More on Toronto Transportation Cycling Infrastructure Group's call for YOUR Suggested On-street Routes and Informal Connections

As some of you may know, I have been lobbying through my Bike Mapping Wiki Project and elsewhere for several years to get the City to recognize the importance of these kind of off-arterial cycling routes - but most importantly, at every turn on this I have called for investment in these routes by the City - which I have termed 'Enabling'.

Enabling means:

• Beginning with the understanding that the infrastructure is car centric in its' essence,


• So we need to Enable off-arterial routes that cyclists are using so that the existing traffic calming infrastructure that was installed to calm CAR traffic - are Modified to enable cycling traffic - rather than impede that mode, which they - almost without exception - do (because moving cars was the dominate planning form though the period when they were applied to various problems)


• So for example - off-arterial routes that have traffic signals at major intersections are great off-arterial routes for cyclists. ..So now Enable those routes for cyclists by Modifying the phasing of traffic signals along a designated cycleway for cycling traffic rates of speed.


• Along these routes where 4-Way Stops have been installed - Modify the intersection with Stop Signs on the intersecting roadway by adding Yield Signs, with with information, "Cycleway" underneath (see diagram Example 1).


• Along good cycling routes where speed bumps are installed - Modify the speed bumps' form so it Enables a cycleway (see diagram under Example 2

Example 1: Modify 4-Way Stop intersections to enable Cycleways

So a vehicle traveling on the vertical street in my diagram (and that means ANY vehicle: car, cyclist or electric bike...) are required to stop. If they see a cyclist or group of cyclists coming they must allow them to pass before proceeding.

Pedestrians as always, have right-of-way at these intersections.

This is one example.

The idea is to make existing cultural forms already developed by users better - towards our stated policy objective of encouraging cycling - by building cyclist enabling infrastructure on parallel to arterial roadways that are efficient and safe.

Where these parallel routes are not possible, Bike Lanes should be a priority on the arterial roadway that connects neighbourhoods - and enables a commute-cycling infrastructure.

In this - the City is actually making changes on the street - taking the next step - after identifying existing cultural transportation forms.

Example 2: Modify traffic-calming Speed Bumps on residential streets to enable a Cycleway

Another example is narrowing the width of speed bumps on residential streets where Cycleways are designated by the City.

This is not as simple as it sounds. We know that where speed bumps exist now, drivers regularly run their curb-side wheels right over to the side of the street in order to allow them to cross the speed bumps at a higher rate of speed.

Narrowing their width will actually make the situation worse for cyclists by drawing more cars off arterial roadways because motorists would be able to increase their speed through these neighbourhoods; and at the same time, would draw cars into conflict with cyclists by encouraging them to drive near the curb where the enablement intended that cyclists have priority.

So now we have to think about ways to keep cars from doing this, in a way that will not hamper snow removal, for example.

Short traffic islands at the edges of narrower speed bumps would accomplish this (see diagram).







The city already has small sidewalk-width plows that they are using to plow the separated bike lanes on Sherbourne - these cycleway egress islands could be placed far enough from the curb so that these could be cleared in winter. City Transportation would have to consider whether or not these speed bump traffic islands would impede snow removal on the main section of the roadway - perhaps flexible pole mounted reflectors might need to be installed on the corners of the islands so snow plow operators could see them under snow cover --- for example.

These are just a couple of solutions that I have been on about for years. With these diagrams I hope inspire City Planners to envision new ways of enabling off-arterial Cycleway routes that cyclists have identified are good and needed, routes.

If the City decided this was a priority - and we should, there is a traffic-volume Crisis that is costing the economy of  Toronto, of Ontario, of Canada - Billions of dollars per year - projects like this should be tried in Pilot Projects in order to work out the bugs.



Michael Holloway
Bike Route Mapping Wiki: http://bikingtoronto.com/bicycleroutemappingwiki/
@Ward30Bikes

Feedback to the TTC Leslie Barns Construction Liaison Group (CLG) - Lura Consulting Representative - regarding Bicycle Construction Detours

Re: Update: Mosley and Leslie Intersection Closure

TO:

Niki Angelis
Community Outreach Officer, Leslie Barns

FROM:
Michael Holloway

Cycle Toronto advocacy group,
Ward 30 Bikes

(Cc: soda-bikes@googlegroups.com; ward_30@cycleto.ca)


Thanks Niki,

I thought that might be a City thing - thanks for forwarding my observation.

Early in the process I asked you take my email address off the planned walk-about meeting list. My situation has changed, please add me to that list once again.

More observations from my independent walk-about:

1) Intersection of Moseley and Eastern

Another observation that I noted around the area (also City Transportation, but related to the construction) is the intersection of Moseley and Eastern. I noted that there is a missing Stop Sign at the corner for motorists turning onto Eastern. There is a Stop Line there - but no Stop Sign!

From what I observed during about half an hour at that corner - people are exiting off Lake Shore and using the parking lot of FreshCo as a roadway - then exiting the parking lot onto Moseley, and then onto Eastern.

This stretch of Eastern is very dangerous particularly for pedestrians because of the chicane and the design of Eastern Avenue, which encourages very high rates of speed approaching from the west.

Many people in the immediate neighbourhood walk over to the shopping plaza and back. The missing Stop Sign must add to the confusion at an already confusing intersection of Moseley, the Plaza entrance, and the short spur leading to Eastern.

I understand that this is not a TTC issue - but the construction is making a dangerous situation there, more so - because of the increased volumes as I explained above.

The only thing that I can think of that might make the situation safer is somehow calming traffic on eastern from the west. Perhaps adding construction buoys to the street and big orange signs warning about the dangerous intersection coming up.

_____________________

2) Cyclists finding it difficult to go north/south from LDRT/MGT into and out of, the neighbourhood.

While talking with a construction detour traffic co-coordinator between the two Plazas on Leslie, I watched several cyclists using the west-side sidewalk in front of Tim Horton's as a cycle path, and then crossing over to the Loblaws Plaza, and then up into the neighbourhood (I assume). (I use the Plazas for this purpose even before construction.)

Is there a way we can encourage cycling traffic coming from the two Trail systems off the sidewalk, and especially from going through the middle of the construction zone using the Plaza Parking Lot entrances? (Parking lots are Very dangerous places for cyclists - and pedestrians.)

The only thing I can think of, is making the west side of Loblaws roadway a cycle track and creating (with construction buoys?) a separated path from the car traffic across Leslie to the FreshCo lot. I understand that Loblaws would have to do this. And it would mean that cars would be restricted to using the east-side roadway - that is also used for transport truck deliveries to the store.

I happened to notice a shift change at Loblaws while I was there - and I watched staff using the west side roadway as a sidewalk to get up to transit services on Queen in order to go to, and from work (the east-side sidewalk on Leslie is closed, and blocked).

Closing this west-side Loblaws roadway to car traffic would thus do triple duty - protecting cyclist egress into the neighbourhood; protect pedestrian staff traffic; and protect pedestrian Customers using the south entrance to the store (for unknown reasons).

Here's a Map I made - a solution for both side of Leslie Street Reconstruction:

Google Maps
"Temporary Two-Way Cycle Tracks - LDRT/MGT construction detour neighbourhood access"
by Michael Holloway

http://goo.gl/maps/5vxGE

I've also added a .jpg Image of my Google Map - published in Blogger - so safe, no viruses - 2.81 MB)

Image URL: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vDRukLHmqJA/Upgmehwq9ZI/AAAAAAAAFDM/UPW_YFxkhUk/s1600/Temporary_Two-Way_Cycle_Tracks_-_LDRT-MGT_construction_detour_neighbourhood_access.jpg

That's it for now. :)

Michael Holloway

@Ward30Bikes

Jones and Dundas

Leslieville, Toronto

C.I.P. wants to know YOUR Suggested On-street Routes and Informal Connections!

The City of Toronto Transportation "Cycling Infrastructure & Programs Unit" (C.I.P.) wants to map cycling routes that you use to avoid dangerous, grid-locked arterial roadways - or just any route that you use to move around the city.

The route you submit might be included on the 2014 City of Toronto Cycling Map!

As far as I understand it, the City wants to find out where we're riding now, so they can plan cycling routes in the future. And by including a number of informal routes on the 2014 map, they hope to see which of the routes become popular. The process will begin to make appear a crowd sourced cycling route network.

Basically, they're throwing a little catalyst into the mix to see which routes begin to become culturally significant - based on OUR route choices! (my interpolation)
[EDIT 2013-11-30 not so sure about that now - stay tuned]

Ward 30 Bikes has just recently posted a text-list of suggestions from "Problems/Opportunities Map" - the cycling routes map we've been working on over the summer.

- Can you think of any street cycling routes you'd like City Planners to know about? -

Add your route to the Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Musw4

- OR -

Comment about your route under the post (or here):
"CycleTO Ward 30 Bikes: Problems/Opportunities Map - a text-list of the entries" - http://ward30bikes.blogspot.ca/2013/11/cycleto-ward-30-bikes.html

We'll take the results with us to a December 10th Cycle Toronto meeting with City Staff.


Here's an embed of the map so you can have a look and see what we have already - decide if you want to add anything. Add a comment below desribing your route if you like - or - If you want to add your own place-mark or line, or shape - you must have a Google Account; and go to the map in Google (link above, or under the map).


View CycleTO Ward 30 Bikes: Problems/Opportunities in a larger map



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