General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

[salsa]

The votes:

Motion by Mihevic to seek funding for Eglinton Crosstown bikeway carries 35-5.

Motion by Layton to fund bike plan at $25 million a year fails 16-24.

Motion by Holyday to fund 10-year bike plan at $8 million a year fails 6-34.

Motion by Holyday to consider licensing cyclists ruled out of order.

Motion by Holyday to remove all bike lanes that would have impact on traffic fails 6-34.

Motion by Robinson to reinstate Danforth corridor study carries unanimously, 40-0.

Motion by DMW to consider removable cycle tracks in the winter carries 25-15.

Motion by Shiner to extend bike lane study on Yonge from Finch to Steeles, carries 33-7.

Motion to seek federal and provincial funding for cycling infrastructure, in addition to city funding commitments, carries 28-12.

Motion to include cycling infrastructure in upcoming request for federal active transportation funding carries 32-8.

Motion to consider upgrades to bike lanes on Dundas East carries 34-6.



Amended 10-year bike plan approved 38-2. Mammoliti and Holyday against.

 

[LNahid2000]

Motion by Holyday to remove all bike lanes that would have impact on traffic fails 6-34.

Wtf does that even mean? Bikes are traffic.

 

[PinkLucy]

Motion to remove Holyday?

 

[Northern Light]

Motion to remove Holyday?

Likely would have been ruled out of order; but I think you could get elected by promising such a motion!

 

[salsa]

Wtf does that even mean? Bikes are traffic.

He wanted to remove all bike lanes that would take away car lanes.

 

[LNahid2000]

He wanted to remove all bike lanes that would take away car lanes.

I didn't know there were car lanes. I do the majority of my biking in so called car lanes.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Because we have councillors like this--
...
BenSpurr11:35am via Twitter Web Client
Mammoliti: "Go to a little course, and get yourself licensed. Because all I see are psycho cyclists."

How do we get a two, three, four, or even a five year old to actually "read" to course material before getting a bicycle license?

 

[44 North]

And how would the poor souls that don't even know how to ride a bike get licensed? Could end up leading to more 'psycho cyclists' on our roads...

City Hall's car guy learns to ride

 

[salsa]

Just a friendly reminder to certain councillors as to why the city rejected licensing multiple times:


Cost
The cost of obtaining a license to drive a motor vehicle is considerable. Much of that cost covers the administrative costs of maintaining an accurate database, and processing licenses. The costs of developing a system for cyclists would be similar. When asked to consider such a move in the past, the Ministry of Transportation has rejected it. If cyclists were asked to cover the cost of licensing, in many cases, the license would be more expensive than the bicycle itself.

Age
Many children cycle, in fact most cyclists are young people. It would be difficult to create one standardized test that could be used by adults as well as children as young as five years old. There is an argument to be made that licensing would allow an opportunity for education, but again the bureaucracy of such a mandatory system has been seen as too cumbersome to develop.

Jurisdiction
Those who have looked into licensing cycling have determined that the only natural jurisdiction to license is the province, which has rejected licensing. Historically, municipalities have licensed bicycles in Ontario. Today, many cyclists cross municipal boundaries.

Effectiveness
In each of the above cases, major problems and difficulties arise in establishing a licensing system. The studies asked what is the goal that licensing cyclists is attempting to achieve? If the goal is to increase cyclists' compliance with traffic laws, and to reduce the number of conflicts with pedestrians and other road users, then licensing as an approach needs to be compared with other possible initiatives. Is the creation of the major bureaucracy that licensing would require worth it? The studies have concluded that licensing is not worth it. Other solutions: blitz enforcement of rules on riding on sidewalks, public awareness campaigns, skills training through CAN-BIKE, and the provision of bicycle-friendly facilities, such as bike lanes, while not perfect, are more effective in meeting the goals of cyclist compliance with traffic laws than the investment in licensing.

Public policy considerations
Concerns over cyclist compliance with traffic laws are real, and require ongoing attention. If, however, major investments are to be made by governments or by cyclists themselves, then the overall public policy goals behind that investment need to be addressed. For example, there is a strong public policy case to be made for licensing motor vehicle drivers. Hundreds of lives are lost each year because of motor vehicle crashes and collisions, and many thousands more are injured. Cyclists are involved in a smaller number of incidents, which must be addressed. However, given the benefits of cycling to health, the environment, and the community, on-going efforts to increase cycling compliance with traffic laws must be a part of an overall strategy to promote safe cycling.

Source: link

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Random question: What is the status of bike lanes on Eglinton?

 

[andrewpmk]

Random question: What is the status of bike lanes on Eglinton?

I think that the bike lanes on the underground portion of the Eglinton LRT are unfunded because the "Eglinton Connects" proposal has an insanely high price tag ($60 million).

 

[LNahid2000]

I think that the bike lanes on the underground portion of the Eglinton LRT are unfunded because the "Eglinton Connects" proposal has an insanely high price tag ($60 million).

$60 million is insanely high? Your biases are showing again.

 

[andrewpmk]

$60 million is insanely high? Your biases are showing again.

Bike lanes usually don't cost that much.

 

[LNahid2000]

Bike lanes usually don't cost that much.

If you actually read about Eglinton Connects, you'd know it's not just bike lanes.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The votes:...

Motion by DMW to consider removable cycle tracks in the winter carries 25-15.

...

Amended 10-year bike plan approved 38-2. Mammoliti and Holyday against.

"Removable cycle tracks"?

I hope it seems that the boulevard at the side of roads (especially along suburban arterial roads) used to dump snow windrows on, will be used as a bicycle lane in spring, summer, and autumn.

May mean the moving of posts, curbs, and some sidewalk adjustments.