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(10-13-2016, 02:34 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: (10-13-2016, 01:49 PM)tomh009 Wrote: They've reduced the proposed width, yes. Still, the new trail surface will be 25% wider than the current one, which is a good thing.
I'm a frequent user (by foot) and I'm happy with even the current width, so 3m is good for me. But I mostly use the trail outside peak hours so I rarely see heavy traffic on the trail.
I'm not saying they aren't going to widen it slightly, but several sections are already 3 meters, and still feel quite narrow.
You should try using it during busy times, it's sometimes difficult to make any progress while biking, and it's only going to get worse, usage is growing quite strongly.
I think the areas I most use (from Ottawa to Gage) are 2.4m. Definitely not wide.
But I do prefer to stick with the quiet times on the trail. 
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(10-13-2016, 02:38 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Other people, are so terrified by cyclists as to literally jump off of the trail when I ding my bell going by. These people are the ones who come to meetings and tell about how terrifying and dangerous cyclists are on the trail, they're the ones who argue for banning cyclists.
I do jump whenever someone dings their bell, but it's just my natural reaction. I also try to thank cyclists for actually using their bell, and grumble under my breath at the ones that obviously have a bell and don't use it.
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...and whenever I ding my bell, I always make sure I wave and say "Thanks!" when passing a pedestrian that has moved slightly to let me pass safely. It's a two-way thing; they appreciate I let them know I'm coming, I appreciate them altering course slightly so as we can all share the trail safely.
Same with cars - I always make eye contact and wave/say thanks, and I'm 100% sure this is why I've never had an negative encounter with a vehicle. Just be friendly!
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I wonder if they are planning on using more (or all) of the bridge over the creek for trail. That silly narrow-gauge strip of track isn't really good for anything or representative of the history of the old railway that ran there (neither is the logo on the posts but whatever).
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(10-13-2016, 03:56 PM)timc Wrote: (10-13-2016, 02:38 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Other people, are so terrified by cyclists as to literally jump off of the trail when I ding my bell going by. These people are the ones who come to meetings and tell about how terrifying and dangerous cyclists are on the trail, they're the ones who argue for banning cyclists.
I do jump whenever someone dings their bell, but it's just my natural reaction. I also try to thank cyclists for actually using their bell, and grumble under my breath at the ones that obviously have a bell and don't use it.
There are some people who are surprised, but there are others who literally turn around and run off the trail, and then stand and wait for me to pass.
Honest, this is why if it's a single person, walking to the right, I don't ding, there's enough room to safely pass in that case.
And like I said, I've been at the meetings, some people are very uncomfortable being passed by a cyclist. The only thing that can fix this is more space.
@Canard I get honked at all the time just for riding down the street on the sharrows. Do you not consider that a negative interaction with a car?
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(10-13-2016, 04:28 PM)clasher Wrote: I wonder if they are planning on using more (or all) of the bridge over the creek for trail. That silly narrow-gauge strip of track isn't really good for anything or representative of the history of the old railway that ran there (neither is the logo on the posts but whatever).
That bridge is set to be widened; that would be easily done by removing the rail section, so I think you have correctly tapped into their intentions.
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Are we talking about the bridge behind Victoria Park? If so, aww, I like going across that bridge as-is.
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(10-13-2016, 03:56 PM)timc Wrote: (...) and grumble under my breath at the ones that obviously have a bell and don't use it.
Including the electric scooters, which are often quieter than bicycles.
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...which shouldn't be on any trails, period.
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Electric mopeds are dangerous, easy to get them up to 30km/h and they are way heavier than a bike rider. At least gasoline mopeds required a valid license and insurance, and you can hear them coming.
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Not to mention that the typical Chinese E-Scooter rider is typically completely ignorant of not only trail etiquette but also the rules of the road.
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I didn't know we were talking about mopeds. There are several kinds of vehicle that are called scooters, and I feel like we might be talking about different things.
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Talking about the "E-Scooters" that are styled to look like gasoline scooters but have superficial pedals to circumvent a loophole in the law that allows those with DUI's to still ride something resembling a road vehicle. And they're totally unlicensed, uninsured, and disobey about every law you can think of.
(Yep, I'm stereotyping, because 100% of them that I've seen behave this way.)
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(10-14-2016, 04:41 PM)Canard Wrote: Talking about the "E-Scooters" that are styled to look like gasoline scooters but have superficial pedals to circumvent a loophole in the law that allows those with DUI's to still ride something resembling a road vehicle. And they're totally unlicensed, uninsured, and disobey about every law you can think of.
(Yep, I'm stereotyping, because 100% of them that I've seen behave this way.)
Yeah, the existing laws for gasoline mopeds would have worked perfectly fine to regulate these vehicles and keep them on the road but misguided greenwashing led the ministry to let them be treated like bicycles... people driving them thinks that means they can ride them anywhere bicycles can go.
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