Bike Banter: Tandem Talks Takes the Bloor East Bike Lanes! Episode 1

[@keeblebrox]

I think a lot about crossing on pedestrian signals, and I think you articulated the issue well. Drivers seem to be upset any time I cross with an advanced pedestrian signal, but by doing so I'm out of their way sooner. Can't win sometimes.

[@keeblebrox]

15:48 Toronto waters down every transportation and recreation proposal to preserve as much space for cars as it can, it's exhausting-pun intended. Car free Kensington and car free High Park! Let's goooo. Two perfect places for Toronto to install some retractable bollards to allow emergency and delivery vehicles through.

[@Frostbiker]

9:06 I completely agree that bicycles should be able to follow pedestrian advance signals. They exist because pedestrians are vulnerable at crossings, and so are cyclists, so the same argument should apply. I hope the law will be updated soon.

[@urbane-cyclist]

It's very interesting to see where bikes are legally! In accordance with the Highway Traffic Act, we're categorized as a motor vehicle, and have the same laws as cars. But it sometimes feels like we get none of the same privileges! And we are also, in practice, vulnerable road users, since we are highly vulnerable when using the road. But we don't get any of those protections, either! It often feels like we occupy an area with many legal contradictions, and have to be on our absolute best behaviour at all times in order to not receive punishment... But still draw ire at all times, from all sides!

[@keeblebrox]

10:47 The Bike Lane Commerce Bonus in action! You love to see it 😂

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

These are the Danforth bike lanes? They are some of the most beautiful bike routes in the city.

[@urbane-cyclist]

Yes, the video starts with us riding East from St George past the Don valley and along Danforth to Carlaw and looped back. The return footage was mixed in on the latter portion of the video to save time. No substantial difference other than the closure around where we started!

[@Frostbiker]

16:17 Yes! Sidewalks are entirely inadequate around commercial areas like Yonge, Bloor, etc. Some of those places should not allow private vehicles at all; just lightweight commercial vehicles for deliveries, transit, bikes and pedestrians. But somehow in North America the idea of banning private vehicles on some streets is some sort of a violation of a sacred unwritten entry in the Bill of Rights.

[@troydonaldson]

I've been biking in the city for 10 years and I always proceed with the pedestrian signal. It's much safer. It should be law along with the Idaho stop. I'm kind of surprised Olivia Chow hasn't made it happen yet.

[@urbane-cyclist]

It's unfortunate, but you definitely CAN be ticketed for this! No one SHOULD for this, but it's still not law unfortunately!

[@raymonddaviau4502]

You ever watch on U tube Zero Enigma? How he handles people in the bike lane? 🤣

[@urbane-cyclist]

No comment 😉

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

Protected Intersection at Bloor St George. It looks like construction started on this long delayed project. So many other streets are suitable for protected intersections. There are more than 5 different kinds of protected intersections. What are they, what are advantages of each?

[@urbane-cyclist]

I think your comment deserves a bigger answer then I can easily provide here. It really depends on how various protected intersections are implemented and designed. The other factor is likely the "safest" versions of these intersections are unfamiliar enough that I would argue they can become *less safe* since they are SO different than the infrastructure that we are accustomed to both as drivers and cyclists.

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

You must have seen the intersections on University Avenue. These jogs are prep for cyclists more than for drivers. Then the 2 junctions, Eglinton/Jane and the one tucked away near Keele/Finch (Murray Ross Parkway/Evelyn Wiggins Drive/Columbia Gate)

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

CafeTO is aclever way to promote cycling. When the border is installed for patios, they don’t take up the whole lane. They leave space for an unintended bike lane, by design. Merchants need to choose between one or two car parking spaces (for their customers) vs more dining space. When just one merchant chooses a patio, the lane no longer functions as a car travel lane. Plus, the patio makes a bike lane by default. These are often the same merchants who railed against bike lanes because they felt they needed more space for cars.

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

A well designed protected intersection would be user friendly. Many cities (ie Guelph, Ottawa) installed ones people get confused about how to use. I’m not totally against making designs that are sub optimal. I nonetheless call them mistakes. They say in downhill skiing, if you’re not falling, you’re not learning. And a lot of incredible new ideas start off as what we call mistakes. Also, I want the decision makers (street designers) to get experience.

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

Something key to protected intersections is for traffic planners and advocates to have a more full understanding of them, the different kinds, issues like user friendliness, etc. When the Bloor St George protected intersection is installed, a lot of video bloggers will create video of people using this intersection. They will get reaction from drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, AAA users, children, novice adult and teen cyclists, groups of cyclists going through, peak flow times and congestion, etc. Plus, the city will do its own surveying and monitoring. Then comes the projections of other kinds of protected intersection designs and what other city junctions these would be suited for. It may lead to discussion about outrage from residents and merchants about bike lanes in general because it’s out of the comfort zone of most drivers, not just the street designs but the general concept that drivers don’t get all the care and attention of traffic planners. There is a psychologist who coined the phrase flip your lid to describe people losing self control (and regaining it). Cycling advocates will always make tiny gains installing bike lanes if we don’t figure out how to talk with people who have left their comfort zone and need quick pointers on how to talk in these circumstances. The brand new bidirectional bike lanes on Eglinton, Weston Rd to Jane, is the most recent source of tension for drivers.

[@markifi]

when you point at the single file sign it may get misinterpreted as signalling right

[@urbane-cyclist]

In context...there's no where to go so I think we are fine! We are only sharing the lane because the right lane is **completely closed** for construction.

[@markifi]

yes@@urbane-cyclist fair enough. i've got told off once on a road ride for pointing out a pothole on the side when there was a car trying to turn in front of us. no emergency happened that time, but they told me in this case the usual pothole pointy thing doesn't apply. this is where the comment came from.

[@urbane-cyclist]

I mean...everyone likes to tells cyclists how to do stuff regardless of how right we do it. "your riding too fast" **riding exactly the speed limit** "you rang your bell at me" "you didn't ring your bell" "you indicated wrong" "you didn't indicate" "stay in the bike lane" **parks in the bike lane** Water off a ducks back ;)

[@adey88splace]

That area between your start point until parliament is a disaster area. I avoid it all costs.