Cycling in Waterloo Region

[panamaniac]

The recipients of those funds budgeted $X for cycling infrastructure as part of normal annual capital expenditures. The province gave them some amount $Y for those projects. The recipients are now spending the same $X on cycling infrastructure, but will take the $Y they received and apply it to something non-cycling-related. I mean, technically they will say that they are now spending $(X-Y) in combination with the province's $Y to create $X of cycling infrastructure, but the $Y will wind up as a net addition elsewhere in the budget, either lowering roadwork maintenance backlogs, or going towards tax increase reductions.

This is probably true in some cases, but in others, our city being a prime example, there was no money budgeted for those projects or it was budgeted very far in the future so we will get more infra sooner here.

That makes more sense to me.  The quote from the Record would only make sense if the City official were referring to other bicycle infrastructure projects, otherwise the purpose of the provincial grant program would be lost.

[danbrotherston]

This is probably true in some cases, but in others, our city being a prime example, there was no money budgeted for those projects or it was budgeted very far in the future so we will get more infra sooner here.

That makes more sense to me.  The quote from the Record would only make sense if the City official were referring to other bicycle infrastructure projects, otherwise the purpose of the provincial grant program would be lost.

The quote from the record comes in two flavours.  Region and City.  City project seem to be planned with not enough funding.

And it's actually ideal to plan projects without funding because when grants like this come about, we can make successful bids.

[timc]

Waitwaitwait. “increase bike share stations”

Please tell me we are not dumping more money into that useless “system” we pretend has more than 52 members? Why are we not investing in a system that works for everyone, like SoBi?

We have bike share stations?

[Canard]

A few, and like 50 people are signed up to use them. It's a difficult-to-use membership-based system, so visitors or casual users can't use them. The fact it exists bothers me because I think it precludes having a serous installation, like SoBi come in, because someone could just say "Oh we already have a bike share system". So, I think it does more harm than good!

On the subject of UpTown Waterloo, an update:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">While we wait for clear signage/markings, our bylaw officers will issue warnings and let drivers know they're in a bike lane</p>&mdash; City of Waterloo (@citywaterloo) <a href="https://twitter.com/citywaterloo/status/938068729283338240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

[Viewfromthe42]

"It brings a future infrastructure component forward in time"
This only means something if you then reallocate the future funding towards the same thing. If you buy $1M of cycling infrastructure a year, and get $1M to bring 2019 infrastructure into 2018, but then when 2019 comes around you skip cycling investment because it was brought forward, then you've actually removed $1M of cycling investment for the "benefit" of bringing something online 1 year early.

"It funds a project that we didn't have funds allocated for"
This means that you don't take cycling seriously. Either you now get to fund something you otherwise wouldn't have (because it wasn't a great investment, like how some view our bikeshare system), or you took a critical piece of cycling infrastructure and let its existence depend on the whims of upper-level government, meaning you didn't care about it in the first place. Makes for a good comparison between how we did our LRT system (put forward 1/3 of the cost, unlike municipalities expecting to pay $0, built funding from other governments into the planning process and not assuming they would come), compared to places like Hamilton where they're stalling for years around the idea of a *free* LRT system, or Scarborough where they hummed and hawed about a free LRT, eventually pushed foolishly into the subway situation they're in now, and haven't done a single bit of work in the better part of a decade, let alone planned and budgeted for the costs of it to the city.

[creative]

Wow the cynics out in full force! Great news on $$$ for cycling infrastructure and Canard is the only person with a positive response. Projects are planned years in advance. Some with budgeted funding. Others with hope that funding like this will become available to move projects forward.

[ijmorlan]

A few, and like 50 people are signed up to use them.  It's a difficult-to-use membership-based system, so visitors or casual users can't use them.  The fact it exists bothers me because I think it precludes having a serous installation, like SoBi come in, because someone could just say "Oh we already have a bike share system".  So, I think it does more harm than good!

On the subject of UpTown Waterloo, an update:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">While we wait for clear signage/markings, our bylaw officers will issue warnings and let drivers know they're in a bike lane</p>&mdash; City of Waterloo (@citywaterloo) <a href="https://twitter.com/citywaterloo/status/938068729283338240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>

Good to know. I wonder how the guy I met the other night would respond to a bylaw officer. I informed him he was parked in a travel lane and he swore a blue streak at me. Apparently it’s none of my business if somebody is parked in a lane I’m legally entitled to ride in. I didn’t respond perfectly but overall I’m pretty happy with keeping my cool and not being upset later. I think somebody listening would have heard a guy yelling a bunch of stuff and wouldn’t have heard my side of the conversation at all.

I don’t know much about the bikeshare, but I agree it needs to be easy to use. If it only has 50 members then unless there are concrete ideas for significantly expanding usage I have to agree it’s not successful. It almost sounds like a bit of greenwashing.

[danbrotherston]

Good to know. I wonder how the guy I met the other night would respond to a bylaw officer. I informed him he was parked in a travel lane and he swore a blue streak at me. Apparently it’s none of my business if somebody is parked in a lane I’m legally entitled to ride in. I didn’t respond perfectly but overall I’m pretty happy with keeping my cool and not being upset later. I think somebody listening would have heard a guy yelling a bunch of stuff and wouldn’t have heard my side of the conversation at all.

I don’t know much about the bikeshare, but I agree it needs to be easy to use. If it only has 50 members then unless there are concrete ideas for significantly expanding usage I have to agree it’s not successful. It almost sounds like a bit of greenwashing.

Must have been the same jackass I met today.  Or more likely, a substantial portion of the population responds in this way when sitting in a car.  I commend you for not getting upset or letting it get to you.  I cannot say the same, I called him an asshole, and went home and looked at jobs in Amsterdam.

The current bike share is motivated primarily by social equity needs not providing a useful service.  I can see why they want to do so, but by providing a useful service, that ALSO meets social equity needs then we can provide something much better for everyone, including those in need.  Not that I blame them though, they started a service which wouldn't have existed in any form at the time.  Still I hope they do not form an overly dogmatic obstacle to improving the system.

[jamincan]

I have to wonder if it wouldn't just be cheaper to buy the 50 members a bike that they can keep.

[danbrotherston]

I have to wonder if it wouldn't just be cheaper to buy the 50 members a bike that they can keep.

It probably would be, but it's not that simple, many of them probably lack a safe place to store a bike overnight, as well as lacking the ability/time/money to maintain one on a regular basis.

Still, it is such a small number, I have to wonder how valuable it really is.

[Section ThirtyOne]

Again guys, it’s not signed or well marked so people have no way of knowing. Not everyone is as well informed as us here on WRC.

If you approached me out of the blue, I’d probably tell you to piss off too.

[danbrotherston]

Again guys, it’s not signed or well marked so people have no way of knowing. Not everyone is as well informed as us here on WRC.

If you approached me out of the blue, I’d probably tell you to piss off too.

You wouldn't take it as useful knowledge to avoid a ticket in the future?  This is why I have little sympathy for people who get tickets--frankly, they get so many second chances.

It isn't signed, nor marked, but if one looked around at it, it should be pretty apparent what it's purpose is.  But they don't, they simply park there, because hey, of course it must be parking.  Certainly it doesn't help when there are already cars parked there, but when people are telling them, and they're reacting this way....

Honestly, when people told me that the bus stop I was waiting at was closed, I wasn't angry or swearing at them, I said, "thank you", and moved on.

[Viewfromthe42]

I was UpTown last night and indeed every inch of the segregated lanes was filled with cars. I was incensed to the point where I walked through parking lots or looked at only my side of the road's buildings to lower my emotions.

[Section ThirtyOne]

Again guys, it’s not signed or well marked so people have no way of knowing. Not everyone is as well informed as us here on WRC.

If you approached me out of the blue, I’d probably tell you to piss off too.

You wouldn't take it as useful knowledge to avoid a ticket in the future?  This is why I have little sympathy for people who get tickets--frankly, they get so many second chances.

It isn't signed, nor marked, but if one looked around at it, it should be pretty apparent what it's purpose is.  But they don't, they simply park there, because hey, of course it must be parking.  Certainly it doesn't help when there are already cars parked there, but when people are telling them, and they're reacting this way....

Honestly, when people told me that the bus stop I was waiting at was closed, I wasn't angry or swearing at them, I said, "thank you", and moved on.

Problem is, I wouldn't have taken it that way. Your example of the bus stop is very different: "did you know" vs. "thou shalt not". People see those kinds of things very differently, especially coming from a random stranger that they don't know.

As for the signage, it needs to be put in place ASAP. It is not readily apparent what that space is to be used for (and this is coming from an avid cyclist remember!), so i'm willing to bet the general public would be equally as clueless. The zillion cars parking in the space definitely doesn't help the matter.

[Viewfromthe42]

They should start reworking the Train Your Brain ION campaign about not driving on rails to be a Train Your Brain about not parking in bike lanes or putting leaves in them.