11042 replies to this topic

[DustMagnet]

Back from the actual wilderness and into the internet wilderness...

Calgary drivers beware: new safe passing bylaw to take effect as of Sept. 1

https://globalnews.c...-passing-bylaw/

 

 

As of Sept. 1, drivers in Calgary will be subject to a new safe passing bylaw that requires at least one metre of space be given when passing a cyclist when travelling at speeds below 60 km/h.

 

The passing distance is then extended to 1.5 metres if the speed limit is over 60 km/h.

 

Speaking with Global News Morning on Monday, Andrew Sedor with the City of Calgary said the new bylaw is in line with what other provinces are doing.

 

“The majority of Canadian provinces have this rule, and the majority of U.S. states have this rule,” Sedor said.

As far as I know, British Columbia is in the minority when it comes to passing distances enshrined in law...

As expected, the FB comments are mostly, "But her emails cyclists don't follow laws so why should motorists?"   

Also, now that I am back I really need to go try out the Wharf St. bike lanes to see how much of a disaster it is first-hand.  The comment I saw above about how it's not very fast because of all the crossings/wandering pedestrians is kind of par for the course - these aren't express lanes by any stretch of the imagination.  When I ride on the Pandora or Fort lanes it's leisurely as you keep your speed low and eyes open for all sorts of interactions, not unlike driving downtown.

[SamCB]

I've been using the wharf bike lane since it opened. My assessment is that it's slow, but safe. Which makes sense given how this road is currently used-- mostly tourist traffic, casual sauntering pedestrians wandering about, cyclists stopping on the side of the bike lane to take photos of the harbour, etc. Even before the bike lane existed, nobody would consider Wharf a high speed thoroughfare.

 

As a cyclist my main complaint is the bike lane isn't big enough. There's no room to pass, the 'turning lane' at Fort is virtually nonexistent and I often see packs of cyclists waiting to turn backed up into the bike lane. Overall it's pretty congested -- which is a good problem to have I guess. 

 

But these are minor complaints. For cyclists, the bike lane is a nice improvement compared to Wharf before.

[Brantastic]

Yes, for me, it's a huge improvement, but has its flaws. The slip lane light remains a problem. Drivers often don't realize there's a red light and pass on straight through past the crosswalk and past their stop line, right into the bike lane. I had a green bike light at this crossing once but had to stop quickly for a car that came right through her red light. I pointed to the red light and the woman in the car gave me an angry look as if I had done something wrong. The slip lane is not intuitive for pedestrians either as pedestrians typically have the right of way while crossing a slip lane, but not in this case. I stood and watched several light cycles at the slip lane one day and found pedestrians who weren't paying attention would often attempt to cross and motorists with a green light were unsure whether to stop or not. I say get rid of the slip lane all together. The intersection is complicated enough as it is. 

There is an extremely narrow section in front of the VR Hotel. I haven't had an issue with the width anywhere else in the bike network but it is definitely too narrow here. 

I do wish the green bike crossings at Fort Street and at Government Street had bike symbols on them. Tourists seem confused as to what they are and frequently try to use them as crosswalks. It can also be a bit of a challenge to time your crossing at Government/Wharf as bike traffic moves with pedestrians and when the cruise ships are in, the crowds are a bit big to get through. Otherwise I think the pedestrian realm at this intersection is a massive improvement and I love the scramble crosswalk.

Contrary to popular opinion here, I also really like the ping pong plaza. My friends and I played here for awhile after we watched a movie at the Odeon, but we had to wait our turn. Lots of people stopped to watch. The intersection feels much more comfortable to cross now as a pedestrian and the plaza makes a smooth transition for cyclists between the bike lanes and the quieter shared-use Humboldt Street.

The pedestrian crossings along Wharf are all improved, though as a cyclist, the frequency of stopping and starting for pedestrians crossing is higher here than at the other bike lanes. I really don't mind though as SamCB said, this is a scenic route which is nice to slowly meander rather than rushing through.

I can't wait until the two Wharf Street parking lots are redeveloped by the city (though I know it might be a long wait) so that the vehicle crossings here can be reduced in frequency and the sidewalks along Wharf can be widened. 

Overall, I think there are a few design issues but I think it's a huge improvement for cyclists and pedestrians and wouldn't trade it for the old Wharf Street in a million years.

[Mike K.]

There is no signage alerting drivers to a traffic change. If you’ve been using that slip lane for 30 years and suddenly without warning it changes that should be communicated well before the driver approaches the intersection. But it’s not.

[DustMagnet]

They removed parking spots to build bike lanes and now cyclists need... parking spots.

 

Bike parking at a premium in Victoria

https://www.vicnews....um-in-victoria/

 

 

"Too often, the responses suggest the threat of bike theft and lack of secure parking keep people from cycling downtown, said..." some guy with the GVCC, go on guess who it was - you'll never guess.

[DustMagnet]

There is no signage alerting drivers to a traffic change. If you’ve been using that slip lane for 30 years and suddenly without warning it changes that should be communicated well before the driver approaches the intersection. But it’s not.

 

That is pretty dumb.  Most places with a change have warning signs posted for months.

[rmpeers]

I'm thinking it's not the greatest idea to confuse people. Or is this the messy thing the mayor was talking about.

[LJ]

The passing distance is then extended to 1.5 metres if the speed limit is over 60 km/h.

 

So if you are going 70 in a 60 zone you're good to pass with 1 meter.

Edited by LJ, 27 August 2019 - 07:26 PM.

[zoomer]

https://twitter.com/...8643319808?s=21

Company blocks bike plan - Louise Hartland is on the case!

[DustMagnet]

https://twitter.com/...8643319808?s=21

Company blocks bike plan - Louise Hartland is on the case!

 

So they think the Wharf St. bike lanes are garbage?

 

You know that quote about attributing to malice or incompetence?  I really don't know how to call this one.

[rmpeers]

The more I read about the Wharf lanes in particular, the more I suspect that what they really should be doing is having an objective party assess the designs before starting construction. I.e., someone who isn't so invested that they can't see the forest for the trees. Someone who might say, "actually this design won't be wide enough to accomodate buses," or just "this is going to cause confusion."

[Mike K.]

And “refuse bins will block the cycling lanes.”

[sebberry]

Where else do you put the trash bins so they can be picked up? 

[aastra]

How do they do it in Europe?

[Nparker]

How do they do it in Europe?

Europe has no trash. All of its trash emigrated to North America decades ago.

[Rob Randall]

How do they do it in Europe?

 

A lot of places like Paris they don't use the huge metal dumpsters like we do. And the narrow one-way bike paths are often well-separated on streets with big sidewalks and boulevards. So the bins don't end up on the paths. 

[GaryOak]

A lot of cities in Europe use in ground dumpsters

[On the Level]

In ground dumpsters?  Everyone has their own mini Hartland Landfill?

[Mike K.]

The CRD has yet to publish its cycling count data for May of 2019. Over the last several years cycling data has been published by May and October.

 

Corey or anyone else, do we know when the May data will be made available?

[Coreyburger]

The CRD has yet to publish its cycling count data for May of 2019. Over the last several years cycling data has been published by May and October.

 

Corey or anyone else, do we know when the May data will be made available?

 

Nope