Second_in_pie
Senior Member
^^ Yeah, but no driver in their right mind would go 60 on a road that says 40, "cushion of safety" or not. There are some streets that this of course would make sense, but it won't work everywhere.
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Woman dies after being struck by bike on sidewalk
- Thread starter PukeGreen
- Start date
W. K. Lis
Superstar
For mountain bikes, the average bicycle speed is between 20-30 km/h. For touring bikes, average is 30-35 km/h. Racing or competitive bicycles can do 50 km/h.
Suburban arterial roads have posted speed limits over 50 km/h. Having cars, trucks, or tractor-trailers wheezing past bicyclists, at twice their speed, will send even the the competitive bicyclists off the road and onto sidewalks to avoid getting sideswiped, or pushed off by the slipstream. Even if the roadway is smooth.
Suburban arterial roads have posted speed limits over 50 km/h. Having cars, trucks, or tractor-trailers wheezing past bicyclists, at twice their speed, will send even the the competitive bicyclists off the road and onto sidewalks to avoid getting sideswiped, or pushed off by the slipstream. Even if the roadway is smooth.
doady
Senior Member
No way anyone can do 20-30 km average, especially in a city, and especially for longer rides. Even on downhill slopes, I don't often exceed 30km. The speed limit for bikes is 32 km/h, so if you are doing 30km average, you must be exceeding that limit.
It takes me at least 30 minutes to ride to Square One, which is a 7km ride, so I am doing an average of 14km/h at the most. If I could ride my bike at 30km/h average, that means I could ride anywhere in Mississauga in less than half an hour, I would never need a car or transit.
cdr108
Senior Member
say that to the moron driver in west end this weekend that was caught doing over 200 km/h in a 60 km/h (or was it an 80 zone, either way, very stupid and reckless)
Second_in_pie
Senior Member
And that is why you shouldn't try to make people go slower by making the road more difficult to navigate. You'll still get the odd stupid person doing something crazy, and on a tighter street, that could be a Death Sentence to someone, probably not the driver. It would certainly result in a lot more damage than if they just stopped or ran into a stop sign.
vic
Senior Member
Depending on my route, I ride about 19-20km to work:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&sour...79.539986&sspn=0.108716,0.209255&ie=UTF8&z=13
I can do this ride, quickly, in about 45 minutes, though usually closer to 1 hour. 20km in 45 minutes is about 26.7km/h average speed. If it takes me a full hour, then I'm down to 20km/h.
When I lived at Bloor and Islington, my average speed to work was probably faster as I had to stop less often.
Downhill, it's easy to exceed 30km/k without even really trying (i.e. coasting).
I'm not a "racer", and I don't have a particularly fast bike. A strong rider on a fast bike could crush my speeds easily.
There's no speed limit for bikes. For e-bikes, there's a 32km/h limit for motorized travel, but there's nothing illegal about exceeding that on your own power or downhill.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Walking speed is 4 - 5 km/h, while jogging is 9 - 10 km/h. Sprinting in the 100 metres is approaching 48 km/h. Most bicyclists will pass joggers.
tkip
Active Member
Bloody hell.... It just gets dummer....
I was waiting for a streetcar tonight outside work on Bathurst when a girl on a skateboard went north on the street pass me. Nowhere near the sidewalk though. No.
She was riding as close as possible to the inside lane almost on top of the streetcar tracks. With cars trying to pass her in that lane. She wouldn't make way, move over or anything of the sort. No. She's entitled to ride her skateboard almost in the middle of the inside lane like she was trying to prevent cars from passing.
She went up several blocks like this. She could have caused an accident if they had swerved to miss her plus the fact it was dark outside at this point. I have to add that the outside lane was fairly free of traffic at that point so I don't know what she was thinking.
Bloody insane and reckless beyong belief and a perfect example of what's happening on our streets. People are behavely outlandishly and just don't care. I almost wished this idiot girl got nailed by a passing car to teach her a invaluable lesson.
Stupidity can kill.
I was waiting for a streetcar tonight outside work on Bathurst when a girl on a skateboard went north on the street pass me. Nowhere near the sidewalk though. No.
She was riding as close as possible to the inside lane almost on top of the streetcar tracks. With cars trying to pass her in that lane. She wouldn't make way, move over or anything of the sort. No. She's entitled to ride her skateboard almost in the middle of the inside lane like she was trying to prevent cars from passing.
She went up several blocks like this. She could have caused an accident if they had swerved to miss her plus the fact it was dark outside at this point. I have to add that the outside lane was fairly free of traffic at that point so I don't know what she was thinking.
Bloody insane and reckless beyong belief and a perfect example of what's happening on our streets. People are behavely outlandishly and just don't care. I almost wished this idiot girl got nailed by a passing car to teach her a invaluable lesson.
Stupidity can kill.
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Second_in_pie
Senior Member
^^ The most impressive example I've seen was somewhere on Eglinton just past Bathurst. Must've been 11 at night. A black person, with a brown baseball cap, black shirt, and navy blue jeans jwalks about 20 feet past a green light. I got out my cell phone, ready to dial 911, but miraculously he made it to the other side unscathed 
Speaking of skateboards, I've just begun to appreciate Skateboards and Longboards as an actual means of transportation. But your story, tkip, is a great example of sheer stupidity and wtf-ness. I'd like to know what that girl was thinking. Not only is riding in the middle of the road on a skateboard not the smartest thing to do, but the streetcar tracks must be hell to do on a skateboard
Speaking of skateboards, I've just begun to appreciate Skateboards and Longboards as an actual means of transportation. But your story, tkip, is a great example of sheer stupidity and wtf-ness. I'd like to know what that girl was thinking. Not only is riding in the middle of the road on a skateboard not the smartest thing to do, but the streetcar tracks must be hell to do on a skateboard
doady
Senior Member
On certain hills I have exceed 40km/h. But the problem is that it os not possible to sustain the speed if there are stop sign or a traffic light.
I think you are a fast rider, faster than most people, almost as fast as a car. Of course the racers can bike even faster and farther. But I think most people on average ride less than 20km/h.
I ride 14km/h average because I don't push myself, since it is summer and I don't want to arrive at my destination all sweaty and smelly because it is not pleasant. When the summer is over I will bike faster because it will be cooler. Plus I will probably be in better shape then too.
doady
Senior Member
There are plenty of idiot reckless motorists as well. I don't see why so suddenly everyone else is being singled out.
vic
Senior Member
Another sidewalk menace last night
Last night... We were riding up Symington Ave., and saw a pretty regular sight: A motorist parked on the sidewalk. Not just wheels up a little, but completely barricading the sidewalk. A woman pushing a stroller was struggling to get through as she tried to push/lift the stroller between the car and the curb up to the lawn.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Motorists are the much bigger sidewalk menace in my neighbourhood. If they really need to park illegally (and last night there was plenty of open parking on the other side), then they should keep their vehicles on the road. At least on the road, there's plenty of room for other road users to pass by.
Last night... We were riding up Symington Ave., and saw a pretty regular sight: A motorist parked on the sidewalk. Not just wheels up a little, but completely barricading the sidewalk. A woman pushing a stroller was struggling to get through as she tried to push/lift the stroller between the car and the curb up to the lawn.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Motorists are the much bigger sidewalk menace in my neighbourhood. If they really need to park illegally (and last night there was plenty of open parking on the other side), then they should keep their vehicles on the road. At least on the road, there's plenty of room for other road users to pass by.
JasonParis
Moderator
Matt Blackett's "Wars On Cars" rebuttal in today's Toronto Sun...
How to keep cyclists, drivers and walkers safe on our roads
How to keep cyclists, drivers and walkers safe on our roads
yongestreet
New Member
Matt Blackett presents a one-sided, unresearched view.
The war on cars is more like a a search for safe and amicable conditions for all civilians...
Even the title of the article wreaks like it was written by an H2 owner
"When you're this big they call you Mister"
The war on cars is more like a a search for safe and amicable conditions for all civilians...
Even the title of the article wreaks like it was written by an H2 owner
"When you're this big they call you Mister"
W. K. Lis
Superstar
In the older parts of Toronto, there is street parking except during rush hours. To park on the street, the vehicle occupies the right side of what would be a driving lane. That leaves a space between the vehicle and the dotted lines for a bicycle to use. The usual maximum speed is about 50 km/h or under.
In the newer parts of Toronto, there is no street parking on the arterial roads. No vehicles are allowed to park in any driving lane. That means the vehicles are moving in the right lane. It also means there is normally no allowance for bicycles. It could also mean the speed limits are over 50 km/h.
Without a provision for bicycle lanes, motor vehicles traveling at or near the designed speed limit in the right lane, bad road conditions, and heavy traffic, it leads to bicyclists being forced off the roads and onto the sidewalks.
Maybe to help bicyclists stay off sidewalks, we should allow for on-street parking in the suburbs. The gutter usually has more potholes than out towards the middle, so that they can get a smooth road surface. Except for possible dooring (maybe move the parked vehicles so they occupy left side of the lane and get a bicycle lane on the right side), this could be possible solution. A speed limit reduction to 50 km/h could also help.
The ideal solution would be to create a barrier between the bicycle lane and the parked motor vehicles.
In the newer parts of Toronto, there is no street parking on the arterial roads. No vehicles are allowed to park in any driving lane. That means the vehicles are moving in the right lane. It also means there is normally no allowance for bicycles. It could also mean the speed limits are over 50 km/h.
Without a provision for bicycle lanes, motor vehicles traveling at or near the designed speed limit in the right lane, bad road conditions, and heavy traffic, it leads to bicyclists being forced off the roads and onto the sidewalks.
Maybe to help bicyclists stay off sidewalks, we should allow for on-street parking in the suburbs. The gutter usually has more potholes than out towards the middle, so that they can get a smooth road surface. Except for possible dooring (maybe move the parked vehicles so they occupy left side of the lane and get a bicycle lane on the right side), this could be possible solution. A speed limit reduction to 50 km/h could also help.
The ideal solution would be to create a barrier between the bicycle lane and the parked motor vehicles.