And sometimes, a simple email works
On Sept. 6, I emailed Adam Vaughn's office asking if bike dots could be installed on Wells, at Bathurst, so that cyclists wouldn't have to go up on the sidewalk to push the button to change the lights. I got a prompt reply, and a follow-up email on Oct. 15 letting me know that the dots would be put in. Yesterday (Oct. 23), the dots were there. I'm sure the cyclist behind me at the interesection thought I was a little weird - when I saw the dots I actually gasped and started grinning like I'd just found a hundred dollar bill. I never actually expected a single email to work! I'm feeling empowered. :^)
Now let's see what happens to my request that the stopping line for cars on Bathurst be moved up North of Olive, since southbound cars on Bathurst invariably block the intersection when they're stopped at a red light, so that cyclists have to squeeze between them to get from Wells to Olive.
For now, though, I'll just enjoy my bike dots.
What is a "bike dot"?
I have a pretty good imagination, so I think I know what a bike dot is, but please describe one, since it's probably not half as cool as I imagine (a button, with a cyclist logo on it, embedded in the right shoulder of the pavement where it would be difficult for a motorist to hit, that you 'run over' with your bike tire, thus signaling the light to change just like a pedestrian crossing button does).
Thanks, from a Winnipeg (commuter) cyclist
Here in Toronto, for many years, Transportation/Works has put three white dots on the road at lighted intersections. These are placed at "on demand" lights, that is you'll normally approach them and they'll be red. As a pedestrian you'd push a button, wait briefly for the change, and proceed on the walk signal. There are also induction loops embedded in the road to sense the mass of metal you're dragging around with you when driving a car. The white dots are placed over the induction wires, and the sensitivity has been adjusted so that it will sense a bicycle when the bike is over these white dots.
Different municipalities do the same thing, but use different symbols on the road to indicate the correct bike position. In many cases you can see the cut-lines where the wires we=here installed, usually a box shape (square/rectangle) at the intersection that's been filled in with soft tar. If the sensitivity has been adjusted correctly, the presence of a bike will cause the light to change if you bike is over the wire. If not, the light is considered to be 'broken' and you may treat this broken light as a stop sign, that is come to a full and complete stop, and then proceed when it is safe to do so. However you should tell the municipality about the 'broken' light so that they can fix it.
Hope this explanations helps you.
See page 9 of this report (Appendix A, page 1, Chapter 4, Bicycle Friendly Streets)
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2005/agendas/committees/wks/wks050629/it023.pdf