Cycling in Waterloo Region

[ijmorlan]

Joseph St. is going to be great. Does anybody have an authoritative reference to what is happening with Gaukel St.? The Joseph St. construction has the intersection flat, but with the concrete of the sidewalk continuing across the intersection. So it’s not completely clear to me what is intended — it looks like not a normal street, but the surface is perfectly driveable all the way across.

I’m hoping Gaukel St. will be completely closed to motor vehicles with the possible exception of a half-block to access the lane between King and Charles.

[clasher]

What do they expect cyclists to do at the intersection with Queen? Just wait until there's a gap in traffic and the light is in your favour?

[ac3r]

Just speculating, but I can see the section that is currently closed remaining so for the time being. I haven't heard of anything official from the City of Kitchener as to whether or not it will stay pedestrianized. However, whether or not it stays that way when the old terminal gets redeveloped will remain to be seen. In another thread (I think the Charlie West one), I mentioned how I was in the building earlier this year taking some photos and doing some research as the architecture firm I work for has been drawing up designs and throwing around ideas and let me say...we have big (and tall...very tall) plans with lots of beautiful features and open space, but who knows whether we'll get to do anything.

Whoever ends up with the site might want Gaukel to reopen again, sadly. It would be a shame if it returned to being a street because it is not really needed for anything. Even the project I'm on the design team for has been designing with the assumption it could stay closed and act as a great pedestrian space that would be open to the public and incorporated into the complex we've been doing.

[danbrotherston]

Joseph St. is going to be great. Does anybody have an authoritative reference to what is happening with Gaukel St.? The Joseph St. construction has the intersection flat, but with the concrete of the sidewalk continuing across the intersection. So it’s not completely clear to me what is intended — it looks like not a normal street, but the surface is perfectly driveable all the way across.

I’m hoping Gaukel St. will be completely closed to motor vehicles with the possible exception of a half-block to access the lane between King and Charles.

Gaukel is officially 100% closed to cars will never reopen (or at least would take an act of council to reverse their decision) 

For Queen, I don't know what the implementation will be but the cycle tracks will continue on Queen so I expect there will be some good consideration for cyclists there.

[ijmorlan]

Joseph St. is going to be great. Does anybody have an authoritative reference to what is happening with Gaukel St.? The Joseph St. construction has the intersection flat, but with the concrete of the sidewalk continuing across the intersection. So it’s not completely clear to me what is intended — it looks like not a normal street, but the surface is perfectly driveable all the way across.

I’m hoping Gaukel St. will be completely closed to motor vehicles with the possible exception of a half-block to access the lane between King and Charles.

Gaukel is officially 100% closed to cars will never reopen (or at least would take an act of council to reverse their decision) 

For Queen, I don't know what the implementation will be but the cycle tracks will continue on Queen so I expect there will be some good consideration for cyclists there.

Thanks, good to hear. So does that mean there is a bylaw which closes the street? Or how does that work? In any case it sounds like it’s not just an extended construction closure.

[danbrotherston]

Gaukel is officially 100% closed to cars will never reopen (or at least would take an act of council to reverse their decision) 

For Queen, I don't know what the implementation will be but the cycle tracks will continue on Queen so I expect there will be some good consideration for cyclists there.

Thanks, good to hear. So does that mean there is a bylaw which closes the street? Or how does that work? In any case it sounds like it’s not just an extended construction closure.

To be honest, I'm not sure of the specific implementation but Council approved the staff direction to close the road and convert to a plaza. They can't reverse it without a 2/3rd majority (although the maybe the next council could...I'm not totally clear on the rules) and the hardscaping is already done at Joseph (they city does not use continuous sidewalks--which is its own issue)

[dtkvictim]

Joseph St. is going to be great. Does anybody have an authoritative reference to what is happening with Gaukel St.? The Joseph St. construction has the intersection flat, but with the concrete of the sidewalk continuing across the intersection. So it’s not completely clear to me what is intended — it looks like not a normal street, but the surface is perfectly driveable all the way across.

I’m hoping Gaukel St. will be completely closed to motor vehicles with the possible exception of a half-block to access the lane between King and Charles.

Gaukel is officially 100% closed to cars will never reopen (or at least would take an act of council to reverse their decision)

For both blocks, or just between Joseph and Charles? Last I spoke to a property owner on the section between Charles and King, they were fighting that closure being approved as they have parking access off of Gaukel.

[Bob_McBob]

Driver charged in crash that seriously injured cyclist

[danbrotherston]

Gaukel is officially 100% closed to cars will never reopen (or at least would take an act of council to reverse their decision)

For both blocks, or just between Joseph and Charles? Last I spoke to a property owner on the section between Charles and King, they were fighting that closure being approved as they have parking access off of Gaukel.

Both blocks but staff are investigating how to accomodate access for Charlie West and the parking accessed off Gaukel.  I don't know if they've made progress on that, last update I heard was in 2018 but I'm betting there will be an access to it which will significantly compromise the section between King and Charles. My preferred option is just to make Halls Ln two way.

[ac3r]

20th Annual Bicycle Film Festival is on at Princess Cinema this week:

https://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/
https://www.princesscinemas.com/event/bi...l-waterloo

[ijmorlan]

For both blocks, or just between Joseph and Charles? Last I spoke to a property owner on the section between Charles and King, they were fighting that closure being approved as they have parking access off of Gaukel.

Both blocks but staff are investigating how to accomodate access for Charlie West and the parking accessed off Gaukel.  I don't know if they've made progress on that, last update I heard was in 2018 but I'm betting there will be an access to it which will significantly compromise the section between King and Charles. My preferred option is just to make Halls Ln two way.

I think if Gaukel is absolutely closed at King and the stretch to Charles is a woonerf (with Charles to Joseph absolutely closed as well) it might not be too bad. Then there would be no through traffic really — only traffic to those small parking lots and connecting to Hall’s Lane.

But I agree that it would be better if it didn’t connect to Charles either. That would also simplify the situation at Charles/Gaukel: it would just be a pedestrian/bicycle crossing of Charles, with no turning motor vehicles at all. A few cars using Gaukel only to get from the lane to the parking would be a very small impact.

[danbrotherston]

Both blocks but staff are investigating how to accomodate access for Charlie West and the parking accessed off Gaukel.  I don't know if they've made progress on that, last update I heard was in 2018 but I'm betting there will be an access to it which will significantly compromise the section between King and Charles. My preferred option is just to make Halls Ln two way.

I think if Gaukel is absolutely closed at King and the stretch to Charles is a woonerf (with Charles to Joseph absolutely closed as well) it might not be too bad. Then there would be no through traffic really — only traffic to those small parking lots and connecting to Hall’s Lane.

But I agree that it would be better if it didn’t connect to Charles either. That would also simplify the situation at Charles/Gaukel: it would just be a pedestrian/bicycle crossing of Charles, with no turning motor vehicles at all. A few cars using Gaukel only to get from the lane to the parking would be a very small impact.

I think the impact will be large because it will require a clear right of way, it restricts what can be done in the space. 

But obviously it would be better than it being a road.

[dtkvictim]

Saw (or rather, heard) a cyclist get hit by a taxi at the Gaukel to Victoria Park crossing the other night. I was a few blocks down Joseph so I didn't see how it happened, and I'm not prepared to blame either party, but I would suggest the current infrastructure might be to blame. Right now the stop sign for cars is on the left side, near the park entrance, and not very visible for cars approaching it around a bend. I've personally seen a higher number of cars run this stop sign than can be blamed on just a few exceptionally bad drivers (I cross here almost every day, and it happens a lot...).

I hope the signage will be improved here, but it's a shame to see happen in a place that should be friendly to cyclists and pedestrians (a pedestrian street, segregated bike lane, and a park).

[tomh009]

I hope the signage will be improved here, but it's a shame to see happen in a place that should be friendly to cyclists and pedestrians (a pedestrian street, segregated bike lane, and a park).

I think this is a perfect place for one of the new flashing-light crossings (as on Jubilee).

[danbrotherston]

Saw (or rather, heard) a cyclist get hit by a taxi at the Gaukel to Victoria Park crossing the other night. I was a few blocks down Joseph so I didn't see how it happened, and I'm not prepared to blame either party, but I would suggest the current infrastructure might be to blame. Right now the stop sign for cars is on the left side, near the park entrance, and not very visible for cars approaching it around a bend. I've personally seen a higher number of cars run this stop sign than can be blamed on just a few exceptionally bad drivers (I cross here almost every day, and it happens a lot...).

I hope the signage will be improved here, but it's a shame to see happen in a place that should be friendly to cyclists and pedestrians (a pedestrian street, segregated bike lane, and a park).

The signage suggests it will be a L2 PXO but probably one without a flashing beacon. 

The stop sign may be not visible but it's pretty clearly an intersection and it was a stop before. I don't give drivers much credibility for missing it. They should do better but yes, a large number run it. Of course, a large number ran it before also.