General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[W. K. Lis]

Snow windrows in winter (except during thaws), bicycle lanes in the rest of the year?

 

[W. K. Lis]

My reaction to this video from Boston: WHAT!!!

From Streetsblog, at this link:

On the morning of August 7, 2015, Matthew Levari drove a semi-truck across the path of Anita Kurmann, who was riding straight ahead on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay.

Kurmann, a well-known endocrinologist and medical researcher, died at the scene.

Levari did not stop and did not notify the authorities. He was located by police that night.

Despite the evidence that Kurmann was doing nothing wrong, and that Levari caused the collision, police and prosecutors in Boston refused to bring charges.

Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, told the Boston Globe that because the driver wasn’t drinking, speeding, or distracted, and didn’t “disregard” a “known risk,” they could not charge him.

In many cases, the exact circumstances of a fatal crash are difficult to pin down because the victim can’t tell her story. But in this case, there is clear video footage of the collision and the moments that preceded it. The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition put together the following video to demonstrate that Levari should have known not to turn across Kurmann’s path.

Killing a cyclist due to carelessness is still not considered a prosecutable offense in Boston, nor in most places around the U.S. Kurmann is one of 33 people killed while biking in the Boston area since 2015, according to MassBike. Charges were brought in only five of those cases, and convictions were secured in two.

Since 2015, nine cyclist fatalities in the Boston region have involved heavy trucks, nearly 30 percent of the total. MassBike is pushing legislation at the statehouse that would require trucks like Levari’s to be equipped with mirrors to make cyclists more visible to truck operators, and to reduce the severity of injuries in the event of a collision.

 

[LNahid2000]

So noticed this in December, but wasn't able to get a photo due to snow and/or darkness, until this past weekend.

Here are the beginnings of new cycle tracks on Bloor St W. This is the north side, between Dunbloor Rd and Resurrection Rd. These probably won't have any utility until the six-points reconfiguration is done and they run west past Kipling. It's good to see a much improved design for cycling infrastructure, though I'm sure the intersections will still be bad, as they usually are in the city. The width is about 2 m, with a 0.75 m splash pad.

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Past Kipling to the 427, there is an unofficial bike lane that I find pretty useful. Its not signed as a bike lane or on any maps, but it makes it much better than riding in traffic before it was added.

 

[Fred.S]

Past Kipling to the 427, there is an unofficial bike lane that I find pretty useful. Its not signed as a bike lane or on any maps, but it makes it much better than riding in traffic before it was added.

Yea it's handy, I've used it a few times, though still gets dicey around the 427. That's on Dundas though, Bloor east of Kipling should realign with Bloor west of Kipling after the reconstruction is done. I think all the main roads in the area are getting cycling infrastructure.

Mississauga's Dundas Connects plan has cycle tracks on Dundas up to the city border, along with a BRT/bus right-of-way in the centre. Hopefully whenever that's built, then Toronto will extend the BRT all the way to the Kipling regional hub (also whenever that's built), and the cycle tracks to meet up with Bloor. Would be great for the area and corridor. Also hoping the Bloor bike lanes downtown will make it that far west at the same time.

 

[vic]

Yea it's handy, I've used it a few times, though still gets dicey around the 427. That's on Dundas though, Bloor east of Kipling should realign with Bloor west of Kipling after the reconstruction is done. I think all the main roads in the area are getting cycling infrastructure.

Mississauga's Dundas Connects plan has cycle tracks on Dundas up to the city border, along with a BRT/bus right-of-way in the centre. Hopefully whenever that's built, then Toronto will extend the BRT all the way to the Kipling regional hub (also whenever that's built), and the cycle tracks to meet up with Bloor. Would be great for the area and corridor. Also hoping the Bloor bike lanes downtown will make it that far west at the same time.

The bike lanes on Bloor west of Kipling were even passed by council around 10(?) years ago, but local councillor (Milczyn) and others pushed to delay installation until after Highway 427 construction was done. I wonder what the status of that is now...

 

[Admiral Beez]

When I moved into my present address, an apartment, one of the signed agreements was "No dogs, no bikes in apartments". I immediately knew that neither was enforceable, and that to put my bike in the room in the sub-basement was a guarantee of losing parts or the entirety of it.

Condo law could possibly ban bikes, dogs, and diggerydoos, but apartments, at least in Toronto, can't.

So I wonder who in their right mind with a quality machine wouldn't take it into their apartment? If people are worried about dirt and derangement, perhaps they should travel by butterfly? You can buy mats if the bike comes in wet, better machines you can pop the wheels off with QR, front wheel off means being able to turn handlebars sideways, and compacting the space taken in a hallway or cupboard. Many hang their bikes on a "bicycle hook".
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Perhaps I've lost my sense of decorum being only a cyclist in Ontario the last three decades? I love it, I want to keep it, it stays with me. Management have seen me taking the dog (not mine, but he spends a lot of time with me) and the bike on the elevators, and they know the look on my face: 'There's nothing to stop me doing it'.

Has anyone run into problems with their management on taking bikes into their apartment?

DBAD, and you'll usually be fine.

 

[Ahmet Kul]

Having lived in different part of the world, I confidently can say that Toronto is a bike friendly city. We can surely discuss how much friendly it is but I believe it definitely is. I also believe that it is getting better everyday.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Too much emphasis on helmets instead on how to actually ride properly?

From link.

How America’s Bike Helmet Fixation Upholds a Culture of “Unfettered Automobility”
By almost any quantifiable safety metric, the helmet fixation has failed. People bike at low rates in the U.S. compared to international peers, and suffer higher injury and fatality rates per mile of cycling.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Montreal mulls adopting separate traffic laws for cyclists

From link.

One law for motorists and another for cyclists?

People on bicycles should be allowed to roll carefully through stop signs, says the City of Montreal, which is arguing for changes to some of the traffic rules for cyclists. Although evidence suggests the idea would be safer, it is also controversial and threatens to antagonize drivers.

Mayor Valérie Plante and her Projet Montréal party came to power in the fall and are promising substantial improvements to cycling in the city, which already makes regular appearances on lists of the world’s best municipalities for people who ride. Better bicycle infrastructure is part of their goal, but so is pushing to change the rules under which cyclists operate...

...With the provincial government undergoing a revision of its highway law, Projet Montréal and others called for three specific changes aimed at cyclists. Under the proposals, Montreal cyclists would be allowed to follow traffic signals aimed at pedestrians, would be permitted to turn right on red at intersections and could treat stop signs as yields.

“This is one of the [ideas] that come under the category of encouraging people to ride a bike,” said Daniel Lambert, spokesman for the Montreal Bike Coalition.

The “Idaho stop,” named for the state that instituted a rule allowing them in 1982, means that cyclists must slow enough at a stop sign to be sure it is safe before proceeding. A cyclist hurtling through the intersection could still be charged...

Can't see Mayor Tory or the suburban Councillors doing anything like this.

 

[aquateam]

Montreal mulls adopting separate traffic laws for cyclists

From link.





Can't see Mayor Tory or the suburban Councillors doing anything like this.

I'm a bit confused, because I thought Montreal already passed a motion about that, but needed the province to actually change the laws.

Tbh, I had originally thought that all of these were already the law in Montreal, until a cop stopped me for using the pedestrian signal. Still, all of these are common sense and should have been made the law decades ago (I mean, if cars are allowed to turn right in most jurisdictions, why wouldn't cyclists?)

 

[steveintoronto]

How Exercise Can Keep Aging Muscles and Immune Systems ‘Young’
Phys Ed

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS MARCH 14, 2018
NYTimes

Remaining physically active as we grow older could help to keep our muscles and immune systems robust, according to two inspiring new studies of older recreational cyclists.

Together, the experiments add to growing evidence that some of our assumptions about aging may be outdated and we might have more control over the process than we think.
[...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/...p-aging-muscles-and-immune-systems-young.html

 

[Andy_in_Toronto]

The section of the Martin Goodman Trail close to the Toronto Sailing Club is still only temporary fenced. Why is that still the case and who is responsible for neglecting it?

 

[steveintoronto]

The section of the Martin Goodman Trail close to the Toronto Sailing Club is still only temporary fenced. Why is that still the case and who is responsible for neglecting it?

Oh Jeez....that rips me apart again, seeing the child's bike.

That's a damn good question Andy. As to how that stretch was *ever* unfenced to begin with remains a really good question. That it *still is* is insult on top of the ultimate injury.

 

[steveintoronto]

Just reading a newsletter from Christian Wolmar, ran for Mayor of London, a rail and cycling activist and author, both for rail and cycling magazines and many books.

He makes a point that hasn't been reported in the press on driverless cars, that the Uber car killing a cyclist was 'speeding' amongst other things:

Dear subscriber

Forgive me, but I have become obsessed with driverless cars. I have written a small book, Driverless cars: on a road to nowhere which was published at the beginning of the year and suddenly it is attracting interest because of the terrible death of a pedestrian in Arizona last week. Elaine Herzberg was mown down by a 'driverless' car operating in autonomous mode with an operator at the wheel who was in no way responsible, even though she looked as if she was dozing off.

My obsession has now turned to anger. This woman's death was both preventable and predictable. These 'driverless' cars should never have been allowed on the road given that their present state of technology is by no means sufficiently well developed to allow them to operate safely.This is set out in my book in great detail - and don't be fooled by statements that this is the first death in x million miles and therefore really these vehicles are safer. Pure bunkum. Most of those miles were driven in highway type settings and, moreover, with a driver ready to take over controls when the car fails to detect potential danger. That makes any comparison meaningless.

In the Herzberg case, it was clear that the car simply did not see her and made no attempt to apply the brakes before the collision. And, moreover, it was exceeding the local speed limit, showing that these vehicles are being tested irresponsibly. There are innumerable other issues relating to these cars - but a lot of effort has to be made to counter the hype.

If you want a copy of my book for a tenner, email me at christian.wolmar@gmail.com. And please spread this message.These vehicles are a con and a dangerous one, and more people will die unnecessarily unless there are much stricter controls and regulations over their use. Hopefully Ms Herzberg's death will begin to counter the hype, but don't forget the sheer power of these tech companies who are so intent on foisting this technology on an unsuspecting world.

The Mail on Sunday is publishing a longer piece about this issue, tomorrow, Sunday March 25.

By the way, I am doing a 100 mile bike ride for Railway Children on June 10th - they need more volunteers to do it Sign up here https://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/events/events/the-great-rail-bike-off/

Mail on Sunday article here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5540023/Ubers-driverless-death-traps.html

Addendum: Trying to get more background on the "speeding" aspect, and found more than I was expecting.

Here's the coverage from CityLab, an org most readers of this string are familiar with, and I note the NYTimes asking similar questions:

Fatal Uber Crash Raises Red Flags About Self-Driving Safety

1. LAURA BLISS

MAR 20, 2018
After a woman in Tempe was killed by a self-driving Uber, local law enforcement was quick to absolve the company of blame. Transportation experts aren’t so sure.

Every day, as he goes to and from work, Arizona State University urban planning professor David King rides his bike* past the intersection where Elaine Herzberg was killed on Sunday night. The seven-lane road (counting turn lanes) in Tempe, Arizona is wide open, with no bushes or parked cars for a person to jump out from behind. In the immediate vicinity are a large park, an office building, and a nightclub that’s closed on Sundays—few potential distractions for a driver negotiating the area.

Herzberg, a 49-year-old woman who was homeless, was pushing a bicycle laden with her belongings along this road when she was struck by a self-driving Uber vehicle around 10 p.m. Sunday. She later died at a hospital, gaining the grisly distinction of being the first known pedestrian to be killed by a self-driving car.

The Uber vehicle, which was in autonomous mode with a backup operator behind the wheel, was going 38 mph at the time of the crash (some stories stated the car was speeding, but it was in a 45 mph zone), and the driver made no attempt to slow down or brake, according to police reports.

To King, whose research focuses on the urban impacts of new transportation technologies, the location of the crash—and how it happened—raises red flags about Uber’s approach to road safety. Since Uber arrived in Tempe in March 2017, he’s often seen Uber vehicles testing in that exact spot, charting details of the roadways to perfect the company’s internal maps. This seemed like familiar territory for them. Based on what is known about Uber’s technology, King said, a pedestrian or other foreign object should have been readily detected by the AV.

“If there is any real-world scenario where it would be seemingly safe to operate in an automated mode, this should have been it,” he said. “Something went seriously wrong.”
[...article continues at length and detail...]

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/03/something-went-seriously-wrong/556004/

NYTimes report the vehicle to have been within the speed limit:

[...]The vehicle was going about 40 miles an hour on a street with a 45-mile-an-hour speed limit when it struck Ms. Herzberg, 49, who was walking her bicycle across the street, according to the Tempe police. [...]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/20/us/self-driving-uber-pedestrian-killed.html

NYTimes article has unique pics and a diagrammed photo, but also asks some serious questions.

Am I against the technology? No, but I wouldn't want it tested on a road used by pedestrians or cyclists.

NYTimes:

A self-driving car’s sensors gather data on nearby objects, like their size and rate of speed. It categorizes the objects — as cyclists, pedestrians or other cars and objects — based on how they are likely to behave.

"how they are likely to behave". Which is oxymoronic enough in the real world, let alone 'artificial intelligence'...a term at odds with itself, unless you define intelligence to be robotic.

There's a lot more to come on this story yet...

 

[W. K. Lis]

Oh, oh. The automobile-addicted politicians may like this.

From link.

Montreal and bike groups fume at increased fines for cyclists in new highway code`

Springtime in Montreal is synonymous with terrasses, flowers and cyclists, but this year bike lovers will be in for a nasty surprise when the updated Highway Safety Code comes into law.

Cyclist groups and the city’s new bike-friendly administration are criticizing a provincial bill that ups fines by over 400 per cent for seemingly mild violations such as not having enough reflectors on pedals.

“We are pretty disappointed in this bill,” said city councillor Marianne Giguère, who is heavily involved in Montreal’s cycling projects.

Cycling politics are big in Montreal and the city prides itself on its 850 kilometres of bike lanes, half of which are maintained in the winter.

While Montreal is upset about the new road rules, the changes aren’t all bad, the city says.

Quebec agreed with Montreal’s suggestion to allow cyclists to cross a road when the pedestrian light signal is on. Moreover, the province accepted to end the practice of removing points on someone’s driver’s license when they are caught burning red lights on a bike.

But Quebec refused to allow bikers to turn right on a red light, or to use the so-called “Idaho stop,” meaning a cyclist can treat a stop sign as a yield, and slow down before crossing rather than making a full stop and putting a foot on the ground.

There is no logic to treating cyclists the same way as car drivers, Giguère said.

“I think it scares the authorities in (Quebec City) to give the impression they are favouring cyclists over drivers,” she said.

Cyclists who break the road law currently face fines between $15 and $30. With the adoption of the new rules, they will be liable for fines from $80 to $100 — a 433 per cent increase.

“It’s a staggering increase,” Giguère said.

Magali Bebronne, a spokeswoman for Vélo Québec, a large cyclist advocacy group in the province, said increasing fines by more than 400 per cent and refusing to relax the laws for bikers is “illogical and exaggerated.”

But the future for cyclists in Montreal is bright, she said.

Montreal was a North American pioneer for urban biking but has seen cities around the world overtake it in terms of cycling infrastructure and bold new ideas that prioritize bicycles in densely populated areas.

Giguère said Montreal has catching up to do and is willing to make the necessary investments — and controversial decisions.
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