09-12-2016, 12:36 AM
(09-11-2016, 10:35 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(09-10-2016, 12:28 PM)tomh009 Wrote: I have no inside knowledge ... but I suspect the rationale for the "please dismount" signs is that some people blow through, across the street, without stopping or looking. As usual (and this is not just cycling), most people behave rationally, but it only takes a few people with bad behaviour to trigger a rules clampdown.
It isn't a rule. There isn't a crosswalk at most of the trail crossings, thus, there's no legal requirement for cyclists to dismount.
And if cyclists flying out into roads *was* a problem, which I'm not necessarily agreeing it is (frankly, I don't recall ever hearing about anyone being hit at a trail intersection recently), the sign to put to stop this is a stop sign.
Nobody has ever asked car drivers to get out of their cars and push them across an intersection. Because that would just be ridiculous.
The "cyclists dismount" signs are suggested as a bad practice by the Ontario design guides for many good reasons. I also see them as a complete surrender for bike infrastructure. Basically saying "we can't or won't build safe infrastructure, so you might as well give up."
As my message says, it's just a "please dismount" sign rather than a rule. I am merely speculating on the rationale.
Most people wouldn't be able to physically push a car (any car, let alone a SUV) across the intersection so let's just drop that comparison.