General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[ADRM]

m_layton8:30am via Twitter for iPhone
Perhaps also try taking transit to see why you voted against enhanced investments into subway maintenance last year

John F Campbell@Campbell4Ward4
I will be driving in along Bloor this morning to see what the bike lanes would do to the morning rush hour.

This is the worst. Campbell is on Twitter this morning claiming the trump card because he drove Bloor this morn and didn't see a cyclist. What a buffoon.

It's negligent in the extreme for councillors to not support this pilot.

 

[PinkLucy]

Queens Quay carried 600 cyclists at peak point per hour in October. That may be up to 1,000 by now, based on now much it's grown the past few months. In either case, the bike lanes on Queens Quay now move more people than the car lanes.

I would not be surprised if we see 1,000 bikes per hour on the Bloor bike lanes, since there are so many more destinations along Bloor. The street moves 1500 cars per hour (at Bathurst), so these lanes may very well double the moving capacity of the street.

Yes, the cyclists on Queen's Quay are, for the most part, travelling through the area, whereas Bloor provides far more opportunities to run errands, do some shopping, go to a doctor's appointment, whatever. The more bike accessible we can make this city, the better. Let's get some of those people out of their cars. Paint in and of itself doesn't offer safety, but it goes a long way towards a mindset of a shared roadspace and alternative transportation.

 

[ADRM]

Yes, the cyclists on Queen's Quay are, for the most part, travelling through the area, whereas Bloor provides far more opportunities to run errands, do some shopping, go to a doctor's appointment, whatever. The more bike accessible we can make this city, the better. Let's get some of those people out of their cars. Paint in and of itself doesn't offer safety, but it goes a long way towards a mindset of a shared roadspace and alternative transportation.

Precisely. The simple matter of fact is that there is no good, cogent reason to not support the pilot project.

 

[nfitz]

The one in Scarborough was an impaired driver. And the victim was crossing the road mid-block according to CP24

Given how many pedestrians are slaughtered at intersections, they police need to stop overplaying the mid-block thing.

Crossing mid-block is perfectly legal - and if no cars are coming is safer than at an intersection.

 

[ADRM]

Given how many pedestrians are slaughtered at intersections, they police need to stop overplaying the mid-block thing.

Crossing mid-block is perfectly legal - and if no cars are coming is safer than at an intersection.

Big-time; policing jaywalking is a very good way to reduce pedestrian safety.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Precisely. The simple matter of fact is that there is no good, cogent reason to not support the pilot project.

Well unless you're a bike lane opponent who fears the trial will be so successful that the lanes can never be removed

 

[ADRM]

Well unless you're a bike lane opponent who fears the trial will be so successful that the lanes can never be removed

Right—as I said: no good, cogent reason.

 

[bilked]

and vice-versa.

You do realize this discussion is about bike lanes on Bloor from Avenue and Shaw, right?

I’ll take your point when Mike Layton, Paula Fletcher, Pam McConnell, Joe Cressy and Kristyn Wong-Tam are placed on a committee to decide whether we trade car lanes for bike lanes in Ward 2.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

I’ll take your point when Mike Layton, Paula Fletcher, Pam McConnell, Joe Cressy and Kristyn Wong-Tam are placed on a committee to decide whether we trade car lanes for bike lanes in Ward 2.

yes sir!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

and vice-versa.

Sure, but oddly enough they had to get to downtown using their method of choice and then complain about it. That's entitlement.

AoD

 

[the lemur]

It is really hard for me to believe that these so-called separated bike lanes are significantly safer than regular bike lanes. According to Toronto Public Health the latter are more or less as dangerous as no bike lane at all, i.e. very dangerous. The Toronto Public Health had "no data" on separated bike lanes. It is really hard for me to believe that these are safe, given that there constantly cars and trucks parked in them, there are streetcar tracks on Richmond/Adelaide, and there are various construction sites blocking them.

There have been three bike accidents today according to the Toronto Police Twitter account: Bay and Richmond, Passmore and Midland, Yonge and Jackes. The first one is at an intersection of a road that has separated bike lanes.

The Bloor bike lane is just a bad idea of Joe Cressy and Mike Layton. There is a perfectly good subway line along Bloor Street and taking it is far far safer than riding a bike along Bloor Street, with or without bike lanes. Also I can't believe that local businesses are going to be very happy about removing car parking.

If you separate them properly (not compromised as on parts of Adelaide and Richmond), then they cannot be parked in. Construction sites are temporary.

 

[the lemur]

Actually not all

http://globalnews.ca/news/2661380/some-businesses-not-in-favour-of-proposed-bloor-street-bike-lanes/

The guy from Remenyi Music said he'd never sold a piano to someone on a bike (as if he could tell). I guess people just carry them on the subway or stuff them in the back of their car. They're also near a huge parking garage and the subway, plus most of what they sell is portable.

The woman who runs the crepe restaurant near Bloor and Spadina proposed some sort of compromise. She apparently rides a bike but is notorious for ripping off students from France who work for her temporarily.

 

[the lemur]

Seeing how congested the Harbord bike lanes are every day, I completely expect the Bloor lanes to be swamped from Day 1. Might even beat Queens Quay to be the most used bike lanes in the city.

And Harbord's not even a complete bike lane. There are sharrows and parking spaces (at the insistence of the Harbord Bakery), plus bus stops.

 

[the lemur]

You do realize this discussion is about bike lanes on Bloor from Avenue and Shaw, right?

I’ll take your point when Mike Layton, Paula Fletcher, Pam McConnell, Joe Cressy and Kristyn Wong-Tam are placed on a committee to decide whether we trade car lanes for bike lanes in Ward 2.

There are already a few bike lanes in Ward 2, IINM. I wonder how they got there.

 

[the lemur]

This is the worst. Campbell is on Twitter this morning claiming the trump card because he drove Bloor this morn and didn't see a cyclist. What a buffoon.

It's negligent in the extreme for councillors to not support this pilot.

IIRC, Campbell also a) didn't know Harbord - where he suggested bike lanes could be installed instead - already HAD a bike lane and b) didn't know how close Harbord was to Bloor.