Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[BMO]

The separated bike lanes on Highway 7 between Town Centre and Sciberras are almost finished and I've ridden them a few times since they finished the paving work. The whole length is now rideable with a couple minor obstructions. I like the design for the most part; the lanes are separated from traffic by planting beds to create a relaxing riding atmosphere. At signalized intersections the lanes join the road to make cyclists more visible to drivers and less likely to be blocked by a turning vehicle...

Not of a fan of these bikeways. One of the reasons we want protected bike lanes is to bring attention to the mode of transportation. As it stands one could be forgiven for misinterpreting the separated portions as just an extended walking path or a snow storage path. I think if they had put asphalt in place it would really emphasize the facility's role as a non-pedestrian corridor. I think the nature of what they were trying to do is great, I think they just need to tweak the execution to make it work well for its intended purpose.

 

[PinkLucy]

Adding Dutch intersections would be great -- safer for everyone, and a huge visual clue as to what it's for.

 

[UserNameToronto]

The City of Toronto issued this news release through Canada News Wire on Saturday.

News Release

September 23, 2017

City of Toronto reopens the Lower Don Trail

- 30 -

Yay, so pleased to hear the trail is finally re-opened!

Wasn't it part of the plan to replace the stairs from the trail to the Gerrard/Dundas/Queen/RiverdalePk bridges? In my dreams there is a ramp that allows one to cycle up from trail to bridge level...

 

[Fred.S]

The separated bike lanes on Highway 7 between Town Centre and Sciberras are almost finished and I've ridden them a few times since they finished the paving work. The whole length is now rideable with a couple minor obstructions. I like the design for the most part; the lanes are separated from traffic by planting beds to create a relaxing riding atmosphere. At signalized intersections the lanes join the road to make cyclists more visible to drivers and less likely to be blocked by a turning vehicle.

Great photos, glad to see people don't have to ride on the roadway there anymore (not that many people did, I tend to see most, especially kids and teens on the sidewalk anyway). Asphalt would definitely have been better, and it's a better visual cue that it's not a sidewalk. As well, it's not so much that concrete is a bad surface, but the expansion joints get annoying, especially if you have thin tires.

Driveway crossings look decent, though I'm not a fan of the curbs. Should be flat curbs, not those grooved ones, which again, are not great for thin bike tires. Hopefully they'll also paint in some cross-rides.

I don't like the intersection in the first photo. The bike path should just stay parallel to the sidewalk and not jut out into the roadway like that. It sends bikes and turning cars into the same area, into their blind-spots, and at the fastest speed during the turn. If the curb radius was smaller, and the bike path was where the sidewalk is, then cars would have better visibility to the right, and be slower through the turn in case of a collision (ie a Dutch intersection). Ideally all the intersections should have room between the bike crossing and the roadway so that cars can cross pedestrians and bikes first, then worry about merging into traffic.

 

[BMO]

Great photos, glad to see people don't have to ride on the roadway there anymore (not that many people did, I tend to see most, especially kids and teens on the sidewalk anyway). Asphalt would definitely have been better, and it's a better visual cue that it's not a sidewalk. As well, it's not so much that concrete is a bad surface, but the expansion joints get annoying, especially if you have thin tires.

Driveway crossings look decent, though I'm not a fan of the curbs. Should be flat curbs, not those grooved ones, which again, are not great for thin bike tires. Hopefully they'll also paint in some cross-rides.

I don't like the intersection in the first photo. The bike path should just stay parallel to the sidewalk and not jut out into the roadway like that. It sends bikes and turning cars into the same area, into their blind-spots, and at the fastest speed during the turn. If the curb radius was smaller, and the bike path was where the sidewalk is, then cars would have better visibility to the right, and be slower through the turn in case of a collision (ie a Dutch intersection). Ideally all the intersections should have room between the bike crossing and the roadway so that cars can cross pedestrians and bikes first, then worry about merging into traffic.

Does anybody know if Dutch Intersections are even legally allowed to be put in place according to the Highway Traffic Act and Standards?

 

[Fred.S]

Does anybody know if Dutch Intersections are even legally allowed to be put in place according to the Highway Traffic Act and Standards?

They are, diagram from the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) and a photo from the Churchill cycle tracks in Ottawa (found on Google). Full protected intersections (cycle tracks on both cross streets) are not explicitly stated in the manual, but mentioned in some regional design manuals, as well as all the new literature since around 2015 (TAC 2017, NACTO Worldwide Streets 2017, MassDOT 2015 from the US is particularly good) and I think should make it into the new OTM for 2018/2019. It's also a natural result of taking that first diagram and superimposing it over itself at 90 degrees. Ottawa is planning for two full protected intersections I believe. I wish Toronto and the GTA would embrace this. Intersections are where most of the accidents happen, yet we haven't done much about them.

 

[sunnyraytoronto]

Adding Dutch intersections would be great -- safer for everyone, and a huge visual clue as to what it's for.

The cycling infrastructure is between the roadway and pedestrian sidewalk,... a Dutch intersection would also force the pedestrian sidewalk over away from the intersection,.... good luck getting pedestrians to walk along that weird sidewalk VS a straight line that'll create mud-piles in whatever grass is in the way. Also, have to respect private property line so in most cases, there's not enough room for Dutch Intersection.

Plus, if cyclist cycling in the same direction of traffic into a Dutch Intersection, they could be more prone to right hooks, as it'll be tougher for cyclist to check back for right turning vehicles.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Ottawa already has several protected intersections from my understanding, or at least intersections close to it. Colonel By Drive and Clegg St comes to mind.

They also have several protected intersections on the Carling Avenue bus lanes project. It isn't built yet, but it is an approved EA.

http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/publi...tion/carling-avenue-transit-priority-measures

 

[Leo_Chan]

There is now green paint on the Highway 7 Bike Lanes. I would assume white likes will be added, but not yet.
Signalized Intersection:

Non-signalized entrance/exit:

 

[Voltz]

That green paint looks like it could be slippery when wet.

 

[MisterF]

I fully expect you will see some nice green paint at crossings before that is done. York Region used green paint liberally on the earlier phases of the highway 7 lanes.

Looks like the green paint is there now, so good call. Still, York Region has been uneven at best in the quality of their cycling infrastructure. Would you believe that this is supposed to be a bike path?

Great photos, glad to see people don't have to ride on the roadway there anymore (not that many people did, I tend to see most, especially kids and teens on the sidewalk anyway). Asphalt would definitely have been better, and it's a better visual cue that it's not a sidewalk. As well, it's not so much that concrete is a bad surface, but the expansion joints get annoying, especially if you have thin tires.

The concrete is surprisingly smooth and relatively seamless. It doesn't have the same kind of joints between slabs as sidewalks. If it stands up to time it's actually not a bad surface. I'd still prefer asphalt though.

I don't like the intersection in the first photo. The bike path should just stay parallel to the sidewalk and not jut out into the roadway like that. It sends bikes and turning cars into the same area, into their blind-spots, and at the fastest speed during the turn. If the curb radius was smaller, and the bike path was where the sidewalk is, then cars would have better visibility to the right, and be slower through the turn in case of a collision (ie a Dutch intersection). Ideally all the intersections should have room between the bike crossing and the roadway so that cars can cross pedestrians and bikes first, then worry about merging into traffic.

Having ridden them, the way the lanes join the roads at intersections actually improves visibility and decreases the risk of drivers blocking your path or not seeing you. One of the reasons riding on the sidewalk is so dangerous is because drivers don't expect anything moving faster than a pedestrian. So collision risk at intersections is pretty high. Hence the expectation on a lot of multi-use paths that cyclists dismount and walk their bikes across intersections.

 

[sunnyraytoronto]

That green paint looks like it could be slippery when wet.

The green "paint" is actually "thermoplastic" (MTO-rated durable marking, available in high-friction/anti-slip formulations) it's "heated" onto the asphalt (not painted). The green thermoplastic is pre-mixed Corundum ie aluminum oxide which is more durable than sand - in contrast white paint are done in cold plastic with glass beads for reflection - try stopping in the rain on green thermoplastic VS the more slippery white paint); I suspect they're actually using the same green "thermoplastic" Toronto has been using:
http://dandyhorsemagazine.com/blog/2016/12/06/paint-the-town-green/

 

[W. K. Lis]

From the Toronto Metro, at this link:

'Phenomenal success:' Group finds average of 6,000 riders use Bloor bike lanes a day

The numbers come as cyclists wait for the city's official tally, which will be released, along with staff recommendations on whether the lanes should stay or go, in October.

The Bloor bike lanes are being used by an average of more than 6,000 riders a day, according to a count done by Bells on Bloor ahead of a decision on the pilot project's future.

The advocacy group mounted a camera on top of a building for a week in mid-September and had volunteers manually count the number of riders. They found more than 30,000 cyclists used the lanes over a five-day period — more than 6,000 every day except Friday, when there was missing data from a power failure. That's about double the city's pre-lane count of 3,300 a day.

"It shows us the phenomenal success of the bike lanes," said Albert Koehl with Bells on Bloor. "If safety is the question, then bike lanes are the answer."

The numbers come as cyclists wait for the city's official tally and the impact on driving times, which will be released, along with staff recommendations on whether the lanes should stay or go, in October...

Those that say that business along that section of Bloor may have gone down, seem to forget that with Honest Ed's no longer being a draw, that might cut down on business.

 

[Avenue]

Those that say that business along that section of Bloor may have gone down, seem to forget that with Honest Ed's no longer being a draw, that might cut down on business.

Honest Ed's hasn't been a draw for a long time. I wouldn't go with that counter argument. Rather the business going down considerably thing is simply false.

 

[amnesiajune]

Rather the business going down considerably thing is simply false.

I don't think local businesses would be running that passport campaign if the bike lanes on their own were a boon to them.