Cycling in Waterloo Region - Printable Version +- Waterloo Region Connected (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com) +-- Forum: Waterloo Region Works (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=14) +--- Forum: Transportation and Infrastructure (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=25) +--- Thread: Cycling in Waterloo Region (/showthread.php?tid=186) Pages:
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RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - danbrotherston - 06-16-2016 (06-16-2016, 09:35 AM)clasher Wrote:(06-16-2016, 08:38 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Not sure which turn lane you are referring to? The changes I propose don't shorten or remove any lanes, just changes a 5+ meter wide lane to a 4 meter lane. Ahh, yes, I did narrow the through lane there, but there isn't a right turn lane, the vehicle lane is only about 4.5 - 5 meters wide by my measure, the right turn lane doesn't start till after the driveway. Perhaps cars are able to squeeze past turning vehicles before, where they wouldn't after, but given that there aren't generally long backups in the parking lot, I really don't think this is an issue. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 06-23-2016 I noticed these signs yesterday at Columbia and Hagey. I wonder what prompted them. And will this law now be enforced (but not the one about cycling on the sidewalk)? RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - zanate - 06-23-2016 (06-23-2016, 02:51 PM)timc Wrote: I noticed these signs yesterday at Columbia and Hagey. I wonder what prompted them. And will this law now be enforced (but not the one about cycling on the sidewalk)? I saw an identical sign today at Lexington and Dearborn, and just figured I hadn't noticed it before. The law's unchanged, whether it's signed or not. And the bylaw is (mostly) unchanged, too: you aren't supposed to bike on sidewalks unless you're a kid or accompanying children. So it's difficult to see how impactful they would be. Especially on a 4-lane road like Lexington. I long ago came around to view sidewalk cycling in a location like this (which is extremely common) to be morally justifiable, and more recently I have grudgingly decided it's the rational choice. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - MidTowner - 06-23-2016 I’m missing something with that sign on Hagey at Columbia. That’s looking north on Hagey, right? Is it saying that you have to dismount and continue on foot? Why couldn’t you just ride through with other traffic on Hagey- not in the crosswalk? I notice cyclists on sidewalks most often when I am cycling, and I find it annoying at best. Behaving predictably is the best way to keep everyone safe, and obeying the rules is the best way to be predictable. A lot of riders around the university zones seem to think nothing of riding on the sidewalk, even on relatively quiet streets with bike lanes (I’m thinking of Parkside where I see this a lot). I can see there being maybe some riders riding from the Laurel Trail to Hagey along Columbia. But I still don’t understand the sign instructing riders to dismount. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 06-23-2016 (06-23-2016, 03:41 PM)MidTowner Wrote: I’m missing something with that sign on Hagey at Columbia. That’s looking north on Hagey, right? Is it saying that you have to dismount and continue on foot? Why couldn’t you just ride through with other traffic on Hagey- not in the crosswalk? I was facing west for this photo, but there is a similar sign alongside each sidewalk approach to the intersection. It is aimed at cyclists riding on the sidewalk. If you are riding on the road, you can and should ride with other traffic. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Markster - 06-23-2016 I believe that's on Columbia, looking west. It's aimed at people on bikes who arrive at the intersection on a red light, and then immediately turn left and join the crosswalk to get in to campus. Considering that the paths on campus are effectively MUTs, and the path north into the R&T Park is basically a MUT, this is a place that a crossride could make sense to legalize the behaviour. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - danbrotherston - 06-23-2016 This I believe was the regional staff's reaction to high collision rates with cyclists at these intersections. Of course, "Cyclist Dismount" signs are effectively giving up when it comes to cycling infrastructure (and are even contraindicated by the province). Makes sharrows look good. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 06-23-2016 Given these signs, what is the proper way to handle/ride a bicycle through: -Iron Horse Trail at Stirling/Courtland? -Spur Line Trail at Weber? RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 06-23-2016 The proper thing to do is dismount and walk across at the pedestrian crossing. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 06-23-2016 But where? At Stirling/Courtland, dismount as soon as the trail touches the sidewalk, 100m away from the intersection? Weber also has a huge distance between trail end and intersection. I'm very curious as I'm quite happy to do whatever the rules require but this is not what I see in practice. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - panamaniac - 06-23-2016 (06-09-2016, 09:05 AM)MidTowner Wrote: “Total to date” was the wrong term for them to use (there isn’t even an ‘as at’ date on the sign). They just mean “Total.” (06-23-2016, 10:43 PM)Canard Wrote: But where? At Stirling/Courtland, dismount as soon as the trail touches the sidewalk, 100m away from the intersection? Weber also has a huge distance between trail end and intersection. The sign for the Stirling/Courtland intersection was posted a couple of weeks ago. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - MidTowner - 06-24-2016 (06-23-2016, 03:48 PM)timc Wrote: I was facing west for this photo, but there is a similar sign alongside each sidewalk approach to the intersection. It is aimed at cyclists riding on the sidewalk. If you are riding on the road, you can and should ride with other traffic. Oh, gotcha. I saw it as being adjacent to the road, and an instruction to dismount and walk in crosswalk (instead of continuing to bicycle as normal). At Stirling/Courtland, isn't the answer that, yes, you dismount and walk your bike a hundred meters to the crosswalk? People on foot are often called on to walk many times that distance out of their way to find a crosswalk. Similarly, at Iron Horse and Victoria, the sign asks trail users (including cyclists) to use the intersection at West. I see just about no one doing this, and feel a bit like a chump when I do and see someone else just ignoring the sign but using his or her common sense to cross Victoria when there's a gap in car traffic. I agree with danbrotherston: if a lot of people are using the crosswalk on bike to avoid a dangerous situation, it would be a good idea to correct the situation, instead of giving up and simply posting a sign. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 06-24-2016 I think adding a sign is avoiding the problem. But usually it is in response to something happening, and I can't figure out what happened in this situation. People have been cycling across crosswalks for as long as we have had bikes and crosswalks. I also think that posting a sign warning of a fine is pointless unless someone is actually going to start enforcing the law. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - danbrotherston - 06-24-2016 (06-24-2016, 10:54 AM)timc Wrote: I think adding a sign is avoiding the problem. But usually it is in response to something happening, and I can't figure out what happened in this situation. People have been cycling across crosswalks for as long as we have had bikes and crosswalks. Yeah, I'm not sure what benefit staff believe the sign provides. I doubt very much it changes behaviour at all. Cyclists are already technically breaking the law so there is no change to the liability or legal situation (cyclists still have zero legal protection in the case of an accident). So the only benefit seems to be staff appear to be doing something. Or perhaps, angering drivers further, now they see cyclists "breaking" more obviously the law. RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - clasher - 06-24-2016 Sometimes I have breakfast at city cafe and watch the police sit in the Victoria Bowl parking lot as people ride by on the sidewalk. They don't seem to care, nor do they seem to care about people cross the trail mid-block instead of walking to the lights. I use the lights going northbound when there is a lot of traffic during the busy hours but outside of those times the sensor on strange doesn't seem to recognize a bike in the left turn lane. Going south during busy hours, I will often detour on Gage and ride down Strange to use the road but still end up waiting in the Lai Lai parking lot for traffic to pass while I make the turn back onto the trail. At Courtland/Stirling going toward Ottawa St. I will often just ride into the left turn lane and make a left onto Stirling and hop the curb to get back onto the trail. Going toward Queen I just hop off the curb and make a right turn at the lights and make a left into the stampede plaza and get on the trail. If it's busy I will just ride up Stirling and go in the Stampede parking lot and use the little dirt path to get back onto the iron horse. Dismounting and pushing my bike through the people waiting for the bus stop is kind of annoying so I'd rather just ride around them. |