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What is wrong with the Jarvis bike lane?

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Tue, 07/05/2011 - 08:48 by herb

http://vimeo.com/25991149

Video shooting and editing by Lisa Logan (a big thanks Lisa!). Herb of I Bike TO and Lisa are asking the questions. Produced for the Toronto Cyclists Union and the Save Jarvis campaign. Join the Bike Union and come out on July 12 and 13 to raise your voice in support of bike lanes in Toronto!

Tags: 
urban planning
traffic
city hall
bike safety
bike infrastructure
advocacy

Comments

Random cyclist (not verified)

Thanks for creating this,

Tue, 07/05/2011 - 10:09

Thanks for creating this, Lisa et al.

Random cyclist (not verified)

People voting to remove the

Tue, 07/05/2011 - 11:02

People voting to remove the bike lane need to remember that not all cyclists will stop driving on Jarvis just because there is no bike lane. That means drivers of cars will need to share their lanes with cyclists, who have the right to the entire lane.

The lady who commented that cyclists need to obey the rules of the road "like we do" (i.e. cars) has a point, but forgets the fact that as many car drivers ignore the rules of the road as cyclists. There are bad drivers all around (and bad pedestrians, too, to complicate matters!)

Having a separate bike lane is a first step. Having segregated bike lanes, like they have in Montreal, would be great! (Then we wouldn't have cars driving in them to get around traffic... )

herb

We were truly surprised that

Tue, 07/05/2011 - 14:51

We were truly surprised that every driver but the one woman supported the bike lanes! Even I had bought into the rhetoric to some extent and supposed that many drivers on Jarvis would start blaming the bike lanes and cyclists for their congestion. Yet it wasn't true at all!

That lonely woman driver comes off looking vindictive. She would rather punish all cyclists for the sins of some, rather than think of how to create safety for cyclists.

locutas_of_spragge

If we judged cars the way

Wed, 07/06/2011 - 04:33

If we judged cars the way some motorists want to judge cyclists, and removed motoring facilities for transgressions the way these motorists want to remove bike lanes, we'd have bollards installed on most streets, the Gardiner would long since have come down, and grass would grow on the Don Valley Parkway. Not only do motorists routinely break the law, some motoring opinion leaders openly brag about some pretty serious violations. Complaints about cyclists simply don't cut it as excuses for bad public policy.

W. K. Lis

Traffic signal lights were

Wed, 07/06/2011 - 08:14

Traffic signal lights were put in to control traffic flow caused by automobiles. Lanes were put in control automobiles. Stop signs were put in to control automobiles.

None of those controls had to do with pedestrians or bicycles. Unfortunately, because of automobiles, they force controls onto bicycles and pedestrians which did not need them before the automobile came onto the city scene. If there were no automobiles, there would not be a major need for those controls.

dances_with_traffic (not verified)

Only one negative driver...(I

Wed, 07/06/2011 - 17:35

Only one negative driver...(I will refrain from angry menopausal women in an audi/bmw digs - there are too many!!!)

Anyways, one has gotta love her confessed and thoroughly thought out plan.

Cyclists are allover this city in traffic, there are so many they drive me nuts. Therefore we must remove cycling lanes and increase the insanity.

Did you ask any of the driver where they're coming from and going to?

Kevin (not verified)

What is wrong with the Jarvis

Wed, 07/06/2011 - 20:35

What is wrong with the Jarvis bike lane? Three things:

  1. Too narrow. It is only 1.5 M wide. The CROW design engineering standards require 2.5 M for a unidirectional bike lane. Why? Handlebar to handlebar, a conventional bicycle can be up to 1 M wide. I'm a big guy, so mine is a shade over 1 M. Cyclists also require 1/2 M "swerve room" on either side for safety. That comes to 2 M, and good design engineers always include a safety factor in their design. That is how the CROW standard comes to 2.5 M. Rest assured, that safety factor is needed on Jarvis due to potholes, debris, and the general crappyness of Toronto's roads.

  2. No proper intersection protections. Intersections are the second greatest cause of danger that cars pose to cyclists. Here is a video that shows proper intersection protections:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA&NR=1

  1. Lack of protective barriers. As the video accurately shows cars are whizzing centimeters away from cyclists and the cycle lane. In spite of the large number of public schools and other child destinations on Jarvis, I have never seen a child cycling in the bicycle lane. I would not let my 9-year-old daughter cycle on such sub-standard infrastructure. It looks like other parents feel the same way.

Decent cycle infrastructure is safe and attractive for children and people of all ages. The Jarvis lanes are not in this category due to these three major failings.

Kevin Love

kiwano

It's probably worth noting

Thu, 07/07/2011 - 10:56

It's probably worth noting here that the design guidelines used for Toronto bike lanes are the Transportation Association of Canada's Guidelines for the Design of Bikeways, which recommends a width of 1.5 (with an absolute minimum of 1.5m) for curbside (i.e. not next to a lane of parked cars) bike lanes, which move in the same direction as adjacent motor traffic, and are on roads with a normal traffic speed below 70km/h and do not have a particularly high volume of bus and truck traffic (criteria which are met by Jarvis).

Therefore, by Canadian standards, the Jarvis bike lanes are not underengineered. These standards are also the same standards that are applied to bike lanes that form parts of La Route Verte in Quebec, and that network attracts all kinds of cyclists from around the world.

John (not verified)

Someone posted a picture of

Thu, 07/07/2011 - 09:47

Someone posted a picture of rush hour traffic on Jarvis from this morning: one bike, no cars. GRIDLOCK!

Jarvis cyclist (not verified)

I absolutely agree with Kevin

Sat, 07/09/2011 - 21:44

I absolutely agree with Kevin Love - I think the Jarvis bike lanes are under-engineered. I am always looking behind my shoulder to check for cars. The snobs in their BMW's and Audi's are always driving too close to the bike lanes. There are serious potholes and roadway deficiencies - not to mention traffic cones blocking new parts of the bike lane everyday! Mount Pleasant Road and Jarvis south of Queen are not cyclist friendly whatsoever - and the transitions (end of bike lanes) are terrible! Bike lanes on Jarvis are better than none - but they need barriers (even the bendable plastic "fingers" will do), and they need to extend it - especially north along Mount Pleasant; Between Bloor and St. Clair it's a death trap.

Jarvis cyclist (not verified)

I absolutely agree with Kevin

Sat, 07/09/2011 - 21:45

I absolutely agree with Kevin Love - I think the Jarvis bike lanes are under-engineered. I am always looking behind my shoulder to check for cars. The snobs in their BMW's and Audi's are always driving too close to the bike lanes. There are serious potholes and roadway deficiencies - not to mention traffic cones blocking new parts of the bike lane everyday! Mount Pleasant Road and Jarvis south of Queen are not cyclist friendly whatsoever - and the transitions (end of bike lanes) are terrible! Bike lanes on Jarvis are better than none - but they need barriers (even the bendable plastic "fingers" will do), and they need to extend it - especially north along Mount Pleasant; Between Bloor and St. Clair it's a death trap.

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