Cycling in Waterloo Region

[cherrypark]

Love the continuous sidewalks and much of the design throughout this one. The road arrangement for calming is also really heartening to see. Will need to send a heap of praise when it's complete to the city staff. The Highland transition to Regional status at Queen is going to be a monument to the differences in approach... I am single issue against amalgamation if it means we don't keep Kitchener's planners.

[danbrotherston]

Love the continuous sidewalks and much of the design throughout this one. The road arrangement for calming is also really heartening to see. Will need to send a heap of praise when it's complete to the city staff. The Highland transition to Regional status at Queen is going to be a monument to the differences in approach... I am single issue against amalgamation if it means we don't keep Kitchener's planners.

This and so much this. Like, the current structure has problems. But so would an amalgamated city. What I do know is that KW would be a much more dangerous place to be outside of a car (or inside) if regional engineers were responsible for all our roads.

But yes, when I visit I will have to make sure send a message to Darren thanking him for his work...I'm sure he was involved with this project.

[Acitta]

Did anyone attend the virtual meeting on the Cycling Network Improvements and Expansion yesterday? I missed it.

[danbrotherston]

Is it just me, or is the region exceptionally slow at these things. I remember literally a year before I left they talked about this, CoW removed the bike lane on Columbia saying they didn't want to maintain it while they figured out how to make it permanent...three years later wer're just having a PIC about it...*sigh*.

[bravado]

Is it just me, or is the region exceptionally slow at these things. I remember literally a year before I left they talked about this, CoW removed the bike lane on Columbia saying they didn't want to maintain it while they figured out how to make it permanent...three years later wer're just having a PIC about it...*sigh*.

Yeah, they’re slow about things they don’t care about and then they call it “community input” to cover it up

[danbrotherston]

Is it just me, or is the region exceptionally slow at these things. I remember literally a year before I left they talked about this, CoW removed the bike lane on Columbia saying they didn't want to maintain it while they figured out how to make it permanent...three years later wer're just having a PIC about it...*sigh*.

Yeah, they’re slow about things they don’t care about and then they call it “community input” to cover it up

no lie detected.

[Bob_McBob]

So apparently the owner of the Waterloo Denture Clinic on the east side of Weber St at the Laurel Trail is so hostile to cyclists that they installed a literal spike trap on the corner a couple years ago.

[danbrotherston]

So apparently the owner of the Waterloo Denture Clinic on the east side of Weber St at the Laurel Trail is so hostile to cyclists that they installed a literal spike trap on the corner a couple years ago.

That's a pretty foolish thing to do...

I mean, I'm not saying it would be easy to prove intent, but if you could, I'm fairly certain that if anyone got injured as a result, the people who put that in would face a CLEAR civil personal liability to the injured party, if not a criminal liability.

[KevinL]

Just got sent this link - how to respond to anti-cycling fallacies https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/

[ac3r]

So apparently the owner of the Waterloo Denture Clinic on the east side of Weber St at the Laurel Trail is so hostile to cyclists that they installed a literal spike trap on the corner a couple years ago.

That's a pretty foolish thing to do...

I mean, I'm not saying it would be easy to prove intent, but if you could, I'm fairly certain that if anyone got injured as a result, the people who put that in would face a CLEAR civil personal liability to the injured party, if not a criminal liability.

I can't tell if you guys are joking or not. Intentional death traps to kill cyclists? Lmao.

[danbrotherston]

Just got sent this link - how to respond to anti-cycling fallacies https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/

Nice!

[Bob_McBob]

That's a pretty foolish thing to do...

I mean, I'm not saying it would be easy to prove intent, but if you could, I'm fairly certain that if anyone got injured as a result, the people who put that in would face a CLEAR civil personal liability to the injured party, if not a criminal liability.

I can't tell if you guys are joking or not. Intentional death traps to kill cyclists? Lmao.

No, I don't think they literally want to kill cyclists, but I'm sure it's clear even to you that the spikes they installed are dangerous. If it were a landscaping feature or even a literal fence it wouldn't be a problem. The intent is obvious when you drive spikes into the ground along a cycling desire path, as is the result if someone falls on them.

[ac3r]

What intent are you talking about? They're just metal posts that were put into the ground for something and never removed. They were not intentionally installed so clumsy cyclists impale themselves. And if a cyclist somehow does that they should probably put some training wheels on the bike.

And besides, they're clearly not dangerous because no cyclist has actually fallen on these and hurt themselves.

[danbrotherston]

I can't tell if you guys are joking or not. Intentional death traps to kill cyclists? Lmao.

No, I don't think they literally want to kill cyclists, but I'm sure it's clear even to you that the spikes they installed are dangerous. If it were a landscaping feature or even a literal fence it wouldn't be a problem. The intent is obvious when you drive spikes into the ground along a cycling desire path, as is the result if someone falls on them.

Ac3r is not the first to assume we make such accusations lightly. They are wrong as the earlier person was wrong.

The intent becomes even clearer when you look at the history. They were placed initially when the property owner placed a curb along the parking lot (which is clear in intent to prevent people from going from the sidewalk into the parking lot or vice versa. But then after some reconstruction was done and the grass narrowed slightly, the spikes were replaced afterwards in slightly different positions. There is only one purpose.

Again, I wouldn't make this accusation lightly. I KNOW that area, I used that path for years and I've seen the evolution. But I am not surprised to see ac3r assume I am simply a caricature of an angry cyclist assuming the world hates me (for the record, this person barely exists...I'm sure there are a few, but in most cases, cyclists are calm, rational, and know that many drivers DO hate them, based on their experience). It isn't the reason I have blocked him, but it does fit with what I know of him.

[ac3r]

Someone must have drove down the bike lane on Water Street because there's a sign that's snapped in half near the Charles Street intersection.