Cycling in Waterloo Region

[danbrotherston]

I wish they would experiment with the Copenhagen-style of bike line here in Waterloo Region. It has a number of advantages: being inside the parking lane (and also typically having a reasonable buffer between parked cars and the bike lane) reduces the risk of dooring, being inside of the parking lane and having a curb in other situations reduces the chances of vehicles parking in the bike lane, and being inside the parking lane provides separation from car traffic making the lane feel safer.

Whenever I ride on Margaret, I kind of wish they had tried something like this. Keeping the bike lane along the curb seems like a nicer idea than going out and around the empty parking spaces.

I don't think it would work with a painted bike lane.  I don't think drivers would be comfortable parking 1.5 meters out from the curb, just because there's a line there, I think they'd just park in the bike lane.  Further, you really need more space for such an arrangement because there needs to be a buffer for doors, and obstructions in the gutter.  the other problem is because you are behind cars, there needs to be a buffer between parked cars and driveways, so that turning vehicles have a chance to see you, and that isn't possible with a street lined with homes.

I'm frequently torn on these issues, but I do think some things aren't really worth doing unless they're done right.  It leads to infrastructure which doesn't get used, and that just gives people another argument against putting in more infrastructure.  That being said, in that regard, I don't know if a wandering painted bike lane is worse than the situation that would occur with the bike lane at the curb.