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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)
- Thread starter MetroMan
- Start date
amnesiajune
Senior Member
Well first they need to actually figure out how you can do that outside of a SimCity game. Cause they seem to be under the impression that you can just plop a multi-use trail under a bridge, 40 meters up in the air, and everything will work perfectly.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
From this link:
Salt Lake City street removes parking, adds bike lanes and sales go up
The new 300 South, a.k.a. Broadway. Photos: Salt Lake City.
Protected bike lanes require space on the street, and removing curbside auto parking is one of several ways to find it. But whenever cities propose parking removal, retailers understandably worry.
A growing body of evidence suggests that if bike lanes and parking removal are part of a general plan to slow traffic, everybody can win.
In an in-house study of its new protected bike lane, Salt Lake City found that when parking removal was done as part of a wide-ranging investment in the streetscape — including street planters, better crosswalks, public art and colored pavement — it converted parking spaces to high-quality bike lanes and boosted business at the same time.
On 300 South, a street that's also known as Broadway, SLC converted six blocks of diagonal parking to parallel parking and also shifted parallel parking away from the curb on three blocks to create nine blocks of curb-and-parking-protected bike lanes on its historic downtown business corridor.
It added up to a major road diet on part of the street (from five general travel lanes to three) and much less auto parking on another part (a 30 percent cut total).
So what happened?
Using its sales tax data, the city compared retail sales along Broadway in the first half of 2013, before the changes, to the first half of 2015.
Along the project, sales rose 8.8 percent, compared to 7 percent citywide.
It wasn't just a matter of dollars. The city's "business ombudsman" also did door-to-door surveys with managers of the street's 90 retail, restaurant and service storefronts, asking what they thought of the changes and recording them "being conservative so as not to overstate support."
Ninety percent of the businesses were reached. Here's what they said:
"Both customers and employees love the bike lanes," Jeff Telicson, manager of the Copper Onion restaurant, told the city. "We need more bike parking!"
On Oct. 17, the city is planning to celebrate these great results, along with the official opening of one of the country's first protected intersections, at SLC's first Biketoberfest block party downtown.
How could adding bike lanes make sales go up? One way, of course, is that they increase bike traffic on the street. Customers arriving by bike not only tend to be more loyal, they also require much less parking space per wallet, so it's the best kind of traffic for a business.
Bike traffic jumped 30 percent after the bike lane's installation, the city found.
But that's probably not the main reason for the sales jump. Instead — as on New York City streets, which found extremely similar results in a similar 2013 study of sales tax data — Salt Lake City's experience shows that bike lanes are typically best for business when they're part of a general rethinking of the street to make it a more pleasant place to linger.
"I think the key thing is the feel of the street," said Phil Sarnoff, executive director of Bike Utah.
Sarnoff said that the thanks to the parallel parking and fewer lanes, car traffic had slowed down and more people in cars tend to stop for people at crosswalks.
"It's never felt like a Broadway," Sarnoff said. "Prior to this, it didn't feel like a street that people want to walk up and down. I think it's changed a little bit."
Where Broadway intersects with 200 West, the streets will get a protected intersection to improve biking and walking safety.
That's why even the owner of a plant store, John Mueller of Paradise Palm on Broadway, can see sales go up as a result of a project that makes biking easier.
"The bike lanes and lower speed limits help to calm car traffic and increase pedestrian traffic — all positives for my business," Mueller told the city. "Business is up 20% since last year."
Becka Roolf, SLC's bike and pedestrian coordinator, said that even people who drive to shop downtown spend much of their time walking from place to place. That's why the walking experience on Broadway seems to be more important to business there than the speed at which people can drive past or the ease of finding a parking spot.
"It makes it feel like you're not always being surrounded by moving traffic," Roolf said. "It just makes the street a better place to hang out. And most of time Americans when we hang out, we spend money."
PlacesForBikes helps U.S. communities build better biking, faster. You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook or sign up for our weekly news digest about building all-ages biking networks. Story tip? Write michael@peopleforbikes.org.
Salt Lake City street removes parking, adds bike lanes and sales go up
The new 300 South, a.k.a. Broadway. Photos: Salt Lake City.
Protected bike lanes require space on the street, and removing curbside auto parking is one of several ways to find it. But whenever cities propose parking removal, retailers understandably worry.
A growing body of evidence suggests that if bike lanes and parking removal are part of a general plan to slow traffic, everybody can win.
In an in-house study of its new protected bike lane, Salt Lake City found that when parking removal was done as part of a wide-ranging investment in the streetscape — including street planters, better crosswalks, public art and colored pavement — it converted parking spaces to high-quality bike lanes and boosted business at the same time.
On 300 South, a street that's also known as Broadway, SLC converted six blocks of diagonal parking to parallel parking and also shifted parallel parking away from the curb on three blocks to create nine blocks of curb-and-parking-protected bike lanes on its historic downtown business corridor.
It added up to a major road diet on part of the street (from five general travel lanes to three) and much less auto parking on another part (a 30 percent cut total).
So what happened?
Using its sales tax data, the city compared retail sales along Broadway in the first half of 2013, before the changes, to the first half of 2015.
Along the project, sales rose 8.8 percent, compared to 7 percent citywide.
It wasn't just a matter of dollars. The city's "business ombudsman" also did door-to-door surveys with managers of the street's 90 retail, restaurant and service storefronts, asking what they thought of the changes and recording them "being conservative so as not to overstate support."
Ninety percent of the businesses were reached. Here's what they said:
"Both customers and employees love the bike lanes," Jeff Telicson, manager of the Copper Onion restaurant, told the city. "We need more bike parking!"
On Oct. 17, the city is planning to celebrate these great results, along with the official opening of one of the country's first protected intersections, at SLC's first Biketoberfest block party downtown.
How could adding bike lanes make sales go up? One way, of course, is that they increase bike traffic on the street. Customers arriving by bike not only tend to be more loyal, they also require much less parking space per wallet, so it's the best kind of traffic for a business.
Bike traffic jumped 30 percent after the bike lane's installation, the city found.
But that's probably not the main reason for the sales jump. Instead — as on New York City streets, which found extremely similar results in a similar 2013 study of sales tax data — Salt Lake City's experience shows that bike lanes are typically best for business when they're part of a general rethinking of the street to make it a more pleasant place to linger.
"I think the key thing is the feel of the street," said Phil Sarnoff, executive director of Bike Utah.
Sarnoff said that the thanks to the parallel parking and fewer lanes, car traffic had slowed down and more people in cars tend to stop for people at crosswalks.
"It's never felt like a Broadway," Sarnoff said. "Prior to this, it didn't feel like a street that people want to walk up and down. I think it's changed a little bit."
Where Broadway intersects with 200 West, the streets will get a protected intersection to improve biking and walking safety.
That's why even the owner of a plant store, John Mueller of Paradise Palm on Broadway, can see sales go up as a result of a project that makes biking easier.
"The bike lanes and lower speed limits help to calm car traffic and increase pedestrian traffic — all positives for my business," Mueller told the city. "Business is up 20% since last year."
Becka Roolf, SLC's bike and pedestrian coordinator, said that even people who drive to shop downtown spend much of their time walking from place to place. That's why the walking experience on Broadway seems to be more important to business there than the speed at which people can drive past or the ease of finding a parking spot.
"It makes it feel like you're not always being surrounded by moving traffic," Roolf said. "It just makes the street a better place to hang out. And most of time Americans when we hang out, we spend money."
PlacesForBikes helps U.S. communities build better biking, faster. You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook or sign up for our weekly news digest about building all-ages biking networks. Story tip? Write michael@peopleforbikes.org.
steveintoronto
Superstar
Haven't even read this article yet, just relieved that some aren't drinking the "Toronto bike lanes taste so good" Kool-Aid. The number of respondents to the City's survey on the Bloor Lanes who think it's safe is alarming. Most have no idea of the dangers they're in...and the way they cycle shows it. No shortage of cyclists doing idiotic things thinking they're invulnerable with their helmets on. Yesterday on the Bloor lanes I had four or more incidents of cyclists cutting in and passing on the right with impending parked cars ahead as I was looking behind to see if the way was clear to pass the cars. Very few if any check behind them before lane changes, for other cyclists let alone cars. Whatever...it's Toronto...
Toronto’s ambitious bike plan, one year later
City has more money to spend on bike projects thanks to federal and provincial funding, but critics say it’s being invested in “easy stuff” instead of infrastructure that will make riders safer.
By Ben SpurrTransportation Reporter
Mon., June 5, 2017
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/05/torontos-ambitious-bike-plan-one-year-later.html
Toronto’s ambitious bike plan, one year later
City has more money to spend on bike projects thanks to federal and provincial funding, but critics say it’s being invested in “easy stuff” instead of infrastructure that will make riders safer.
By Ben SpurrTransportation Reporter
Mon., June 5, 2017
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/05/torontos-ambitious-bike-plan-one-year-later.html
ADRM
Senior Member
Sure, though it's possible to, at once, appreciate the existence as a flawed design as (hopefully) an interim state until the pilot project is made permanent and still recognize it as an upgrade over the zero infrastructure that preceded it.
I hate numerous aspects of the Bloor design, hope protected lanes are made permanent by Council this fall (though don't think they will be), and will advocate for significant design changes if it is made permanent.
For their part, both city staff and the local supportive councillors acknowledge the flaws - remember that they were significantly limited in what they could do from a design standpoint because the project is temporary.
amnesiajune
Senior Member
ADRM
Senior Member
A few reasons:
1) I don't consider that vote especially predictive because, first, and most importantly, Tory and the significant voting block that accompanies him on almost every issue, supported it. If he reverses his position, that cabal will almost assuredly follow suit, and that would be enough to torpedo it. At literally every opportunity, Tory has gone out of his way to reiterate that he "won't hesitate" to rip them out if he doesn't like the reaction they're getting.
2) Even though it's almost entirely bullshit, Tory has also gone to to great lengths to hold up this pilot as evidence of his commitment to a Bloomberg-esque devotion to data in city planning. Of course, the devil is in the details; Tory never explained how he would prioritize the various types of data being collected through the pilot, which means he will pick and choose whichever points suit the position he ultimately chooses to hold.
3) The composition of PWIC has changed, and it now includes the two most vehemently anti-bike safety councillors (Mammoliti and Holyday), and is chaired by Jaye Robinson, who's fond of telling folks "how much the city has done for bikes lately" (which is, again, obviously and objectively bullshit). PWIC can't by itself kill the project (it will assuredly vote to rip them out), but it can block certain recommendations or directions to staff that could help improve it).
4) This project has been positioned by Robinson and Tory as the one against which all other "major corridor" protected bike lane projects will be judged. The significant cadre of councillors opposed to bike safety measures know that and would the see a permanent Bloor bike lane (and thus a successful corridor study) as the first domino in what they deem "bike lane creep."
As I see it, the only councillors we can count on for support are: Cressy; Layton; Carroll; Davis; Fletcher; Mihevc; McMahon; Perks; Ainslie; and Wong-Tam.
Add in a few who could lean towards supporting: Matlow; Shan; Bailao (she's been somewhat supportive of community-led efforts to extend the lanes westward along Bloor into her ward); Doucette; Fillion; Fragedakis.
That gets you only to 16, so Tory's block will make or break this thing (if you broadly agree with the above breakdown).
ShonTron
Moderator
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Augimeri will likely vote in favour of the lanes, as would McConnell. That's 18, which seems to be the opposition vote number on a lot of recent motions. Colle and Perruzza are likely unpredictable on this vote.
You'd think De Baeremaeker would be a cycling champion, but he's become increasingly hostile, vindictive and right-wing since Tory's election.
You'd think De Baeremaeker would be a cycling champion, but he's become increasingly hostile, vindictive and right-wing since Tory's election.
steveintoronto
Superstar
I won't apologize, but clarify my cynicism, if nothing more than to promote quality dialog on this issue. I did read the article, and good points are made. I've got to cut Kolb some slack, he's in the middle of the road dodging flak from both sides, but has made some crucial observations on cycling infrastructure. He can see well beyond the garden fence on this. Toronto Council is so incredibly ego-centric on these kinds of issues when other cities have already worked it out brilliantly, some of the US ones Republican councils!
An excellent post ADRM. I'll try and hone in on a number of points later. I'm torn on going to the meeting tonight, https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.n..._Bike_Lanes_June_5_2017_notice.pdf?1495571741 not least because I've used much better infrastructure elsewhere and know what must be done, and I don't want to unload on two of the more prominent champions for bike infrastructure on Council. I question if they themselves realize the abject shortcomings of many cycle lanes, let alone the Bloor ones.
I never did hear back from Cressy's office other than "we'll get back to you" on my many comments on the Bloor lanes. There's some glaring errors in the way it's done. (In all fairness, Bloor isn't wide enough to do this with a lane either side. It must be a twin lane one side only, parking the other side) And the kid, bless his heart, gets killed last week on the Lakeshore path, and everyone is so shocked. When do they ever get it? That bad design is rampant in this city. That it took anyone by surprise is what concerns me. That speaks volumes, and not good ones.
Agreed, but I'm not so sure most of them are aware of the finer points on how to do this.
On this and many issues. Transit shows this more than any other. I'd go into a rant on how incredibly unqualified many councillors are, except they were elected....ultimately you get the representation you deserve. But it's frightening at times...thus my cynicism.
Yeah, it's like someone holding a gun to your head, and then stating: "See how much I'm doing to better your life?"
New York is so far ahead on this. Tory sees Bloomberg's suit and wealth, and misses most everything else about the man. At least he rides the subway to work (City Hall) like Bloomberg did...
An excellent post ADRM. I'll try and hone in on a number of points later. I'm torn on going to the meeting tonight, https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.n..._Bike_Lanes_June_5_2017_notice.pdf?1495571741 not least because I've used much better infrastructure elsewhere and know what must be done, and I don't want to unload on two of the more prominent champions for bike infrastructure on Council. I question if they themselves realize the abject shortcomings of many cycle lanes, let alone the Bloor ones.
I never did hear back from Cressy's office other than "we'll get back to you" on my many comments on the Bloor lanes. There's some glaring errors in the way it's done. (In all fairness, Bloor isn't wide enough to do this with a lane either side. It must be a twin lane one side only, parking the other side) And the kid, bless his heart, gets killed last week on the Lakeshore path, and everyone is so shocked. When do they ever get it? That bad design is rampant in this city. That it took anyone by surprise is what concerns me. That speaks volumes, and not good ones.
salsa
Senior Member
A reminder that there is an event today regarding the Bloor bike lanes.
Materials will be posted online shortly after: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=18ccded2f6711510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Materials will be posted online shortly after: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=18ccded2f6711510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Attachments
robmausser
Senior Member
I just wanted to mention that the TTC repaved their Finch Subway station parking lot, and in doing so added lines marking a separated bike lane to connect the Finch Hydro Corridor bike trail aka Route 44.
West End Boy
Active Member
That is awesome! Thanks for posting this.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Now here's an interesting argument!! The green colour (or color) used for some bicycle lanes.
See link.
LADOT and Film Industry Agree to Compromise on Green Bike Lanes
See link.
LADOT and Film Industry Agree to Compromise on Green Bike Lanes
OneCity
Senior Member
Nice to see stakeholders working together to find solutions to problems.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
We can't do this without studies and more studies, and then a pilot.
From link.
An Idea That Sticks: Another Plunger-Protected Bike Lane Goes Permanent
Tactical urbanism projects are prompting cities to improve the bike-riding environment.
From link.
An Idea That Sticks: Another Plunger-Protected Bike Lane Goes Permanent
Tactical urbanism projects are prompting cities to improve the bike-riding environment.