A Blue Bike Lane

These aren't the first coloured bits of bike pavement in Toronto.

The Eglinton West bike path has red pavement over the intersections. Separates it from the sidewalk / crosswalks, and gives more visibility.

I'm curious to see this new blue lane. Seems to be an excellent idea for those conflict points.

Looks like a Photoshop job or is it just me?

photoshop or not, road paint when wet from rain or dew is very slippery.

It looks good but I hope it's a joke. That is NOT going to be cycling friendly.

Jurgen,

Why do you think it will not be cycling friendly?

According to the city of Portland Office of Transportation:

Evidence from Denmark and Montreal
A recent study in Denmark found blue to be the most visually powerful type of marking, and that at intersections marked in blue, the number of bicycle accidents decreased significantly by 38% and the number of fatalities and serious injuries were reduced by 71%. (Source: "Junctions and Cyclists" a paper presented at the Velo-Cité 1997 Conference). In addition, a 1996 study in Montreal, Quebec--the only other city in North America to use colored pavement--found the use of blue at five intersections resulted in a small but significant decrease in the number of conflicts.

And, they apparently are NOT slippery.

Are they slippery?
No. We investigated many different types of materials with the issue of slickness in mind. The paint we have used is no more slippery than normal asphalt.

-dj

Anybody know why they chose blue? European bike paths tend to be red and there's already some use of red paving at Lakeshore and Leslie.

Red, green, or yellow should be avoided in my opinion - they are colours for stop, go or caution.
Yes, we want to stop cars from wandering into bike lanes but they are also for guiding cyclists.
Blue looks fine to me.

Hey Vic,
Can you get us some pics of those red markings and tell me where they are exactly?
much obliged,
tammy

ah, good. because that thick, raised, reflective paint (which is much better in the dark and in the rain than older paints) is terribly slippery when wet.

Hey Tammy,

Here's an example:
http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2007-05-09/MD-2007-05-09-032.html
and here:
http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2007-05-09/MD-2007-05-09-033.html

They're on the Eglinton bike path at all the road intersections. At least in the newer parts anyway. The "bike" sections of the crossings are red, and the pedestrian sections are white concrete. In theory, different uses would be separate, but it doesn't seem to work so much in practice. But at least it's more of a visual clue for motorists to be careful.

Oh..and at some of the few driveway crossings:
http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2007-05-09/MD-2007-05-09-030.html

-Vic

I know they're testing the paint for durability, but it hasn't lasted too long. I ride over it every day on my way to work and I've seen it deteriorate significantly over the last week. In another couple weeks it will all be gone.

The blue product that was put down is different than paint, it 'bonds' whereas paints adhere.

Apperently, when preparing the blue product, there was some problem with the bonding agent. Staff at the city have already confirmed that the blue will be applied again at the same location, most likely in the spring. They are using this first attempt as a learning oppertunity.

I don't want to be hard on city staff about this, they are trying new things -- we want them to try! Some things will work great the first time. Others take a few tries to get right. It seem like this is one situations that didn't work the first time. Apperenlty the work crew that did was eperienced, and had done this before elsewhere. But it did not work here this time. They will be going back to the manufacturer of the product to get additional help.

While I will miss the blue, I am looking forward to it being reapplied and seeing what it's like to bike there once it is in place again.

Chicago is currently experimenting with green bike lanes in 8 locations. The material is thermoplastic, and it is not slippery to ride over. Yes, I have ridden on them! (I do not know if Toronto is using the same material or not.) Apparently green was chosen because almost all of the other colors were already taken--even though Oregon used blue, technically it is not allowed because it is a designation for handicapped spots.

Here is an article about the colored bike lanes in Chicago and what cyclists think of them:
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/out-there/21180/co...

If these green bike lanes reduce motorist/cyclist conflicts in the 8 tests areas they will be expanded throughout the city.