Bells on Bloor is a group ride along Bloor Street for bike lanes. A lot of people come out to it, because it's fun! It's taking place Saturday May 11 at noon. Meet at the Bloor Street High Park gate and ride along Bloor Street to Queen's Park.
Bloor Street would make a great bike route - a good place for cycle tracks given that there are no streetcar tracks and the subway runs underneath. It's starting to look like it's possible, at least along the Annex BIA's section where the local BIA seems to be warm to the idea. For the rest of Bloor, it seems to me there is still more work to be done. Bells on Bloor helps make cyclists voices be heard.
The family-friendly rides and walks begin from various parts of the city and converge at Queen’s Park for a 2 pm rally for safer roads. The second annual Cycle and Sole (www.cycleandsole.com) event includes groups such as Walk Toronto, Bells on Danforth, Bells on Bloor and others.
The groups are also calling on the provincial Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to implement recommendations recently made by the Chief Coroner for Ontario. Those recommendations included a Complete Streets approach to planning that would include lower speed limits in residential areas, more mid-block pedestrian crossings, and more bicycle lanes. Similar recommendations have been made by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health.
Comments
Seymore Bikes
The second annual Bells on
Sun, 05/05/2013 - 09:20The second annual Bells on Danforth ride starts out from East Lynn Park, just west of Woodbine.
At 12.8 metres wide, Danforth has room for four car lanes and two bike lanes, so it is all about changing people's mind set.
Looking forward to meeting everyone at Queen's Park next Saturday!
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hamish (not verified)
I'm not disputing that
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 10:20I'm not disputing that there's room on the Danforth for bike lanes - it's a very wide road.
But it can't be 12.8 metres but must be wider. Each full vehicle lane is 3M minimum, so there are two travel lanes plus the turning lane in the central median zone - making around 9M.
Then there are two curb lanes, closer to 4M.
That makes about 17M.
Maybe this mis-info came from the City - get us talking about bike lanes, but then the fact comes out that the cyclists can't even get the road width right - what do they know? Well, the road is quite wide enough for a better biking situation, and it would help the subway too, as shedding riders onto bikes if it were made safe and continuous, is a wise move.
herb
According to this staff
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 10:55According to this staff report, Danforth is about 14.5 m wide. So somewhere between the two estimates provided above: 12.8 and 17.
Incidentally that report is about providing more vehicle loading zones and on-street parking, neither of which is conducive to safer cycling.
hamish (not verified)
Useful info in that report,
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 14:03Useful info in that report, thanks Herb. P. 2 says "approximately 14.5" - there are width variations at some places too, mostly intersections. The width variances aren't as pronounced as Bloor St. which really has many different widths, only the Viaduct to Sherbourne having bike lanes, the Sherbourne to Church St. segment supposed to have bike lanes by now, for $22,000?
Seymore Bikes
I've been told on good
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 22:47I've been told on good authority that the road is no less than 12.8 metres wide from Broadview to Victoria Park, which allows for 4 x 2.7 m Motor Vehicle Lanes + 2 x 1.0 metre Bike Lanes.
It's not perfect, but it is possible, and a huge improvement on the "door zone" that bikes usually travel in along Danforth.
The left turn lanes can also be accommodated.