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


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#10201 rjag

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 06:59 AM

Here's a gem from today's TC as well

I have seen little evidence of "evaporation" in downtown Victoria since the bike lane bonanza began.

 

Of course the writer is another hard core anti-car zealot. Mr Doherty is very vocal about his position on the personal auto. However I would agree, when you effectively shut down a road by putting barriers up, then traffic does evaporate from that road...and now I'll finish the rest of his statement "....like water flowing through a pipe it seeks alternative routes such as increased traffic on lesser streets not designed for the increased volumes, such as Rockland and Stannard/Arnold. Which in turn raises the ire of those residents who are rightly justified in being concerned for safety."

 

The bike lobby, however well intentioned, are poster children for unintended consequences in their Quixotic like quest to promote for a minority at the inconvenience of everyone else. Any reasonable approach would have seen a 1 year temporary test run of this route to guage the impact and make changes where needed. But nope, full speed ahead, next is James Bay and Government St. They only have 1 year before the next election and are working feverishly like a scorched earth policy 


Edited by rjag, 19 October 2021 - 07:00 AM.

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#10202 Mike K.

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 07:11 AM

Vancouver Street traffic has most definitely evaporated, because the street is no longer a thoroughfare for vehicles. Traffic on Cook, though, is another matter.
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#10203 Nparker

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 07:15 AM

Cook Street is often in gridlock now. With more cars idling, I doubt there has been much environmental gain from the Nightmare on Vancouver Street.



#10204 Hotel Mike

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 07:31 AM

There is likely very little overall environmental gain from this Council's policies. The goal of a transportation system should be to make every mode of transportation as smooth a process as possible. There are places cars don't belong, but where they do there should be ways to make it flow properly...you know, like synchronizing the traffic lights. The 30 k/hr speed zones, and 'traffic calming', pours tons of ghg into the atmosphere. 


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Don't be so sure.:cool:

#10205 todd

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 08:28 AM

Got an electric bike a while back. First started renting them in other cities great/easy way to see a town. It’s amazing I can go further more fun and I can pace myself, accidentally crossed into a bike race recently was beating everyone. Half brother tried out for the Olympics years ago did pretty good but not good enough, now I can beat his ass. Downhill managed to get it up to according to the speedometer 69k.

 

Uncle drove motorcycles lost one and a half fingers maintaining it and one arm riding it(true story): https://youtu.be/wM8Xli2KTzI


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#10206 mbjj

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 01:55 PM

We'd been using Vancouver St. regularly for at least forty years. Now Cook is congested pretty much all of the time, so we use Fernwood to get to the other side of town. I've spoken to others in Fairfield who also use Fernwood. I'd really never used that street before. Now we're old friends. Coming home we come out onto Fort, then head up towards Joan Crescent and Rockland. Friends do likewise. I'm sure Rockland folks and those around Craigdarroch Castle are thrilled. 



#10207 On the Level

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Posted 19 October 2021 - 07:14 PM

Here's a gem from today's TC as well

...When road space is reallocated to bike routes, traffic usually “evaporates” — car volumes drop as bike riding soars...

 

"Evaporates"? Seriously? When I read crap like this it really makes me wonder the mentality.  Will they wake up one day to realize how foolish they have made themselves look in public?

 

It's this type of extremist drivel that poisons what should be a positive addition to the city's infrastructure.  What is with the constant barrage of this type of alternative thinking.   From tent cities to one pillar solutions for the mentally ill and now the bike evangelists.  What do they have in common?  They oversimplify and pretend the difficult issues or other challenges don't exist. 

 

We'll see how many cars "unevaporate" when the crappy weather takes hold.  A 6 month transportation solution for a 12 month city.  All this does is promote urban sprawl in places like the Westshore.


Edited by On the Level, 19 October 2021 - 07:15 PM.

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#10208 Sparky

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 05:02 AM

^^^ That was a good video todd, thanks for that.

#10209 Mike K.

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 06:15 AM

Yes, it’s an excellent video.

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#10210 freedom_2008

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 11:16 AM

"Evaporates"? Seriously? When I read crap like this it really makes me wonder the mentality.  Will they wake up one day to realize how foolish they have made themselves look in public?

 

Looks like “Traffic evaporation” is actually a real thing, with studies to back it up: https://en.wikipedia...inverse_effect)

 

For example, a 2002 study titled “Disappearing traffic? The story so far” examined over 70 case studies of roadspace reallocation from eleven countries (including Canada) and the collation of opinions from over 200 transport professionals worldwide. It concludes “When pedestrianisation schemes or wider pavements or cycle lanes or bus (and other priority vehicle) lanes or road closures are introduced, pre-scheme predictions of what will happen are usually excessively pessimistic. In practice, it is rare that schemes result in a significant deterioration of traffic conditions. Traffic levels can reduce by significant amounts, with the average being that perhaps 11% of the traffic on the treated road or area cannot be found in the area afterwards.”

https://nacto.org/do...ffic_cairns.pdf


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#10211 Nparker

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 11:20 AM

It may be a real thing, but my observation of the roads near the nightmare on Vancouver Street tells a different story.



#10212 Barrrister

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 12:03 PM

Some truth, we have been evaporated from either doing any shopping or eating in restaurants in Victoria. Both Oak bay and Sidney are great places to shop and eat.



#10213 A Girl is No one

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 12:11 PM

It may be a real thing, but my observation of the roads near the nightmare on Vancouver Street tells a different story.

Agreed! People aren’t even back in the office yet and traffic downtown and in the vicinity (I include Cook) have seriously deteriorated- as in perpetually congested if not gridlocked.

Maybe the studies look at the same roads a long time in the future once people have had a chance to alter their transportation habits, or Victoria’s approach was so radical that it went beyond what was studied elsewhere (we closed Vancouver & reduced lanes in some sections of Quadra and Cook.
I think we had 5 lanes going up (2 on cook, 1 on Vancouver and 2 on Quadra) and we now only have 2 full lanes. That’s a 60% drop! Thus the pain we are experiencing.

#10214 Mike K.

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:01 PM

According to Google Maps, it currently takes 9 minutes to travel from the south end of Cook Street Village (Chapman Street), to Pandora Avenue. A 1.6km distance. It's also a 21 minute walk. Transit takes 11 minutes.

 

That's pretty nutty.


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#10215 Nparker

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:05 PM

Once cars are forced to move slower than transit, success will have been achieved.



#10216 Barrrister

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:10 PM

Just took a walk down Rockland, bunch of cars seem to be doing at least 50 or 60k

and that was just over a fifteen minute period.

 

Face it, in a lot of ways Victoria is simply less livable.


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#10217 sebberry

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:19 PM

According to Google Maps, it currently takes 9 minutes to travel from the south end of Cook Street Village (Chapman Street), to Pandora Avenue. A 1.6km distance. It's also a 21 minute walk. Transit takes 11 minutes.

 

That's pretty nutty.

 

It's a 25 minute walk from Stadacona Park to The Beagle Pub for me. Not that I stop at the pub, I just keep walking to the water.  Then to the empty picnic tables.  There's usually more life further along at the 50 minute mark at the Ross Bay Cemetary.  


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Victoria current weather by neighbourhood: Victoria school-based weather station network

Victoria webcams: Big Wave Dave Webcams

 


#10218 sebberry

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:20 PM

You know, I added it up.  I've walked that route in excess of 1000km and I've never once had a close encounter with a car or felt unsafe walking near the traffic, including crossing the entrance to Picnic Point, a spot so many apparently claimed was dangerous.  


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Victoria current weather by neighbourhood: Victoria school-based weather station network

Victoria webcams: Big Wave Dave Webcams

 


#10219 Mike K.

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Posted 20 October 2021 - 01:25 PM

lol, re Ross Bay.
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#10220 On the Level

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Posted 27 October 2021 - 01:58 PM

Such a missed opportunity

 

 

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