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Cycling in Waterloo Region
(12-12-2018, 11:00 AM)plam Wrote: And they said that roll curbs would be enough...

https://twitter.com/grescoe/status/1072855651213344768

Wow, it would have taken significant effort to get that truck in there.

The tweeter needs to go easy on the 'portrait mode', just looking at that photo makes my eyes water.
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I did my part:

   

I biked by, spotted this car in the Bike Lane on Seagram, by the LRT tracks.  On my way back by, about 45 minutes later, it was still there... joined by a friend.

   

I called in the vehicle(s!) and a very friendly agent on the other end took my information (like, a lot of my information - why do you need to know when I was born?!), and dispatched bylaw.

Curiously, while I was on the phone with them, the dump truck left, drove around the block, and returned. He waited there a few minutes (I hung back waiting for an LRV to go by)... and he did it again. He just kept looping around.

Also curiously, the parking lot directly across the street from this (to my right) was about 2/3 empty.
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(12-15-2018, 01:30 PM)Canard Wrote: I did my part:



I biked by, spotted this car in the Bike Lane on Seagram, by the LRT tracks.  On my way back by, about 45 minutes later, it was still there... joined by a friend.



I called in the vehicle(s!) and a very friendly agent on the other end took my information (like, a lot of my information - why do you need to know when I was born?!), and dispatched bylaw.

Curiously, while I was on the phone with them, the dump truck left, drove around the block, and returned.  He waited there a few minutes (I hung back waiting for an LRV to go by)... and he did it again.  He just kept looping around.

Also curiously, the parking lot directly across the street from this (to my right) was about 2/3 empty.

This frustrates me too, it deters people from calling bylaw, I'm not sure it's the intention of gathering that information, (I'm not sure its not either), but it is certainly an effect.

Not to mention the time spent on the phone, thanks for taking the time, I've basically given up at this point.
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I kind of wanted to just say "do I need to give this, can I just be anonymous?" and I figured she might have said "yes" but she was so polite about it I figured I didn't want to kick up a stink.

In cycling news, I noticed on my way home that cyclowerx (sp?), the little shop on the North side of the Spurline Trail, near Regina, is gone. I'd never been in there, but did reach out to them once about ordering a bike.
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(12-15-2018, 02:23 PM)Canard Wrote: I kind of wanted to just say "do I need to give this, can I just be anonymous?" and I figured she might have said "yes" but she was so polite about it I figured I didn't want to kick up a stink.

In cycling news, I noticed on my way home that cyclowerx (sp?), the little shop on the North side of the Spurline Trail, near Regina, is gone.  I'd never been in there, but did reach out to them once about ordering a bike.

Ciclowerks moved to 14 Water Street North in Cambridge at the beginning of November.
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When I rode by Seagram yesterday there was about a half-dozen cement trucks sitting there... guess they were pouring somewhere. I didn't notice if the benzo was there or not.

I found yet another thing that makes the Glasgow lanes so shitty on the hill... there were still a few small leaf-encrusted snowbanks blocking the asinine raised portions of the lane so I had to take the regular lane... no big deal since I was the only traffic but still... can't help but have a WTF moment every time I ride that stretch.
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(12-16-2018, 08:02 AM)clasher Wrote: When I rode by Seagram yesterday there was about a half-dozen cement trucks sitting there... guess they were pouring somewhere. I didn't notice if the benzo was there or not.

I found yet another thing that makes the Glasgow lanes so shitty on the hill... there were still a few small leaf-encrusted snowbanks blocking the asinine raised portions of the lane so I had to take the regular lane... no big deal since I was the only traffic but still... can't help but have a WTF moment every time I ride that stretch.

That section of Glasgow is really quite a mess. I also appreciated in the fall when homeowners/landscaping companies thought that pushing all of their leaves into the bike lane was a good idea.
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The one time I went down that road (to see why everyone hates it) it was in the fall, and I kicked a bunch of leaves back into a homeowner's driveway when I saw that they did that.
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What if there is a bike lane on my street?

To be respectful to cyclists, it is important that residents who live on streets with bike lanes not rake leaves to the street until the week of their collection date.
When raking please place the leaves on the road, close to the curb area only.
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A cyclist was hit this morning at the King St. onramp where the new MUT was constructed. This is a dangerous location, because cyclists must cross an on ramp, where drivers are rapidly changing speed. My partner was hit while walking home at a similar location on Ottawa last year.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/highway-401...-1.4222448

As for charges, there won't be any for the driver for sure, drivers have the right of way.
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I strongly feel that slip ramps should be eliminated from all non-divided highways/roads. I can't think of any benefits, and there are far to many drawbacks to warrant their use.
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(12-18-2018, 12:35 PM)jamincan Wrote: I strongly feel that slip ramps should be eliminated from all non-divided highways/roads. I can't think of any benefits, and there are far to many drawbacks to warrant their use.

They increase vehicle capacity...

To be fair, King is divided at that point...

But it's hardly the point, why do we have a highway like that anyway...and if we do, Peds/Cyclists should be grade separated from it.
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I'm not actually convinced they do increase capacity. If they provide a sufficient merging lane, yes they do, but more often than not they don't. Without a proper merge lane, drivers will typically have to stop anyway (in high traffic situations, but we're interested in capacity, so assume that's the case), but now they have to check their blind spot for a clear spot in traffic, which is more difficult for people to do safely than just dealing with a standard right hand turn. Good luck having them notice pedestrians and cyclists in that position as well.
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So exciting news!  Kitchener's budget is up, and they appear to be making good on their promises of improved cycling infra!

With an investment of 2.5MM in the budget this year, they're well exceeding the CycleWR pledge.  Planned improvements include:

 - Funding IHT improvements both sections (an acceleration).
 - Protected bike lanes on Queen and Benton through a road diet/pilot, no details, but sounds very good with important connections.
 - Protected bike lane on Water St. (less useful because of limited connections, but a good demonstration of how protection can fix problematic bike lane parking, I'm looking at you Uptown Waterloo).

This is huge if this happens this year, it would be the biggest improvement in a single year in our history.

This is all done with a 2.3% tax increase for the year, which is very close to inflation.

Budget can be found here:  https://www.kitchener.ca/en/city-service...budget.asp

And the city is looking for input: https://www.engagewr.ca/budget-2019/surv...get-survey 


GO GO GO!
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(12-21-2018, 04:02 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: So exciting news!  Kitchener's budget is up, and they appear to be making good on their promises of improved cycling infra!

With an investment of 2.5MM in the budget this year, they're well exceeding the CycleWR pledge.  Planned improvements include:

 - Funding IHT improvements both sections (an acceleration).
 - Protected bike lanes on Queen and Benton through a road diet/pilot, no details, but sounds very good with important connections.
 - Protected bike lane on Water St. (less useful because of limited connections, but a good demonstration of how protection can fix problematic bike lane parking, I'm looking at you Uptown Waterloo).

This is huge if this happens this year, it would be the biggest improvement in a single year in our history.

This is all done with a 2.3% tax increase for the year, which is very close to inflation.

Budget can be found here:  https://www.kitchener.ca/en/city-service...budget.asp

And the city is looking for input: https://www.engagewr.ca/budget-2019/surv...get-survey

Sounds great! Politics at the municipal level around here often goes in the right direction.
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