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Cycling in Waterloo Region - Printable Version

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RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - danbrotherston - 07-22-2016

(07-22-2016, 05:11 PM)rangersfan Wrote: Now that I'm biking down Weber St on a daily basis I am beginning to realize how crazy those diagonal train tracks are near the new Spur line trail. It reminds me of the rail intersection with the IHT near Victoria Park before the trail realignment from a couple of years ago.

I've never ridden over them, I always use the Weber MUT at that point.  Yes, despite all evidence to the contrary, the sidewalk on the west side is in fact, a MUT, not a sidewalk. 

It actually does a decent job of forcing a right angle crossing.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Markster - 07-22-2016

(07-22-2016, 05:23 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: I've never ridden over them, I always use the Weber MUT at that point.  Yes, despite all evidence to the contrary, the sidewalk on the west side is in fact, a MUT, not a sidewalk. 

It actually does a decent job of forcing a right angle crossing.

I find the turn radius on that concrete MUT to be too sharp for me. And the way the concrete sits several inches above the rest of the ground as it crosses the railway makes the penalty for making the turn too wide a much larger injury than I am hoping for.

I end up merging on to Weber at Wilhelm, and then riding up a bit of asphalt on the other side of the tracks to get back on the MUT: (This is what I do southbound. I don't recall ever riding through there northbound. I would probably stick to the MUT)
   


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - mpd618 - 07-23-2016

Now that I think about it, it really is a kind of odd design. Why couldn't the multi-use pathway continue parallel to the train tracks until the north side of Wilhelm Street? Or would that not help.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 07-23-2016

(07-23-2016, 01:30 AM)mpd618 Wrote: Now that I think about it, it really is a kind of odd design. Why couldn't the multi-use pathway continue parallel to the train tracks until the north side of Wilhelm Street? Or would that not help.

I may be wrong, but was the Weber Street design completed before the Spurline trail?


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 07-24-2016

(06-09-2016, 09:05 AM)MidTowner Wrote: “Total to date” was the wrong term for them to use (there isn’t even an ‘as at’ date on the sign). They just mean “Total.”

I think someone's listening:

   

(Spotted this morning)


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - clasher - 07-24-2016

LOL I thought of that post when I saw the updated sign yesterday too!


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Chris - 07-25-2016

(07-23-2016, 01:30 AM)mpd618 Wrote: Now that I think about it, it really is a kind of odd design. Why couldn't the multi-use pathway continue parallel to the train tracks until the north side of Wilhelm Street? Or would that not help.

I think the concern is having a busy MUT crossing that close to the intersection. I think cars turning off of Weber and people crossing at that point would create a lot of problems.

No one would expect a second crosswalk 20-30 feet from the main intersection.

This is where I always get on or off the trail and I hate it. It feels really awkward and clunky from Louisa to the paved section on the other side of Wilhelm.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - MidTowner - 07-27-2016

Have we talked about shoaling here before? On my way in this morning, I had the experience of waiting at a red light with one foot on the curb, when a woman passed me to wait ahead of me in what I feel is the "line up." She had to stop in the crosswalk to get all the way ahead of me, which annoyed me as someone who is often on foot. Then she inched forward as the cross street's signal turned yellow before s-l-o-w-l-y proceeding through the intersection while the light was still red. The light turned green, and I went through, and then passed her (while making a not-so-rude comment about passing me at the lights being unnecessary). I don't know why she wants bikes to have to pass each other in the narrow bike lane. I'm pretty sure the thought doesn't enter her mind. What really got me annoyed was that she was middle-aged and not exactly on the athletic-looking side. I guess she could still easily be a really fast cyclist but, sure enough, she wasn't.

I do admit that I was on the right side of the bike lane, with my right foot on the curb- should I not do this? Maybe not, but it seems like, if I'm on the left side of the bike lane, people will pass me on the right, which seems even more egregious. I'm guessing this is just a behaviour that a lot of people are into, and I should figure out how to deal with it and be more confident when passing them on the next block. But, for now, it bothers me, and I don't get why people are doing it. Motorists don't do this (I hope).

All right, I'm done venting about it (for this time).


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - chutten - 07-27-2016

I'd be more tempted to mention how it is illegal and dangerous to enter an intersection on a red.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - MidTowner - 07-27-2016

Oh, well, you know what I mean…not zooming into an intersection without stopping, but continuously inching forward as you see the other light turn yellow and red, and then starting up before your light has quite turned green. I agree that’s bad practice, but it’s unfortunately common and probably not too risky.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - plam - 07-27-2016

(07-27-2016, 08:44 AM)MidTowner Wrote: Oh, well, you know what I mean…not zooming into an intersection without stopping, but continuously inching forward as you see the other light turn yellow and red, and then starting up before your light has quite turned green. I agree that’s bad practice, but it’s unfortunately common and probably not too risky.

Not sure it is actually bad practice. Allows you to get a start before the cars, i.e. similar to what bike boxes do.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - MidTowner - 07-27-2016

You could be right. I feel pretty well-served by my simplistic “green means go, red means don’t go yet” rule of thumb. But it doesn’t bother me when I see someone ease into an intersection a little early.

It bothers me to see someone park themselves in the crosswalk to wait for the light, though. And it bothers me a lot when someone skips the queue on me. Especially when I’ve already passed that person once…


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - plam - 07-27-2016

(07-27-2016, 09:19 AM)MidTowner Wrote: You could be right. I feel pretty well-served by my simplistic “green means go, red means don’t go yet” rule of thumb. But it doesn’t bother me when I see someone ease into an intersection a little early.

It bothers me to see someone park themselves in the crosswalk to wait for the light, though. And it bothers me a lot when someone skips the queue on me. Especially when I’ve already passed that person once…

Yeah. I don't like to hang out in crosswalks in general.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - clasher - 07-27-2016

I rest on the curb, usually a good fit for riding a bike doesn't permit the rider to put a foot down and stay seated at the same time. I find it easier to lean on the curb with one foot down, especially if I'm riding my fancy road bike with the clip-in shoes. Even on my city bike with flat pedals I still do it though. The only place I wouldn't lean on the curb is where there are right turn lanes or a wide enough lane that cars can still make rights... in which case I'm in the middle or left side of the regular traffic lane. Nobody likes a queue jumper though.


RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Markster - 07-27-2016

Waiting in the crosswalk is a bit of a dick move. Though queue jumping is not always terrible, sometimes the person at the head of the queue stops like totally far back!

Ha, that article even has this passage that I think reflects my view:

Quote:But shoaling? It's not even clear what harm would come to cycling traffic were shoaling the norm: Sometimes you'd be the shoaled, sometimes the shoaler, and either way you arrive at your destination and everything is chill.

Be chill Smile