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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

MisterF said:
I've always thought there should be a provincial network. Ontario has a hodgepodge of cycling routes that's operated by various municipalities and local organizations but it's not what I'd call a network.
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To the point of juggling maps (Google and otherwise) to try and see if an aligning one in an adjacent jurisdiction can actually feed head-on to the region next to it. Often they can and do, sometimes not.

Oddly, an Ontario Ministry *used to publish such a map* a generation or more ago. It could have been Tourism...It boggles the mind to think that the "Pan Am Games" (all about fitness and health, right?) couldn't force it to life.

Just at the link supplied now...meh...they've got a hell of a long way to go to get that usable, even if it is just prototypical. Google maps already has them beat.

They should take a cue from some of the municipalities like Brantford et al:
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...ls.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEDm2y9-NqqlSoPjbpvlj0NsUpe7g

Sorry for long url, short one won't post properly.
 
^It's too early for useful navigation maps of a provincial network that doesn't exist yet. That map isn't meant to be anything more than a representation of where the preliminary routes are planned. Those are the routes that will become the provincial trunk cycling network. Lots of other local routes aren't part of it.
 
Hopefully they make it a bit more exciting than just...go straight along this concession road for 200km...if they are going to do this, they need to have some over country paths that meander or pass by nice things....connectivity to historical sites is good, paths that cut through farms or conservation areas would be nice, bits that go by/over streams and rivers...by nice cafe's etc...and figure out some good path material that lasts...
 
georgevicbell said:
Hopefully they make it a bit more exciting than just...go straight along this concession road for 200km...if they are going to do this, they need to have some over country paths that meander or pass by nice things....connectivity to historical sites is good, paths that cut through farms or conservation areas would be nice, bits that go by/over streams and rivers...by nice cafe's etc...and figure out some good path material that lasts...
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Absolutely, I should have been more specific than just being dismissive stating "meh" but I've seen this time and again where the province has promoted those kinds of roads, and you can tell whoever produced the map has no idea of the wishes of many cyclists to avoid *exactly* the roads shown. There's some incredible rail-trails, there's some absolutely wonderful back-roads, even some tracks through forests that even a high-performance road bike with sensible tires can handle...and the trick is to link them up. Getting stuck an a Hwy 7 shoulder a foot wide or an arterial road with trucks passing within that foot is not my idea of joy. The Trans-Canada Trail has come under a lot of deserved criticism for using such roads for their network. Make no mistake, parts of the TC Trail are wonderful, other parts are death traps. The art of distance cycling, at least for me and those I take to show how wonderful it can be, have made an art of finding routes "off the beaten path"...even it they're less direct, which inevitably they are, because they're *wonderful* to cycle.

That's why I linked the Brantford "cycling hub" url, that kind of map on a provincial, (even southern province) scale would allow a distance cyclist like myself and others to link the trails together, like some municipalities themselves are doing. (e.g: The Cottontail Road Trail) See: https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-...ada-trail-likely-to-connect-to-elora-by-2017/
 
Would also like to see a list of paths that could be upgraded to paved...lots of the rail trails should be upgraded as they are high use and probably the paving would be easier to maintain...
 
georgevicbell said:
Would also like to see a list of paths that could be upgraded to paved...lots of the rail trails should be upgraded as they are high use and probably the paving would be easier to maintain...
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It's an interesting point, and the topic of some discussion in the circles I move in. Ten years ago, many would have agreed, as it was the day of the ultra-skinny road tire. That has changed markedly, and with it the need for paved rail-trails. Brantford has some sections running into the city from the south (on the Port Dover to Brantford section). It's excessive waste of funds as far as many of us are concerned, funds that could be used to improve other trails to upgrade the crushed limestone sections, crushed limestone now coming with a polymer binder making it set-up in a much more uniform and lasting way, but still *self-healing* in many ways.

The only call for asphalt is in sections of erosion. Quality crushed limestone is just as fast a surface as asphalt with modern tires. Not to mention that having an accident on crushed limestone is far more forgiving than on asphalt. I'm interested in hearing others' views on this though.
 
Yeah, the Trans Canada Trail is wildly inconsistent in how appropriate it is for cycling. It includes everything from rail trails to busy rural highways to forest hiking trails that are all but impassable on a bicycle. The Trans Canada Trail website shows the network but has no indication of which what each section is actually like.
 
MisterF said:
Yeah, the Trans Canada Trail is wildly inconsistent in how appropriate it is for cycling. It includes everything from rail trails to busy rural highways to forest hiking trails that are all but impassable on a bicycle. The Trans Canada Trail website shows the network but has no indication of which what each section is actually like.
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Glad my claim didn't ruffle feathers, it's a bit of a national scandal, and my mentioning the link between the Elora-to-Cataract Trail to the Kissing Bridge one (both superlative rides, btw) with the Cottontail Trail (bit of a scandal in my estimation, last time I rode it, it was un-cyclable coarse grade gravel, like rail ballast, and being used by farmers to access their fields, not for cycling, even though partially funded by the TCT) is a case in point of a map link not being suitable in real cycling. I've learned to Google satellite and street view trails before cycling them (street views of the crossing roadways allows you to look at them both directions, you get a pretty good idea of what to expect), but getting back to the scandal that TCT is:

It's dangerous to call the Trans Canada Trail complete, says cyclist ...
www.cbc.ca/...trans-canada-trail.../it-s-dangerous-to-call-the-trans-canada-trail-complete-...
Apr 23, 2017 - The Trans Canada Trail was conceived as a biking, hiking, skiing path from one end of the country to the other. It's supposed to be complete ...
The Trans Canada Trail has become a dangerous hoax | dandyhorse ...
dandyhorsemagazine.com/.../shattered-dream-the-trans-canada-trail-has-become-a-da...
May 16, 2017 - The Trans Canada Trail has become a dangerous hoax ... development of a trail system for non-motorized activities such as hiking, cycling and ...
Shattered Dream-The Trans Canada Trail has become a dangerous ...
albertaviews.ca/shattered-dream/
Apr 26, 2017 - At its best, the Trans Canada Trail would be six metres wide and include two parallel pathways to accommodate hikers, cyclists, roller-bladers, ...
Opinion: Road routes make mockery of Trans Canada Trail ...
edmontonjournal.com › Opinion › Columnists
Mar 31, 2016 - Born to great fanfare in 1992, the Trans Canada Trail was jubilantly ... as a safe and accessible cross-country corridor for travel by foot, bicycle, ...
Cyclist tells people NOT to ride the Trans Canada Trail : TreeHugger
https://www.treehugger.com › Transportation › Bikes
Apr 26, 2017 - With much of the trail following the shoulders of busy highways, Edmund Aunger says the trail is dangerous and should not be promoted as a ...
Aunger: Trans Canada Trail has lost its way in Alberta | Calgary Herald
calgaryherald.com/opinion/aunger-trans-canada-trail-has-lost-its-way-in-alberta
Jul 2, 2014 - The seeds for the Trans Canada Trail's birth were sowed on July 29, 1985, ... And much of the so-called “completed” trail is either inaccessible or dangerous. ... enjoyed walking and cycling on the Trans Canada Trail, but was ...
Warning! The Trans Canada Trail is a dangerous roadway. on Vimeo
▶ 1:35
https://vimeo.com › Edmund A Aunger › Videos
May 3, 2017
See Petition: WWW.RIDETHETRAIL.CA My wife, Elizabeth Sovis, was killed while on a three-week Trans ...
It's dangerous to call the Trans Canada Trail complete, says cyclist ...
https://www.reddit.com/.../bicycletouring/.../its_dangerous_to_call_the_trans_canada_...
Apr 28, 2017 - Bicycle touring is the best way to really experience a ride, take in the landscape, smell the air, and gain a feeling of accomplishment. Here, you ...

And so forth. The quality of some municipal cycling maps is also atrocious, some are excellent, but that's exactly the point. We need a provincial one that matches the best muni ones out there. And depicts them in a way to link them together. I'd find little used back roads quite acceptable. Some are excellent. Main roads are not.
 
Last edited:
jaybe said:
The project will not proceed to construction unless a decision from the Minister allows it to do so. A date for a decision from the Minister is unknown."
Very disappointing to see this stalled.
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That's bizarre, I wonder what the story is behind that?
 
jaybe said:
For those interested in the status of the East Don Trail where full funding for the project was announced earlier this year. This is the June status update:

"The project will not proceed to construction unless a decision from the Minister allows it to do so. A date for a decision from the Minister is unknown." Posted at: https://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=3a178dd3f2ce1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD.

Very disappointing to see this stalled.
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No indication it is stalled. Nothing out of the ordinary here. People always object. Ministry seldom moves quickly.

steveintoronto said:
That's bizarre, I wonder what the story is behind that?
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I'm not seeing anything bizarre here.
 
nfitz said:
No indication it is stalled. Nothing out of the ordinary here. People always object. Ministry seldom moves quickly.
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"The project will not proceed to construction unless a decision from the Minister allows it to do so. A date for a decision from the Minister is unknown."
 
So I took a ride on the Martin Goodman Trail west of Bathurst for the first time in a little while, and was pleasantly surprised by improvements they've been making. Grabbed some photos...

The new trail on the left, just east of Ontario Pl Blvd, following Lake Shore, is a great shortcut. I also like the new trail intersection design, gives lots of rooms for users to navigate around each other:
FredS-170729-054.jpg


I'm not a fan of the intersection at Strachan Ave though, I'm sure this could have been done much better. That curb/sidewalk/pedestrian mixing area seems like lazy design. Note that to the left of the trail on the curb, is the existing trail. This seems like an unnecessary grade difference:
FredS-170729-057.jpg


East side of the same intersection, also bad, I hope this is all eventually redone:
FredS-170729-059.jpg


Same new trail intersection treatment at the existing junction near Lake Shore and Remembrance Dr. This is an improvement, that junction was very tight before:
FredS-170729-062.jpg


Where the new trail leads, to Lake Shore and Remembrance Dr. This is also not a great intersection, even for drivers (making a left turn out is brutal). I hope this is redone. Also not sure where the trail is supposed to bring you. Your either biking onto Lake Shore, or up the HMCS York driveway back to the trail. I think they want to put a bypass trail on Lake Shore eventually, so that would work:
FredS-170729-064.jpg


Overall, I like that they're giving people more options, and more direct routes. However I wish these had separate cycling and pedestrian areas. Maybe 3-4 metres for a bike path, and 2 metres for an adjacent foot path. That would help a lot with making these trails flow smoother.

However, this new intersection on the trail, down at the Boulevard Club is officially my favourite! Beautiful Dutch junction design. The trail crossing is level (raised for cars), cars have room to negotiate the crossings, separate pedestrian path, clear sight lines, no unnecessary stop signs (only two for cars, and a yield coming in), and proper markings. The gentle bend for cyclists also slows them down a bit, especially coming down the hill, without using bollards, or P-gates, or any of that junk. I observed for a bit, and there was a steady flow of cyclists, pedestrians, and cars, and everything flowed very smoothly. Toronto is doing some good (but could be better) stuff these days, but this is a 10/10 in my books:
FredS-170729-070.jpg


That smaller sign seems redundant though...
FredS-170729-067.jpg
 
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