Trails

[plam]

Some observations from along the Laurel Trail today:
2)    Other than the new bridge, what exactly is complex about this project that is going to take 6 months to complete? There is no asphalt to rip out. There are no utilities to unearth and replace. The area is already wired for electricity (maybe upgrading that?). Shouldn’t it just be grade and pave?

There is winter, but still.

I've tried to ask why the Central Promenade going from Laurel Trail east towards Albert has been signed closed all summer (both via PingStreet and via email to Councillor Durrell) but have no answers. There is no obvious reason it should be closed.

An observation from the IHT today:
3)    The trail was reopened by tonight, but it is currently a mixture of loose sand and gravel so be aware of that hazard if you are travelling that stretch.

Was still like that yesterday. Not ideal.

[danbrotherston]

The loose gravel is a hazard, and should have been compacted.  It looks like the trail will be much improved in that area, I'm not really willing to complain given that roadways would also be left as (compacted) gravel during construction.

However, it is a bit annoying, seeing that it is closed this morning again, that they have once again blocked the road access.  I would be willing to bet money that whoever put the sign up believes that cyclists should be on the sidewalk, for whatever reason.

   

[rangersfan]

The Laurel trail through UW (section from the Ion station to University Ave) was randomly barricaded off and put under construction this afternoon. I didn't see any notification for this work.

[plam]

The Laurel trail through UW (section from the Ion station to University Ave) was randomly barricaded off and put under construction this afternoon. I didn't see any notification for this work.

It was open for my commute around 5pm today.

[rangersfan]

It was open from the University entrance this morning but the barricade was still up on the section near the Ion station. Lots of dirt has been added or moved on both sides of the trail.

[Pheidippides]

Completely agree with what you're saying, I just got back from a ride with the kids in the cargo bike and almost got right hooked here. We were going about 7 km/h at the time, so it's not like our speed was the major cause. I made eye contact with the driver as he was about to turn - maybe he was expecting me to dismount and cross... I commented to my wife that if we'd been hit, I'd probably be blamed for riding in a crosswalk. Feels like entrapment to me.

I am sure we have all had an off moment when we aren't paying attention enough or see a pedestrian or cyclist at the last moment, but to knowingly see someone and proceed anyway - that should an attempted murder charge (if there were only a way to prove intent).

I hope there is a special place in h-e-double-hockey-sticks for drivers who make eye-contact and STILL choose to proceed knowing that they do not have the right-of-way, just like drivers on a sidewalkless road who give a parked vehicle a wide berth, but a pedestrian they literally try to run off the road valuing metal over flesh.

[Canard]

I guess I'll be in the minority here and say I actually like the Caroline MUT very much. I just never know how to "Get onto it" when coming off the IHT. I'm never quite sure what to do at Caroline/Allen. Usually there's no traffic around so I just make a decision at that point if if I just go or not.

It's best at rush hour, too - when Caroline gets very backed up. I used to ride along the road on Caroline, but after getting stopped in bumper to bumper traffic (I refuse to "split the lane" or whatever and be one of those people who squeezes up the side like a dick - hate that as a driver, so I refuse to do it as a cyclist - totally unsafe), I now always ride on the MUT. Problem solved!

[highlander]

I guess I'll be in the minority here and say I actually like the Caroline MUT very much.  I just never know how to "Get onto it" when coming off the IHT.  I'm never quite sure what to do at Caroline/Allen.  Usually there's no traffic around so I just make a decision at that point if if I just go or not.

It's best at rush hour, too - when Caroline gets very backed up.  I used to ride along the road on Caroline, but after getting stopped in bumper to bumper traffic (I refuse to "split the lane" or whatever and be one of those people who squeezes up the side like a dick - hate that as a driver, so I refuse to do it as a cyclist - totally unsafe), I now always ride on the MUT.  Problem solved!

I'm never on Caroline during rush hour, but if the option were to sit in traffic or take the MUT, yes I'd probably choose the MUT.

What I don't like are just the normal problems with MUTs - conflicts with pedestrian traffic if it is anything but very light, and intersection design that technically requires cyclists to dismount. This is what I was getting at before - if a cyclist rides through the crosswalk and gets hit by a driver, they will be at fault for riding in a crosswalk. And yet there are 6 intersections in about 700m of trail, so the vast majority of cyclists will not dismount every time.

Also I think particularly right at the ION station they've underestimated the potential traffic on the MUT. I expect there will often be cyclist-pedestrian conflicts here.

As far as getting on from the IHT, I suggest getting on from Freemont, Norman or Fullerton rather than trying to turn onto the crosswalk at the lights at Allen. In my opinion there's less chance for confusion plus the jog in the MUT at Allen is awkward anyways.

[Canard]

Jog? It starts at Allen, does it not?

[ijmorlan]

Jog? It starts at Allen, does it not?

No, I believe it starts at Erb and Caroline and runs down through Kitchener. Formerly it was continuous, except that I’m not clear what its status was on Caroline north of William. Now with the ill-planned 144 Park development, it has a gap which will be replaced by a jog.

[danbrotherston]

Jog? It starts at Allen, does it not?

No, I believe it starts at Erb and Caroline and runs down through Kitchener. Formerly it was continuous, except that I’m not clear what its status was on Caroline north of William. Now with the ill-planned 144 Park development, it has a gap which will be replaced by a jog.

I think the "jog" that is referred to in the original post is the unnecessary and problematic swoop that occurs right at Freemont St.  The trail swoops several meters inward from the road, rather sharply, for no real reason.  It's kind of sharp for cyclists, especially heading downhill and over curbs.

It's not a big problem, but it is hard to see why anyone would have built it that way, it seems to have no purpose except to be a minor inconvenience and reduction in safety.  For a long time, it looks like it was making room for more parking.

Just one more example where it's apparent the designer was not thinking about cycling.  Of course, nowhere near as bad as the truly terrible MUT on Weber St., but probably busier.

[highlander]

Yeah, I just meant the curve in the trail. It just seems to make things a bit more awkward, especially if there happen to be pedestrians waiting at the corner.

   

[Canard]

But the MUT doesn't continue toward Kitchener any further than Allen/Caroline. It just ends there.

[Viewfromthe42]

Currently that is the case, but the (oft-maligned) new route will continue along Caroline until the north side of the SunLife parking garage, and then it will go in a 7 or 9m-wide gap between the parking garage and the 155 Caroline development (actual paved width likely to be closer to typical width), so it will eventually reconnect to the IHT at Park.

[danbrotherston]

It also has the reverse jog at Fremont Street.