Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[muller877]

I though they were supposed to have bollards?

May be a dumb question...did they include additional funding for snow removal when adding bollards? And with bollards how do they plow the bike lanes in the winter? (since the plows will throw the snow from the street onto the bike lanes). A small plow could work other than this windrow.

 

[PinkLucy]

Bollards are generally removeable so they get taken out during the winter season. I've seen a number of bike lanes outside of Toronto where this is done. Particularly since this is a pilot project, I wouldn't think any bollard installations would be permanent.

 

[P23]

I would think that in the winter, more than any other time, bollards would be crucial to indicate where the lane actually is. Flex posts usually have a base that's bolted to the surface as well which would probably cause difficulties with plowing, my assumption is they will just use the small plows they use on sidewalks.

 

[PinkLucy]

All too often in Toronto, bike lanes don't even get plowed, or when they do, it's long after the car lanes. And that's after the snow from the car lanes is pushed into the bike lanes. Don't you know that no one bikes in Toronto in the winter? /sarcasm

 

[Zach6668]

If you're referring to the Eglinton bike lanes that were slated for integration into the Crosstown LRT construction, I believe that streetscaping remains unfunded, even with the increased budget included in the new cycling network "plan."

I can't speak for the entirety of the line/street, but I know for a fact that the stations I'm tangentially involved with have bike lane components to the streets above them. I would presume that it's built into the PA to work with the Eglinton Connects framework, but this is conjecture at this point. There would certainly be streetscape improvements anywhere where they have to dig the street up. I don't recall seeing protected lanes, but I'm not that involved, so I could have just missed it.

 

[Zach6668]

All too often in Toronto, bike lanes don't even get plowed, or when they do, it's long after the car lanes. And that's after the snow from the car lanes is pushed into the bike lanes. Don't you know that no one bikes in Toronto in the winter? /sarcasm

Didn't the city acquire smaller plows for things like the Richmond/Adelaide lanes? I thought I remembered some big ado about them keeping (at least) those lanes clear this past winter.

 

[PinkLucy]

You're right, it was the first winter they designated certain on-street routes as high volume, thus requiring plowing. http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...nnel=1a63970aa08c1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD and http://dandyhorsemagazine.com/blog/...itys-plan-for-winter-clearance-of-bike-lanes/

The reality was different than the plan, though. I work from home so I don't commute but I heard from a number of friends who do that bike lanes weren't plowed in the mornings while car lanes were -- that's why I forgot that there was an actual plan, I guess.

 

[rbt]

May be a dumb question...did they include additional funding for snow removal when adding bollards? And with bollards how do they plow the bike lanes in the winter? (since the plows will throw the snow from the street onto the bike lanes). A small plow could work other than this windrow.

I've seen side-walk plows clearing the lanes on Sherbourne.

 

[ADRM]

I can't speak for the entirety of the line/street, but I know for a fact that the stations I'm tangentially involved with have bike lane components to the streets above them. I would presume that it's built into the PA to work with the Eglinton Connects framework, but this is conjecture at this point. There would certainly be streetscape improvements anywhere where they have to dig the street up. I don't recall seeing protected lanes, but I'm not that involved, so I could have just missed it.

You're absolutely right to suggest that the protected bike lanes are included in the plan, but whether they are constructed as planned is a different question. As I understand from people who are also tangentially involved, the entire streetscaping portion of the plan remains unfunded as of today - and that includes the protected bike lane component.

The greenery on the elevated portions of track are another such element that are planned but not funded.

Two things are also important to remember:
1. This is Toronto Council, so figuring out how to pay for anything that isn't a direct and obvious exercise in perpetuating the single occupancy vehicle as the most important mode of transportation is a royal, epic struggle; and
2. Even if the streetscapes/bikelanes were funded - or if they come to be funded in the future - there's nothing preventing Holyday or Mammoliti or Nunziata or Robinson (or the Mayor, for that matter) from motioning to kill the protected bike lanes. And, after the Bloor bike lanes pilot, because there's no unanimity on evaluation criteria, those such anti-progress folks will potentially have the ammunition to kill such a project. Sucks.

 

[Admiral Beez]

All too often in Toronto, bike lanes don't even get plowed, or when they do, it's long after the car lanes. And that's after the snow from the car lanes is pushed into the bike lanes. Don't you know that no one bikes in Toronto in the winter? /sarcasm

What snow? IIRC, we're getting a few snow days each winter, hardly anything to bother cyclists. I rode my motorcycle until after New Years last winter.

 

[innsertnamehere]

it will only be one side of the street being unbuffered. The side with parking will always have a buffer

 

[UserNameToronto]

Didn't the city acquire smaller plows for things like the Richmond/Adelaide lanes? I thought I remembered some big ado about them keeping (at least) those lanes clear this past winter.

I've seen side-walk plows clearing the lanes on Sherbourne.

This past winter, the Richmond, Adelaide, and Sherbourne bike lanes were plowed surprisingly well. I was impressed.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From link.

 

[P23]

I think they were a little too generous with the parking. For example, between Walmer and Spadina this reduces Westbound traffic to one lane. There are 2 green P lots and the lot behind Metro here, a bumpout for street parking wasn't necessary.

 

[mdrejhon]

For the upcoming Bloor bike lane options --
I prefer Bloor Option C which appears to be chosen -- parking-protected bike lanes, but it's totally an alien concept in Canada (at the moment).

Hamilton, Ontario gained one of GTHA's first parking-protected bike lanes on Herkimer/Charlton this summer, and it still feels a little weird to motorists to park in the middle of the road.

City of Hamilton (July 2016), from HamiltonByBike blog

It feels a lot safer for cyclists and cheap:
-- safer, fewer collisions
-- more distance between bikes in motion & cars in motion
-- road taming effects (forces drivers to drive more slowly)
-- much cheaper than barricaded cycle tracks
-- increases car parking compliance (less likely for them to be parked in bike lane)

New York City has had these for quite a while now
But it feels weird to many, like a driver using a complex roundabout for the first-ever time.

New York City "Parking Protected Bike Lane", from streetsblog

The point being is, it's becoming an increasingly common enhancement in other countries -- as a cheaper enhancement than building barried cycleways, but drivers will scream blasphemy, just like this tweet:

Heads up Toronto -- parking protected bike lanes are WEIRD (like your first time in a roundabout) but they feel natural once you get used to them. You've been warned Toronto -- they are great but they do definitely feel weird to drivers at first.

The good news though... I've noticed parking compliance with parking-protected bike lanes (After initial familiarization period) is higher than the situation on Richmond/Adelaide. At least for the green-painted bike lane infrastructure. Could be a good lesson for Richmond/Adelade to solve the parked-car epidemic in bike lanes.

This will be very, very new to Toronto. But it will feel VERY weird at first.

But hey, fewer injuries (even for car drivers too!) and fewer deaths, I'm for it!