07-29-2022, 06:06 AM
(07-29-2022, 02:11 AM)robd Wrote: Having the lane in the middle is way less than idea, it assumes you aren't going to stop anywhere, you have to cross traffic to get in and out of the lane. There is one over Hwy 400 on the 7, it looks horrible. It can be safe but infrastructure that significantly slows journeys down doesn't encourage people to use it correctly.
The idea reminds me of the mess in Preston, where the MUP starts at the gas station, crosses king street with poor priority, then a large condo driveway, a plaza, business parking lot and riverside park all in the space of 800m. You then need to cross road if you are heading into Preston to catch the bike lane that starts 80m further down the road. Sure it is safer then what existed before, but it is garbage, has no way to legally ride the 25 meters as you cross King st. Living near by I see countless people just stay on the sidewalk
Having said that I am less scared of the LRT then drivers, but again if you need to cross the tracks that is another hazard. The current Northfield design does more harm then good. It scares potential people from riding bikes for transportation, puts those that do in serious danger and is a recent construction project. A better solution if possible would be to remove the merging slip roads, control the on off ramps with lights, that way drivers will be forced to slow and look.
There is nowhere to stop in the middle of the interchange. The MUT would only continue in the middle of the road in the interchange.
You do have to cross traffic to get to it, but this can be done well, and I'd rather cross the traffic at a controlled crossing than on a slip lane where cars are doing 90km/h.
The same is true of the tracks, they have to be crossed regardless.
You are right, that is a better option and way back at the beginning of this discussion I raised that as a better option. But that option requires MTO's co-operation and a willingness to prioritize car traffic.
The thing a middle MUT gives you is a VASTLY better design than we have today, with ZERO cost...there's no requirement to inconvenience drivers one bit, all you get is a better and safer experience for cyclists and pedestrians.
The fact we didn't do it speaks to not just a lack of willingness to prioritize cyclists and pedestrians but an utter lack interest or care for those users. Our engineers slap the industry standard garbage on the road and then stand behind their standards any time they are questioned. They don't CARE that it's garbage....they've ticked the "active transportation" box that council has forced on them and that's as far as their care goes.