General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[steveintoronto]

This should warm your heart:
NetherlandsEurope's longest heated cycle path to connect Dutch cities
Europe's longest heated cycle path to connect Dutch cities

 

[Towered]

This should warm your heart:
NetherlandsEurope's longest heated cycle path to connect Dutch cities
Europe's longest heated cycle path to connect Dutch cities

Meanwhile, in "progressive" Toronto, it's considered a major victory to get white lines painted on roads without any physical protection.

 

[steveintoronto]

Once again, cyclists are an afterthought when construction takes over a bike path. The Humber West Trail at Sheppard & Weston is blocked, with no warning signs I noticed cycling south, and then after having to detour (totally unmarked) looked for any notices northbound warning of it. Absolutely none. Fuck the cyclists.

I usually don't condone this, but someone really set it up for it to happen, the fence has been torn down, the one that purposely cuts off southbound cyclists from climbing the hill through the park to Weston, for the sake of twenty metres or so, the powers that be thought was necessary to block cyclists at least the dignity of a by-pass. The fence is obliterated, and rightly so.

Toronto...what a joke...

 

[Admiral Beez]

Another cyclist down.... https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-leslieville-identified-in-facebook-note.html

IDK anything more than the article, but I often cycle, drive and motorbike through Dundas and Jones, and I've seen close calls between vehicle and bikes at that intersection. In one case, car accelerates past cyclist in bike lane, and then car slows down to turn right, and cyclist has to come to sudden stop to avoid getting t-boned.

I wonder what the fix is for this. Perhaps we should not allow right hand turns on reds when a bike lane is on the right?

 

[PinkLucy]

Separated infrastructure.

 

[muller877]

Another cyclist down.... https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-leslieville-identified-in-facebook-note.html

IDK anything more than the article, but I often cycle, drive and motorbike through Dundas and Jones, and I've seen close calls between vehicle and bikes at that intersection. In one case, car accelerates past cyclist in bike lane, and then car slows down to turn right, and cyclist has to come to sudden stop to avoid getting t-boned.

I wonder what the fix is for this. Perhaps we should not allow right hand turns on reds when a bike lane is on the right?

It's a tough answer figuring out how to stop this type of accident. Normally the car/truck should find a gap between cyclists, signal and merge into the cycle lane just before the intersection. Then turn right.

However, Dundas & Jones has a hydro pole right on the corner. So any big truck needs to make a wide turn. They often also have a huge blind spot. If (a big if) the truck was signalling, the cyclist was far enough back and then slowly turned right then the truck driver will not be charged. There is always a blame game but there are two sides to this tragic coin.

How to fix this intersection an many more like it? Maybe better on-street painting in the lanes to indicate what the dotted lines actually mean? Better education of drivers? There is no silver bullet.

 

[Admiral Beez]

It's a tough answer figuring out how to stop this type of accident.

No victim blaming intended, but I'd say the onus is on the cyclist.

As a cyclist I have a much greater field of vision and more situational awareness than when I’m in my car. I may not have a mirror for reward visibility, but otherwise I can quickly see from side to side, and shoulder checks when coming up to intersections are an easy necessity. As a cyclist, I am the primary one keeping me safe – ROW is never assumed - if you're a truck, I'll concede ROW all day if needed. Sometimes I see cyclists blocking a centre lane of through traffic because they want to turn left at an intersection – to me this seems insane, where one could easily dismount, walk across the crosswalk and remount once across (I do this most mornings at Richmond and Bay on way to Union).

As a motorcyclist we learn to prepare for the worst, for example, coming into an intersection, I'll assume that no one sees me and may turn left in front of me. So, brake is ready, and escape route planned, every time.

Better education of drivers? There is no silver bullet.

Training of cyclists may help. As a kid, TPS came to my school and held cycle safety courses.

Currently, you can pick up a bike, and with no training, you're on the road. E-bikes included. How can we expect anyone, especially those without automobile licenses to know the rules of the road?

 

[pstogios]

It's a tough answer figuring out how to stop this type of accident. Normally the car/truck should find a gap between cyclists, signal and merge into the cycle lane just before the intersection. Then turn right.

However, Dundas & Jones has a hydro pole right on the corner. So any big truck needs to make a wide turn. They often also have a huge blind spot. If (a big if) the truck was signalling, the cyclist was far enough back and then slowly turned right then the truck driver will not be charged. There is always a blame game but there are two sides to this tragic coin.

How to fix this intersection an many more like it? Maybe better on-street painting in the lanes to indicate what the dotted lines actually mean? Better education of drivers? There is no silver bullet.

I’m not sure what you mean about a hydro pole forcing a wide right turn. It’s not like it’s on the road itself, it’s clearly on the sidewalk.

In fact, I don’t see any structural deficiencies with this corner; it looks similar to thousands of others in the city.

We should chalk up this tragedy to complete idiocy on the part of the truck driver.

 

[steveintoronto]

Normally the car/truck should find a gap between cyclists, signal and merge into the cycle lane just before the intersection. Then turn right.

That is what the law requires, very few drivers know or practise that. And that includes bus drivers. To turn right without doing so (only on a broken not solid line) is illegal.

[...]
That's how it should work when there's a broken line – but it doesn't always, said Jared Kolb, executive director of Cycle Toronto, in an e-mail.

"In practice, many drivers don't (pull to the right) and instead behave like the protected bike lane scenario," Kolb said. "The design differences have added confusion on our roads. We'd advise drivers and cyclists to both slow down and do the safest option."

That means that cyclists have to be aware that, even when they have the right of way – drivers may not actually see them, DiCicco says.

And, drivers have to realize that cyclists don't just come out of nowhere when you're trying to turn.

"You've already passed the cyclist a block and a half ago," DiCicco said. "Scotty didn't beam him down from the Starship Enterprise."

Drivers should be planning for their right turns – and looking out for potential barriers – two blocks ahead, DiCicco said.

"You should be judiciously monitoring your rear view and side view mirrors and scanning sidewalks for pedestrians," he said. "That jogger didn't just suddenly appear as you're turning – if you paid attention you'd see him running a half-a-block ahead of the intersection."

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/glo...way-in-designated-bike-lanes/article34015444/

Maybe better on-street painting in the lanes to indicate what the dotted lines actually mean?

I appreciate the gist, but driving licences are far too lenient to have in Ontario. One only has to watch pedestrian crossings to see how bad many/most drivers are. Cyclists are awful in most cases, but at least the damage they can and do cause is limited compared to vehicles. Drivers are just plain ignorant of the laws, or the need to practise them. They should be tested every two years to renew their licence.

Better education of drivers?

Yup, and written tests to renew licence.

No victim blaming intended, but I'd say the onus is on the cyclist.

The onus is on everyone, pedestrians included.

I’m not sure what you mean about a hydro pole forcing a wide right turn. It’s not like it’s on the road itself, it’s clearly on the sidewalk.

Indeed:

http://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/05/16/cyclist-hit-by-truck-leslieville/

I agree with @Admiral Beez that cyclists should defer to defensive riding, it's kept me alive all this time, and I've had some incredibly close misses lately. But the Law is being broken by far too many. Many drivers are just incompetent or don't care, and I see throngs of cyclists doing idiotic things, some of them truly piss me off. They ting-a-ling their bells when you have the sense to slow down in danger, and then you have to wait behind them at the next stop (if they even stop at red lights or stop signs) only to blast past them time and again. Most cyclists haven't a clue on how to use their gears, and the fixie fools think it's fashionable to block you, since they must be so much more cool (they're not, they're a freakin' pain). Fixies were intended for track racing. Gears were developed for a reason....just like cars.

What's undeniable is that neither motorists or cyclists are getting any better, and *physically separated* lanes are the only way to make it safer.

 

[WislaHD]

Seems like we are back to victim blaming cyclists and drivers again.

Solution is simple. Design streets so that cyclists and vehicle interaction is minimized.

 

[steveintoronto]

Seems like we are back to victim blaming cyclists and drivers again.

Solution is simple. Design streets so that cyclists and vehicle interaction is minimized.

It's not blame so much as causation. Even physically separated lanes are no guarantee of safety if people do idiotic and careless things.

 

[Napalm Frog]

Seen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alxgrnt/posts/10160483465085375

All the new bike hoops are fixed with two 8mm Allen bolts. Avoid!

 

[DSC]

The City (for ASTRAL) are putting up TWO TTC bus shelters on the west sidewalk of Cherry Street south of Commissioners Street. Unfortunately they will completely fill the concrete sidewalk so cyclists will see more pedestrians than usual 'invading' the (asphalt) Martin Goodman Trail. I spoke to the Street Furniture people who seem unconcerned "I have explored the possibilities of having these shelters moved at the grass area but one of the reasons that they were surveyed on the sidewalk is because there is not enough City property to build these on. We would require a minimum of 1.6m and an additional few inches of a retaining wall. In this instance we only have 1.3 m in total of City property. In addition, if there was enough space to build these on the grass, people that would wait in the shelter would have to cross the pathway and if there are bicycles passing it could be a safety concern. Both these shelters are planned to be installed as per the Vibrant Streets guidelines." They do not put shelters on narrow sidewalks elsewhere as pedestrians would then need to walk on road, here they seem prepared to see pedestrians walking on the (busy) bike trail. Complaints to Niki.Sinapis@toronto.ca

Here is a photo of one of the locations:

 

[muller877]

The City (for ASTRAL) are putting up TWO TTC bus shelters on the west sidewalk of Cherry Street south of Commissioners Street. Unfortunately they will completely fill the concrete sidewalk so cyclists will see more pedestrians than usual 'invading' the (asphalt) Martin Goodman Trail. I spoke to the Street Furniture people who seem unconcerned "I have explored the possibilities of having these shelters moved at the grass area but one of the reasons that they were surveyed on the sidewalk is because there is not enough City property to build these on. We would require a minimum of 1.6m and an additional few inches of a retaining wall. In this instance we only have 1.3 m in total of City property. In addition, if there was enough space to build these on the grass, people that would wait in the shelter would have to cross the pathway and if there are bicycles passing it could be a safety concern. Both these shelters are planned to be installed as per the Vibrant Streets guidelines." They do not put shelters on narrow sidewalks elsewhere as pedestrians would then need to walk on road, here they seem prepared to see pedestrians walking on the (busy) bike trail. Complaints to Niki.Sinapis@toronto.ca

I always find it amusing when the pro-cycle / anti-car crowd gets angry that transit/walking is "invading" their space.

And then they are shocked that the pro-car crowd is angry when a bike lane takes over/"invades" an entire lane of traffic.

The definition of irony?

 

[DSC]

I always find it amusing when the pro-cycle / anti-car crowd gets angry that transit/walking is "invading" their space.

And then they are shocked that the pro-car crowd is angry when a bike lane takes over/"invades" an entire lane of traffic.

The definition of irony?

My problem is that blocking a sidewalk with a transit shelter will cause accidents as pedestrians are forced to walk on a pretty busy bike route.