Road Safety & Vision Zero Plan

[salsa]

I heard the biker was in the lane, and she was wearing a helmet. Truck was turning right and she ended up under the back wheel. In this situation it seems clear that side guards are necessary (from the pictures it didn't seem the truck had them). Secondly at intersections a cement post can be placed which forces trucks to make wide turns, this is why you are generally safe when standing on the sidewalk and even more safe if you are standing behind the pole - you have to be a bad driver (not just a careless one) to drive over an immovable cement curb or into a lamp post. In the case of Bloor, there are no protections at intersections, and in most cases vehicles turning right will drive through some of the bike lane since it is convenient to do so. There are usually only planters mid-block.

I'm reposting this video to show how intersections are supposed to be done.

 

[DSC]

This is something that may be worth following?

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-intersection-technology.html

 

[Admiral Beez]

I'm reposting this video to show how intersections are supposed to be done.

I was in Amsterdam last week and rented a bicycle. I rode an estimated 30 kms throughout the city during rush hour, and it was great fun, and very safe. I can see why no one wears a helmet there.

 

[lenaitch]

Adding concrete posts, curbs inside intersections and other barriers would complicate snow removal.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Adding concrete posts, curbs inside intersections and other barriers would complicate snow removal.

True, but how much snow is Toronto predicted to see into the 2020s and beyond. The extended riding season is part of what's driving the increased demand for cycling infrastructure.

Every year I put my snow tires on, and then end up wearing them out in January-Feb due to dry roads and plus freezing temps.

 

[pman]

True, but how much snow is Toronto predicted to see into the 2020s and beyond. The extended riding season is part of what's driving the increased demand for cycling infrastructure.

Every year I put my snow tires on, and then end up wearing them out in January-Feb due to dry roads and plus freezing temps.

It would be possible to heat the pavement at intersections, if only when there’s a snowfall.

 

[darth_freeman]

I'm reposting this video to show how intersections are supposed to be done.

That's great for a transportation system that does not require trucks or any large vehicles.

 

[lenaitch]

It would be possible to heat the pavement at intersections, if only when there’s a snowfall.

Seems there is no end of ideas to spend tax dollars on.

 

[pman]

Seems there is no end of ideas to spend tax dollars on.

Or we could save tax dollars by using gravel for paving.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Or we could save tax dollars by using gravel for paving.

Actually, some towns have done just that.

Cash-Strapped Towns Are Un-Paving Roads They Can't Afford to Fix

See link.

 

[junctionist]

It's like they're going backwards in terms of development.

 

[W. K. Lis]

It's like they're going backwards in terms of development.

More like those fiscal conservatives who see money being saved is all important ahead of services that money (taxes) provides.

 

[Neutrino]

More like those fiscal conservatives who see money being saved is all important ahead of services that money (taxes) provides.

Did you even read the article? "The Congressional Budget Office finds that the while public spending on transportation and water infrastructure has actually increased since 2003, the costs of asphalt, concrete, and cement have jumped even faster. With those extra expenses factored in, public expenditures on transportation infrastructure relative to cost fell by nine percent between 2003 and 2014."

 

[lenaitch]

It's like they're going backwards in terms of development.

Possibly, but seized with a limited tax base, a gravel road can be maintained by grading. Once an asphalt road starts to inevitably break up due to frost, the only thing they can do, short of rebuilding, it is to use cold patch

 

[steveintoronto]

Are cyclists and pedestrians at greater risk if they don't follow the rules?

To answer this more accurately, let's use the word "protocol" rather than "rules" and the answer would be a resounding 'Yes!'. THAT is the reason Amsterdam works, as you witnessed. Perhaps they didn't follow the written rules, but when you dance together, it's not rules, but the understanding of how it works that makes it flow. Amsterdam I haven't seen, but all the videos I've watched clearly shows almost all the cyclists doing the same dance. And they flow. The infrastructure is necessary for it to choreograph so well.

As a pedestrian, I would argue I'm at greater risk blindly stepping out at a lighted intersection on the "walk signal" than cautiously crossing mid-block.

Yup, and we all see it all the time, zombies oblivious to what's going on around them. Cyclists, pedestrians and drivers alike. What boggles me is how second-nature it should be to just glance over your shoulder or down the street before making a move, but alas. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them walk on it.

I personally feel that the curb-side lane configuration is dangerous because of turning sight lines. I much prefer the lane side configuration for safety both as a driver and cyclist. I say this as someone with 24 years of complete accident free driving and 18 years of on street cycling experience in Toronto including 10 years where that was my primary transportation mode. I have also cycled in urban environments in at least 10 countries.

*VERY* dangerous, a point I've been making along with many others about the Bloor lanes since they were opened. But most cyclists appear oblivious to the risks, let alone the responsibilities they have to themselves and others. They put on the helmet, and 'nothing can happen'. "I'm ringing my bell, that means everything is safe". The only way to make Bloor cycling lanes *safer* (they will never be fully safe) is to put a *physically separated bi-directional lane* one side, parking the other.

It is actually safer for cyclists to permit vehicles to get into the bike lane before turning right. The truck legally is suppose to pull to the right and signal. The cyclist either has to stop or alternatively go to the left of the truck (if there is no other traffic).

*ALL* vehicles are required to, including other cyclists not using the lane. It's on offence under the HTA to not 'attain a lane before turning from it'. Incredibly few motorists seem aware of this, let alone cyclists. I've seen cops do it wrong many times too.

Your idea of concrete barriers would only cause more T-bones. The cars would be going across the bike lane which is even more dangerous.

The turn radius has to be a minimum to accommodate the arc needed as per length of pivot point to the rear wheels. The Bloor lanes are a disaster in so many ways.

Side guards are a great idea. They have saved countless lives on the highways and any transport truck should have them.

And they pay for themselves quickly with increased fuel mileage due to less vortex induced drag, as well as improve handling, especially in side winds.