Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[W. K. Lis]

I don’t agree with anything in that video. I relied on car sharing for a year during the pandemic while my dad used my car and it was useless most of the time. Cars were unavailable whenever I needed them, the parking restrictions meant having to take transit to get to a car, or to get home after parking, and some of the cars smelled terrible!

Renting > car sharing despite what the video says - at least at this moment.

I have since taken my car back and changed my mind about selling it once my dad purchased a new one for himself. Carshare just didn’t work out for me.

My problem with car-sharing is the lack of locations in my or destination locations. They tend to be concentrated in the downtown, not in the outer reaches of the 416. Guessing that the 905 is worse because of sprawl. One reason that car-sharing works in Europe, as does cycling.

 

[TRONto]

I don’t agree with anything in that video. I relied on car sharing for a year during the pandemic while my dad used my car and it was useless most of the time. Cars were unavailable whenever I needed them, the parking restrictions meant having to take transit to get to a car, or to get home after parking, and some of the cars smelled terrible!

Renting > car sharing despite what the video says - at least at this moment.

I have since taken my car back and changed my mind about selling it once my dad purchased a new one for himself. Carshare just didn’t work out for me.

Pre-covid had gone almost a decade without a car (downtown and with a kid). For it to work I had a couple of car sharing memberships and would do weekend car rentals. In normal times, it can work. I'm glad that I did have my own car during COVID.

 

[nfitz]

If you're normally getting passed by cyclists going 20-25 km/h, you must be mainly driving during peak periods on the most congested corridors. It's very rare that cycling is the faster option when I choose to drive.

I'm a little baffled when you choose to drive on Bloor. Quite frankly, I seldom choose to drive there, because whenever I do, it's faster to take the subway and walk. At which point it's very easy to observe the bikes overtaking the cars.

Which hours am I talking about? Daylight ... morning, afternoon, mid-day, 7 days a week. Ossington to Yonge.

On the other hand, it sounds like you're taking the 506 Carlton on Sunday mornings when it's not dealing with any delay. There are definitely times my walks outpace the streetcars in mixed traffic, particularly along Dundas, Queen, etc.

I'm not sure what the 506 has to do with Dundas or Queen. I explicitly said from Parliament/Gerrard (near where the other poster lives) to Broadview. I don't see much congestion in that stretch, even in peak.

Though to be honest, I don't see much problems from Parliament to Broadview on either Dundas or Queen, though the last stop on Queen can be sluggish at times, and there is one stop there where at PM peak you can walk faster than the streetcar. But I've missed many an eastbound 501 at Parliament, and even Ontario, at PM peak ... and there's no chance to catch them. Come to think of it, I've missed quite a few eastbound 505s at Parliament at peak too, and I'm not going to beat it to Sackville.

Perhaps there's other part of the city where things are worse, than just east of downtown - but that's where the original poster lives, and where I travel the most.

 

[Tuscani01]

Though to be honest, I don't see much problems from Parliament to Broadview on either Dundas or Queen, though the last stop on Queen can be sluggish at times, and there is one stop there where at PM peak you can walk faster than the streetcar. But I've missed many an eastbound 501 at Parliament, and even Ontario, at PM peak ... and there's no chance to catch them. Come to think of it, I've missed quite a few eastbound 505s at Parliament at peak too, and I'm not going to beat it to Sackville.

Perhaps there's other part of the city where things are worse, than just east of downtown - but that's where the original poster lives, and where I travel the most.

Even recently? I live at King and River and the Queen streetcar has been a mess out in this end for months now with construction at each end of the line. Just last week - I walked from the Eaton Centre to Sackville before a bus or streetcar came by. I find myself driving a lot more with the mess along the 501 and 504 in the east these days.

 

[afransen]

Interview with Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes on how the Dutch approach network design for cars vs bikes vs walking.

 

[nfitz]

Even recently? I live at King and River and the Queen streetcar has been a mess out in this end for months now with construction at each end of the line. Just last week - I walked from the Eaton Centre to Sackville before a bus or streetcar came by. I find myself driving a lot more with the mess along the 501 and 504 in the east these days.

I'm referring about normal conditions - not when there's both massive construction and reduced service because of anti-vaxxing operators.

Yeah, bit of a mess currently, especially with all the short-turns!

 

[innsertnamehere]

I don’t agree with anything in that video. I relied on car sharing for a year during the pandemic while my dad used my car and it was useless most of the time. Cars were unavailable whenever I needed them, the parking restrictions meant having to take transit to get to a car, or to get home after parking, and some of the cars smelled terrible!

Renting > car sharing despite what the video says - at least at this moment.

I have since taken my car back and changed my mind about selling it once my dad purchased a new one for himself. Carshare just didn’t work out for me.

Before I owned a car I swore by car shares, particularly the floating car shares. The fixed location car shares aren’t nearly as attractive imo. They are generally great, though struggle with weekend availability on holidays and summer weekends when everyone takes them out for weekend long out of town trips.

 

[H4F33Z]

I don't usually self-promote, but I made a thread that is worth a read!

I talked about the major and minor gaps in the city's near-term cycling plan and how they could be remedied. I also got some responses from staff at the cycling and pedestrian unit. Lots of good stuff!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1476663770130886658

 

[Northern Light]

I don't usually self-promote, but I made a thread that is worth a read!

I talked about the major and minor gaps in the city's near-term cycling plan and how they could be remedied. I also got some responses from staff at the cycling and pedestrian unit. Lots of good stuff!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1476663770130886658

View attachment 372431

Great work.

I slight correction.........

That 'abandoned' rail corridor from Kennedy to Warden..............

Not abandoned............still sees 1 or 2 trains per week.

Down to the GECO spur.

From GECO south its abandoned.

The Blue is active railway; but I drew a green line for potential trail to Birchmount, because the rail corridor is fenced off from the hydro corridor in that section.

I can imagine some fuss about the section east of Birchmount where there is no fence. Though that's an easy enough fix.

 

[H4F33Z]

Great work.

I slight correction.........

That 'abandoned' rail corridor from Kennedy to Warden..............

Not abandoned............still sees 1 or 2 trains per week.

Down to the GECO spur.

From GECO south its abandoned.

View attachment 372441

The Blue is active railway; but I drew a green line for potential trail to Birchmount, because the rail corridor is fenced off from the hydro corridor in that section.

I can imagine some fuss about the section east of Birchmount where there is no fence. Though that's an easy enough fix.

You learn something new every day

 

[Northern Light]

You learn something new every day

I think they only run them in the middle of the night, which is why you might never see one.

The signals at Warden and probably Birchmount (but definitely Warden) don't work anymore, and they actually have to send a crew member out to make sure all traffic is stopped to cross the road.

Edit to add: I expect the corridor will be abandoned by CN in the not too distant future as its 1? remaining customer shuts down.

Something to keep an eye on to make sure that the corridor is not sold off without considering it as a trail wherever practical.

 

[W. K. Lis]

North York's concession roads are about 2 kilometres apart. For example, it is 2 km between Keele Street and Dufferin Street. Along Highway 401, there are no roads, no bike way, no pathway, between Keele Street and Dufferin Street.

From link.

If one is cycling up Caledonia Road and want to cycle to Wilson Avenue, they have to detour over to Keele Street or Dufferin Street to reach it. There is a railway that the Barrie GO line uses, but no cycling path parallel to it (yet).

There should be cycling paths about a kilometre apart all over Toronto.

 

[H4F33Z]

North York's concession roads are about 2 kilometres apart. For example, it is 2 km between Keele Street and Dufferin Street. Along Highway 401, there are no roads, no bike way, no pathway, between Keele Street and Dufferin Street.

View attachment 372442From link.

If one is cycling up Caledonia Road and want to cycle to Wilson Avenue, they have to detour over to Keele Street or Dufferin Street to reach it. There is a railway that the Barrie GO line uses, but no cycling path parallel to it (yet).

There should be cycling paths about a kilometre apart all over Toronto.

This gap of the 401 and the Barrie Line has been "identified."

TLDR, Toronto cycling and pedestrian budget is too broke for a new bridge.

 

[W. K. Lis]

This gap of the 401 and the Barrie Line has been "identified."

TLDR, Toronto cycling and pedestrian budget is too broke for a new bridge.

...or underpass (AKA subway, subway, subway).

As usual,

I'll/we'll cross that bridge when I/we come/get to it.​

Well, we're there!

 

[Voltz]

That 'abandoned' rail corridor from Kennedy to Warden..............

Not abandoned............still sees 1 or 2 trains per week.

There looks to be a dirt path along the north side, from Kennedy halfway to Birchmount, meets a side street called Chelwood, which could be followed to Birchmount.