that both my wheels are secure. So far I've never had a bike or component stolen in my entire life*.

*knock on wood
 
Personally I use one or two U-Locks + a cable lock to make sure that both my wheels are secure. So far I've never had a bike or component stolen in my entire life*.

*knock on wood
It's a bit like walking through a ghetto: Don't *look* like you're easy. Most bike thieves look for the easy and fast ones. If they have to spend time and effort to get yours, they'll target an easier one. Make one lock a really good one, then the second can be a cheaper lighter one, but still confound a thief due to the time element.

It ticks me off that people walking by don't ask someone who might be stealing a bike. Ask them nicely: "Excuse me, you'll understand me asking this if this is your bike, but since you're breaking the lock, can you show me some kind of identification?" If they have none, and you have a cell phone, then take a photo of them. Calling the police rarely helps, but you might want to give it a try. You know damn well that many who are breaking locks are stealing them. Don't let it happen.

Edit to Add: A cable lock through both wheels is a good idea for hybrid and off-road bikes, since the quick-release aspect is made more difficult by the recessed front fork lugs as a safety feature. For road bikes, at least classic ones, the front wheel, if set up right (a sizable minority have the QR levers on the wrong side and not used properly, it's dangerous!) pop off in a second. Be sure to release them and include them in the U-lock loop using the *rim*. If you use a cable lock, leave as little loose cable as possible, as some thieves will try and yank the bike to try and break the lock, and damage the bike by doing it, even if they can't steal it.
 
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Personally I use one or two U-Locks + a cable lock to make sure that both my wheels are secure. So far I've never had a bike or component stolen in my entire life*.

*knock on wood

Wheel locks also do the trick!
 

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