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[Bicycles] Bike lanes and cycling infrastructure in Victoria and the south Island


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#3761 nagel

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Posted 27 April 2017 - 10:26 AM

You won't do it on Government but you would at Blanshard if it's filled with cars and you want to turn left, from southbound from the far right lane, onto the cycle track.



#3762 Mr.B

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Posted 27 April 2017 - 10:41 AM

That's almost laughable, nobody is going to do that.  Why would I blow off my light and wait?

 

l thought the same thing when l first looked at them... but just now posting them, its kinda settling in and does make sense as the safest way to make left turns onto the cycle track... l expect more confident cyclists, on not so busy cross streets, will likely make 'standard' left turns directly into the cycle track.  Which doesn't seem to be any different than a normal left turn, vehicles or bikes are still waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before turning.

 

Getting off the cycle track though, l'd say following the directions posted would be the safest way, vs. crossing bike traffic and 2-4 lanes of vehicular traffic trying to attempt a 'standard' left or right directly off the cycle track.

 

Either way, there WILL be a huge learning curve for cyclists and drivers.  Opinions of cyclists and bike lanes aside, please have some patience out there people, we're all looking to get wherever we're going in one piece. 


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#3763 Jason-L

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Posted 27 April 2017 - 10:54 AM

So can I turn right into the Mac's parking lot at Cook & Pandora, then turn right out of the Mac's parking lot onto Cook, thus bypassing this?

 

Or, more likely, just figure out how to get onto Yates, or off Pandora onto a side street above Cook to bypass as much of this as possible?



#3764 nagel

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Posted 27 April 2017 - 10:57 AM

I think you could sneak through Mac's if you were the lucky first or second car in the line and had no ethics preventing you from performing such a move.


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#3765 Jackerbie

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Posted 27 April 2017 - 11:16 AM

I looked at these and thought the same thing. Very few cyclists will know about these rules let along follow them.

 

Makes me wonder where these "rules" came from, because some of them are the same as what I'm used to in Montreal (where there a many two-way cycle tracks on one-way streets) and some are different. Notably, anything that involves crossing vehicle traffic (i.e. making a southbound turn off of the cycle track or a westbound turn onto the cycle track) is different.


Edited by Jackerbie, 27 April 2017 - 11:18 AM.


#3766 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:30 PM

I'm getting my headline ready for tomorrow:

 

Massive Failure:  Few bikes, almost no cars understand new lane rules - car traffic backed way up

 

To me, here is the largest problem... If you are inbound on Pandora and want to turn right onto any street from Cook forward (Cook, Vancouver, Quadra, Blanshard, Douglas, Government, Store etc.) you have exactly 5 seconds each light cycle to make that turn.  I counted it (you can see through all the screens now, all the lights are working).  And that's not just for you of course, it's for you and all the other cars that want to make that turn.  Right now they have all through the red and most of the green, once pedestrians are clear.

 

I'm not sure where that will be the largest problem, but I'll guess at all of Blanshard, Douglas and Government.


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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#3767 57WestHills

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:48 PM

"Massive Failure".

#VictoriaProblems
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#3768 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:49 PM

"Massive Failure".

#VictoriaProblems

 

Well, after spending $5M or whatever, if they do not work that's not good.


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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#3769 57WestHills

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:52 PM

I'm not nearly as emotional about this issue as most in this thread are.

I think there will be a learning curve. People will over react to minor problems.

Then it'll be fine.
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#3770 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:59 PM

I'm not all that emotional either.  If the lanes drive cars off of Pandora, I guess it's not the end of the world, Our Place has already ruined a large part of the street for business anyway.  Cook to Blanshard.


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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#3771 Greg

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 05:59 PM

Drivers not knowing or following the motor vehicle code, and cyclists not knowing or following the rules of the road, is not exactly new or unique with these bike lanes to be fair.


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#3772 Mike K.

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 06:24 PM

Oh geez. On Vancouver at Balmoral northbound one of the digital signs indicating the new bike lanes are in effecting starting tomorrow is obstructing a stop sign at a four-way. I watched car after car coming to a screeching halt at the last second.
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#3773 Nparker

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 06:35 PM

Safety first?  :construction:



#3774 sebberry

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Posted 30 April 2017 - 08:53 PM

After seeing the lights shining through the covers today, something just occurred to me.

 

 

Let's say you're westbound on Pandora and come up to Quadra street (any street will work, but let's use Quadra).

Now I get that the right-turning traffic has a red light while the bikes have a green.  It's obvious as to why.

It's also obvious as to why the bike lane will have a red while Quadra has green.  Can't have cyclists crossing Quadra traffic now...

 

However... 

Quadra has the green light, so obviously Pandora's through, right-turn and bike lanes all face red.  But if Quadra is clear, cars turning right from Pandora are prohibited from doing so now due to the red right-turn light.

 

I propose: 

Remove the red light for the right turning traffic from Pandora onto Quadra and replace it with a "No Right Turn" red light.  This way, when the bikes have green, the no-right turn light illuminates.  When Quadra is green, the light can go off permitting cars to safely make the formerly legal right on red if safe to do so.


Edited by sebberry, 30 April 2017 - 09:26 PM.
Got my compass backwards.

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#3775 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 05:35 AM

Early and on scene. MOST cars are failing to obey new lights.
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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#3776 Mike K.

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 05:39 AM

Don't get hit by the throngs of bicycles you're likely to encounter.

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#3777 Mike K.

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 06:00 AM

Just drove the stretch. Some vehicles stopped at the red waited a few moments, saw no bicycles and went for it. Not a single cyclist in sight.

Also there is no indication for drivers to look both ways when entering Pandora from Amelia. That's a serious safety gaff.

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#3778 shoeflack

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 06:05 AM

A couple hours into day one and the regular anti-bike crowd on the forum are already gearing up the failure headlines while parked at these interestions. Reminds me of NIMBYs who come out in force and cry foul when demolition starts to make way for a new development.

Give it some time guys. Geez.
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#3779 Mike K.

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 06:12 AM

Not having a sign on Amelia is a serious oversight. Gaffs like this SHOULD be noted as soon as possible.

The signage is a little nerve wrecking when you drive the stretch. I found myself looking at the constantly changing lights rather than focusing on the road. These are my observations, and whether they come now or a month later are valid.

The situation on that street is now too hectic. Signs everywhere, lights constantly changing and you've got the characters at Our Place wondering about. Giving it time won't change the melee.

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#3780 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 06:13 AM

A couple hours into day one and the regular anti-bike crowd on the forum are already gearing up the failure headlines while parked at these interestions. Reminds me of NIMBYs who come out in force and cry foul when demolition starts to make way for a new development.

Give it some time guys. Geez.

 

The problem is that 60 or 70% of the drivers are failing to heed the very basic street signs, from what I'm observing.  And these are likely the drivers that do this route every day.  What about the one-a-monthers?


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

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