City Transportation staff presented their vision of an improved Sherbourne Street for cyclists. The cyclists were pleased and there did not seem to be much political opposition from any group with the left mostly on side and with Councillor Minnan-Wong on board. You can view all the presentation slides now.
When determining how to best separate cyclists from motorists, City staff needed to take into account that it would still need to be permeable. Their design considerations included:
- A rolled curb will separate the bike lane from the vehicle lanes
- Bikes may enter and exit the cycle tracks
- Emergency vehicles and Wheel-Trans can access cycle track when required
- Garbage collection maintained as usual
- Cycle tracks will be maintained all year
©sherbourne-n-gerrard
Sherbourne, North of Gerrard
©sherbourne-intersection
Typical Intersection - the separation narrows bringing cyclists into clearer view with motorists. Note the indirect lefts, which I covered in a previous post..
©sherbourne-x-section
Cross section in mid-block
I believe we can safely assume that most cyclists support the separated bike lanes. There has been, a smattering of tweeting suggesting that the separated bike lanes on Sherbourne were supposed a top down decision in order to buy off cyclists. Nothing is ever so simple, especially when it comes to politics in Toronto. Though there has been a political angle with Minnan-Wong, the push has mainly been by activists such as the Toronto Cyclists Union, but we can also find ruminations of improving Sherbourne as a showcase back in 2010 when Dutch planners came to town for Thinkbike:
©sherbourne-king2howard
From ThinkBike Team in 2010, dreaming of a better Sherbourne.
As an example of the complexity of cycling politics, the National Post reported Vaughan as now saying that the separation isn't enough where previously he had characterized separated bike lanes as "barricaded bike lanes". Vaughan now criticized the plan as "not a pronounced enough separation.... Unless you make it physically risky to put a car in that spot, you will get cars in that spot. You'll have taxis, you'll have couriers, you'll have vendors."
Can we now count on you Vaughan to support separated bike lanes on Richmond and/or Adelaide?
Comments
Random cyclist (not verified)
I am a regular commuter
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 20:39I am a regular commuter downtown and I actually prefer to bike down Jarvis as opposed to Sherbourne especially in the area South of Gerrard. I don't want to sound rude but I see more vagrants and what appear to be either people drunk or on drugs along Sherbourne than at Jarvis.
Random cyclist (not verified)
There is only one reason to
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 21:27There is only one reason to separate Sherbourne - it is being reconstructed and it is cheap to do - so why not do it.
It is not a substitute for Jarvis nor should its construction have been connected to the removal of the Jarvis lanes.
This will also be the first on street separated lane in Toronto and will be the model for more to come.
Let's all support this and help make it happen.
junctionist
Obviously the lanes are not
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 10:51Obviously the lanes are not separated enough. By design, it'll be easy for cabbies and cops to pull onto the lane, and garbage trucks will be able to gradually roll through them every week. These needs should be accommodated; however, the mountable curb will just make it harder for cyclists to go around such obstructions. We need to recognize the issues with existing unseparated bike lanes and design separated lanes that won't have these problems. It seems as though this prominent cycling project--one of the few on-street cycling improvements under the current reactionary administration--really won't address the most common issues with bike lanes in Toronto. Even the 'door zone' will still exist in places.
Ben
An important detail has been
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 08:53An important detail has been overlooked. Where can I buy one of those transparent SUVs?
Larry (not verified)
I believe that's the new
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 09:42I believe that's the new Range Rover Crystal Edition.
David Juliusson (not verified)
Ontario Place has announced
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 16:04Ontario Place has announced it will be closed this year. With that news why can't the P gates now be opened? We need to start asking for it to be done.
Random cyclist (not verified)
The south of Gerrard option,
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 19:54The south of Gerrard option, with sidewalk and bike lane at the same level, will likely see pedestrians migrate into the bike lane. Anyone who rides the parallel cycle / sidewalk lanes on Eglinton Ave W near Kipling, Islington, Royal York will know that the cycle path is as often used by pedestrians as the sidewalk. This configuration seems to me to invite potentially very dangerous bike/pedestrian collisions.
Karl (not verified)
It looks really good overall.
Thu, 02/02/2012 - 02:13It looks really good overall. The mountable curbs are a worry though. Still better than some paint which tend to get ignored by motor vehicles.
I don't know why they're doing it differently North and South of Gerrard Street. Maybe it's to experiment with designs. They could've just asked other cities' cycling groups what they prefer.
The intersections look like typical North American ones and will do fine but wouldn't it be cool if a NA city tried a Dutch style one. Where the cycle lanes and pedestrian sidewalks curve away from the intersection and have a different timing in the traffic light sequence than the turning cars. Maybe Toronto can do one of the Sherbourne intersections that way and try it out.
But you know, maybe I'm getting too picky. Overall it looks like a great plan and if that's the most that the present City administration will give you then it'll do nicely.
taxi zürich (not verified)
We need to recognize the
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 17:29We need to recognize the issues with existing unseparated bike lanes and design separated lanes that won't have these problems.taxi zürich
Ed
....wouldn't it be cool if a
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 18:43Sherbourne doesn't have any room at intersections. There are usually buildings right out to the corner. Such a loop would probably require two-way bicycle lanes on one side of the street, a design that I am glad they appear to be avoiding. Be prepared for a really, really short bicycle phase. And cars will cut across your path without warning, kind of like they do on the Martin Goodman at Ontario Place or along the Eglinton West trail. Other than that, hey, they'd be cool.
Well, one big problem is cars queued up to turn right. You are riding to their right. Dealing with this is not easy. Try southbound Yonge under the railway tracks in evening rush hour; the curb lane can be backed up halfway to Front with cars preparing to turn right. There is no satisfactory way to deal with this as a cyclist. How will a separated lane help?
David Juliusson (not verified)
The P gates will be opened at
Tue, 02/14/2012 - 15:13The P gates will be opened at Ontario Place Valentines day.
I received this from david Dunn today.
David,
I have spoken with our Parks staff who in turn have contacted Ontario Place. They have just informed me that Ontario Place has given them the go ahead to open the gates and that they should be opened by the end of today (Tuesday Feb 14). If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly,
David Dunn
Cycling Infrastructure and Programs
David Juliusson (not verified)
I rode in this morning. The P
Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:03I rode in this morning. The P gates are not open yet
David Juliusson (not verified)
Today is Friday and the P
Fri, 02/17/2012 - 10:11Today is Friday and the P gates are still closed at Ontario place. They were to be opened last Tuesday. With luck they will be open next week.
David Juliusson (not verified)
I rode home tonight, the P
Fri, 02/17/2012 - 22:24I rode home tonight, the P gates are now open.
Also, as part of its efforts to relieve rush hour traffic, Council authorized an increase in the applicable fine to $150 from the current $60 during the rush-hour periods of 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday (exceptholidays) for stopping a vehicle other than a bicycle in a Toronto bike lane.
simplicius2wheels
How many people does it take
Fri, 02/17/2012 - 16:47How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
You guys can make up the answers on your own.... ;-)
djulius
I rode to work this morning
Thu, 03/22/2012 - 14:31I rode to work this morning and once again the P gates are closed.
This should not be happening. They were originally closed because of Ontario Place. Since Ontario Place is closed, there is no reason for the gates to be closed.
With the unusually warm weather, that stretch of the Waterfront Trail is well used. It makes a big difference on how traffic flows when those gates are closed.
I would like to hear why they are not open. More importantly, I would like them reopened.
David Juliusson (not verified)
I received this reply from
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 14:38I received this reply from Parks about the P gates. Millions were spent on the Waterfront Trail to address Ontario Place concern to no avail.
Even closed, Ontario Place is so anti cyclist they cause us difficulty.
Good Day David.
I am sorry for the P Gates being closed once again. It is not us in the Parks Dept that are closing them but rather Ontario Place. I am requesting they re-open them and only close them when they have their event. I am in the process of having a new system installed that will eliminate the problem caused by their current existence. I hope this will be completed soon.
Once again my apology.
Kind regards.
Mark Culligan
Parks Supervisor
Waterfront District,
City of Toronto
Coronation Park
711 Lake Shore Blvd W
M5V 3T7
simplicius2wheels
Well, at least the Parks
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 16:46Well, at least the Parks folks are sympathetic! Looks like they have their heart in the right place...
(And Ontario Place has come a long way from being an oasis for families - in the 1970's - to being "bankrupt" and in need of rejuvenation. I wonder where they went wrong....)