Cycling in Waterloo Region

[danbrotherston]

[jamincan]

I was just reviewing the report on the bollards in bike lanes and noticed this tidbit:

In addition to
continuous bollards on the west side (where there is no parking), bollards would also be
installed at key locations on the east side (at the start and end of parking areas) to
reduce encroachments by parked vehicles into the bike lane.

It seems they are only recommending bollards on the east side where parking starts and ends? Instead of reducing encroachment, why not eliminate it entirely?!

It's on Page 11 of the report.

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Cou...f5010a1035

[Canard]

Thank you so much for posting that report!

I want a combo, conisting these three features!

   

• The green stripe separating the Bike Lane from the sidewalk, to discourage pedestrian encroachment
  
• Hash marks to get drivers to keep close to the centre of the road, and make a visual demarcation that they cannot move through or into this area
  
• The little lumpy bollards! These are brilliant, do everything that the flex bollards would do, except have far less of a visual impact. I'd actually argue these would work better from a technical aspect than a flex bollard, since they cover more area and are virtually impossible for vehicles to pass. A flex bollard you can drive over or through if you want.
  

[clasher]

I like the little bumpy ones too, they will hopefully be similar in size to standard curb. I wouldn't mind if they just lagged them right to the roll curb instead of narrowing the bike lane by 30cm.

[Canard]

[Canard]

Just had a lengthy chat with bylaw about this. They swung by and said they saw nothing wrong. I reiterated that there was significant encroachment and he kept saying he couldn’t issue tickets because of the weather. I volunteered to meet up with him to show him the problem and he declined (I would normally never do this).

He said he’d take another look.

[jwilliamson]

The section of the report on the separated bike lanes has a map showing existing bike lanes in the study area. (Page 98) It shows a bike lane on Bridgeport between the Laurel Trail and King. I don't believe that lane is properly signed or painted, and had previously thought it was a painted shoulder, not a bike lane.

[ijmorlan]

Just had a lengthy chat with bylaw about this. They swung by and said they saw nothing wrong. I reiterated that there was significant encroachment and he kept saying he couldn’t issue tickets because of the weather. I volunteered to meet up with him to show him the problem and he declined (I would normally never do this).

He said he’d take another look.

What’s the weather got to do with it? How stupid.

And by the way, I had been thinking of writing a post in which I said that due to parked cars separating the bike lane from the motor vehicle lane, bollards along the entire east side was probably overkill.

I hereby retract that thought in its entirety. Closely-spaced bollards should be installed along the entire length, both sides.

Thanks for keeping up the pressure with solid factual evidence combined with a good dose of healthy outrage and indignation.

[danbrotherston]

Just had a lengthy chat with bylaw about this. They swung by and said they saw nothing wrong. I reiterated that there was significant encroachment and he kept saying he couldn’t issue tickets because of the weather. I volunteered to meet up with him to show him the problem and he declined (I would normally never do this).

He said he’d take another look.

What’s the weather got to do with it? How stupid.

And by the way, I had been thinking of writing a post in which I said that due to parked cars separating the bike lane from the motor vehicle lane, bollards along the entire east side was probably overkill.

I hereby retract that thought in its entirety. Closely-spaced bollards should be installed along the entire length, both sides.

Thanks for keeping up the pressure with solid factual evidence combined with a good dose of healthy outrage and indignation.

Glad you re-assessed.  I'd argue bike lane encroachment is actually more frequent on the parking side...if probably less dangerous.

[Spokes]

Just had a lengthy chat with bylaw about this. They swung by and said they saw nothing wrong. I reiterated that there was significant encroachment and he kept saying he couldn’t issue tickets because of the weather. I volunteered to meet up with him to show him the problem and he declined (I would normally never do this).

He said he’d take another look.

If this is true, someone should be fired.  For the record, this can't be true.

[danbrotherston]

Just had a lengthy chat with bylaw about this. They swung by and said they saw nothing wrong. I reiterated that there was significant encroachment and he kept saying he couldn’t issue tickets because of the weather. I volunteered to meet up with him to show him the problem and he declined (I would normally never do this).

He said he’d take another look.

If this is true, someone should be fired.  For the record, this can't be true.

It probably is though, bylaw (and WRPS) is nothing if not conservative in when they give out fines. Bylaw also refuses to give out a fine if there's any suggestion that a sign is missing, hidden, out of spec, or just ... some other excuse.

This is why I'm so sour on bylaw...their entire purpose seems to be to try and shut up people...I cannot imagine how it would feel to have this little confidence in the law and law enforcers for your entire life, instead of just transportation...it must be terrifying.

[ijmorlan]

Glad you re-assessed.  I'd argue bike lane encroachment is actually more frequent on the parking side...if probably less dangerous.

It’s what I do. I had observed numerous encroachments on the west side, but I wasn’t aware that cars were parked wrong on the east side. If the parked cars were always parked correctly I think my original opinion would be valid but that turns out not to be the case.

[Spokes]

Plan for bollards along uptown Waterloo bike lane approved

Bollards will be added along King Street in uptown Waterloo to keep cars out of the recently installed bike lanes.

Parking in the bike lanes has been an issue since the bike lanes were completed last summer, the first phase of roadway improvements along King Street.

The original design had designated but not physically divided areas for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, which proved to cause some crossover by people and cars into the bike lanes.


Vehicles parked and stopped in the bike lanes in particular are creating problems for cyclists, forcing them onto the sidewalk or street on the stretch from the Ion tracks north to Bridgeport Road.
...
The regional staff recommendation to install a physical barrier in the form of flexible bollards spaced three to four metres apart to keep vehicles out of the bike lane was approved at Tuesday's committee meeting. Additional signs will also be added to mark the pedestrian and cyclist pathways.

Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky commended the solution to make cycling safer and more attractive in the uptown by making it clear to motorists where they shouldn't be.

"People seem to have no problem parking in a bike lane," Jaworsky said. "People need to have bollards, apparently, to stop them."

Coun. Geoff Lorentz asked if it would be better to have more permanent barriers to deter motorists, rather than flexible bollards that drivers would soon learn are not much of a deterrent.
...
Saunderson said staff did consider rigid bollards, but those would be wider and need a more substantial in-ground base.

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/918...-approved/

[jamincan]

So what's the story about whether they'll be alongside the parking zones or not?

[danbrotherston]

So what's the story about whether they'll be alongside the parking zones or not?

They did say in the meeting (but not in the report) that they would be every six meters.  Seems fine to me, I think, I simply don't trust the region to get it right unless they explicitly say it, which they now have .