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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

Some modest progress on Woodfield in the east end:

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"I mean, look at this empty road! There's not one car on it. Total waste of taxpayer's money. This 'car lane project' should be cancelled."
This is the funniest thing you'll read all day.

This guy absolutely skewers the rubbish arguments by anti-bike lane agitators​


Tom Flood lays out the reasons a road “pilot” should be cancelled​


See link.

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If you follow the never-ending debate about bike lane “pilot projects” then you’ve undoubtedly heard all sorts of bogus reasons why some folks find reasons to ditch them. Tom Flood, a popular bike advocate on Twitter who runs Rovélo Creative, just flipped the switch on the anti-bike people.

There was a noticeable increase in bike lane creation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as city administrators saw the uptick in cycling. People were using their bikes more for transit, as well as exercise, given that so many gyms and facilities were closed. Across the country, “temporary” bike lanes were created, with the notion that their future would be decided when the pandemic was over. Many of these projects were made permanent, but it was not without friction.
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People said they weren’t consulted, or that it slowed down emergency services. Or that cyclists don’t pay taxes, so why should they have their own dedicated lanes. (What?) Or that you can’t ride year-round in Canada, so why should roads be reduced to make way for bikes? (Also, what?)


“Pilot roads”​

Flood posted a photo of a road, which appears to be Main Street in Hamilton, Ont. “It’s with a very heavy heart that we will be removing this pilot road, just not enough people driving on it. We encourage you to write an email to your councillor about future road opportunities. Please check our website for alternative car routes.”

As soon as he posted that, everyone knew the play. “Hi, I’m not personally from the area that this road is in but I’m against it on principle so I join the calls for its removal. Angrily. I might also propose a conspiracy theory for why it was installed in the first place!” Ian Foltan replied.
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“Total waste of taxpayers’ money speculatively creating this ‘highway’ when clearly all sensible people have voted with their feet or pedals,” Mark Gould chimed in.

Many have joked before about how often some arguments against cycling infrastructure begin with someone describing themselves as “avid cyclists” before absolutely ripping into bike lanes.


Those “avid drivers”​

Michael Schnuerle got right into it, tweeting, “Even I, an avid driver, am against this protected car lane. Bikes should be allowed on this road too with cars, because I am personally comfortable driving my car with bicycles passing nearby.”

We’ve all that experience where a bike lane, separated from traffic, suddenly stops. Then, you may have to ride on busy street for a while, until the lane reappears. “Or at least sections of it—surely cars can dematerialize for a block and rematerialize when the road picks back up down the line,” bike everywhere posted.

“So unfair! More people would drive if there was a complete network of car lanes where you can go from A to B without ever having to get out of your car and walk it for a quarter of a mile!” motorisms tweeted.

And of course, the absolute coup de grâce was this beauty.

“Well, and if bicycles weren’t constantly parked in the lanes, it might actually be drivable!” Jenoir quipped.

You can read the whole thread here.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1625162318538543104
 
PinkLucy said:
I wear a helmet because a number of people I know have fallen and bumped their head … or rather their helmet instead of their head. I know it’s not going to save me if a car hits me, but in the event of a fall (I’ve had a few), it can offer some protection and since I only have one head and one brain, I’ll do what I can to keep it concussion free. YMMV.
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I am a pretty safe cyclist... and I never used to wear a helmet, but due to some meds I am taking, it was recommended by my doctor that I should. And wouldn't you know it, I had two events, one day apart where both times I landed on the road and my helmet saved my head from a pretty rough injury. I hazard to think that in one case, when I was hit by a car, It probably saved my life. I will never ride without one again...
 
pmacpherson68 said:
I am a pretty safe cyclist... and I never used to wear a helmet, but due to some meds I am taking, it was recommended by my doctor that I should. And wouldn't you know it, I had two events, one day apart where both times I landed on the road and my helmet saved my head from a pretty rough injury. I hazard to think that in one case, when I was hit by a car, It probably saved my life. I will never ride without one again...
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Same reason some people walk with a cane.

(To hold their magic wands. :eek:)
 
pmacpherson68 said:
I am a pretty safe cyclist... and I never used to wear a helmet, but due to some meds I am taking, it was recommended by my doctor that I should. And wouldn't you know it, I had two events, one day apart where both times I landed on the road and my helmet saved my head from a pretty rough injury. I hazard to think that in one case, when I was hit by a car, It probably saved my life. I will never ride without one again...
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For me it was an unfortunate fusion of front tire and streetcar track that took me down (sans helmet) and changed my usage pattern. I thought I had mastered the art of safely crossing tracks, but a bit of rain and trying to cross from a stopped position without forward momentum (making a left turn) allowed my tire to slide sideways and the whole bike hinged over. My shoulder took the brunt of the injury, but my temple hovering over the asphalt was enough to make me rethink things going forward. To each their own though, and I wish we had enough safe and separated cycling infrastructure where this wasn't a concern at all.
 
ear2ear said:
For me it was an unfortunate fusion of front tire and streetcar track that took me down (sans helmet) and changed my usage pattern. I thought I had mastered the art of safely crossing tracks, but a bit of rain and trying to cross from a stopped position without forward momentum (making a left turn) allowed my tire to slide sideways and the whole bike hinged over. My shoulder took the brunt of the injury, but my temple hovering over the asphalt was enough to make me rethink things going forward. To each their own though, and I wish we had enough safe and separated cycling infrastructure where this wasn't a concern at all.
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I did that last summer. I didn't hit my head (I was wearing a helmet) but I did break my thumb and it's still a bit crooked.

Thank god I was on the way home from daycare without the kid on the back, though I probably wouldn't have crossed those streetcars with him on the bike.
 
DSC said:
This is a Property Standards issue - clearly the adjacent home-owner needs to trim their hedge. It says nothing about whether the City cares for pedestrians - it DOES say something about MLS enforcement
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I believe that the tweet is very much referring to the fact that there is a pole right in the middle of a substandard width sidewalk.
 
adys123 said:
I believe that the tweet is very much referring to the fact that there is a pole right in the middle of a substandard width sidewalk.
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The pole is certainly a problem with the hedge having spread out - as we do not know how much it has spread we cannot be sure that the pole is really a problem. Based on Toronto Hydro's pole placements we might assume it is but without knowing the actual sidewalk width we cannot be sure so I looked at Streetview.

The sidewalks in the whole area are either very narrow or simply non-existent. This one is narrow (far too narrow) to start with and the pole is clearly in the way even without the pole but it is unclear exactly where the property line is. Is the hedge actually on City property?

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DSC said:
The pole is certainly a problem with the hedge having spread out - as we do not know how much it has spread we cannot be sure that the pole is really a problem. Based on Toronto Hydro's pole placements we might assume it is but without knowing the actual sidewalk width we cannot be sure so I looked at Streetview.

The sidewalks in the whole area are either very narrow or simply non-existent. This one is narrow (far too narrow) to start with and the pole is clearly in the way even without the pole but it is unclear exactly where the property line is. Is the hedge actually on City property?

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I concur w/ @DSC 's assessment here.

When I try to measure the sidewalk width online I get between 1.5-1.6M wide. The City's guideline is to have 2.1M unobstructed pedestrian clearway, so factoring for that pole, you probably need at least a 2.4M wide sidewalk.

At the very least, this is simply too narrow. The hedges are encroaching, however, they only appear to taking up between 0.1-0.3M, which is a lot, when you're already way short of room, but removing them entirely would not create an acceptable pedestrian clearway.

***

Side note, I notice here that this entire section of sidewalk has virtually no vertical clearance above the road paving itself. That reduces its safety value and encourages vehicle encroachment. That's very unusual, its unlike the City to pour a substandard height curb, or to pave that many layers.

I'd be guessing here, but I am thinking there may be an intact brick road under the pavement and that is what is causing the inordinate elevation.
 
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Sidewalk width is such an ongoing battle - on Dundas West where it goes NORTH of Bloor (parallel to the Go/UP tracks) the eastern sidewalk is a year-round struggle. When it snows, it's not plowed, and the rest of the year whatever the bushes are (weeds? I honestly don't know) encroach in a major way. I shudder to think what someone pushing a stroller, granny cart or using a mobility device would do. I suppose they'd opt for the other sidewalk and then do the oh-so-lovely song and dance of crossing at multi-step "The Junction" intersection.

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