Cycling in Waterloo Region

[kwliving]

I wish they would experiment with the Copenhagen-style of bike line here in Waterloo Region. It has a number of advantages: being inside the parking lane (and also typically having a reasonable buffer between parked cars and the bike lane) reduces the risk of dooring, being inside of the parking lane and having a curb in other situations reduces the chances of vehicles parking in the bike lane, and being inside the parking lane provides separation from car traffic making the lane feel safer. I can see having a curb potentially making snow clearing more difficult, but even without a curb, positioning it so that street parking is to the left of the bike lane instead of to the right would still be an improvement in a lot of situations.

This type of lane is great for bicyclists. One of the challenges with this type of design is accessible parking. 

As you could imagine, in this type of configuration getting out of a car into a wheelchair poses a challenge of being in the bike lane, as well as a wheelchair having to be a certain distance away as there is a curb. I'm not sure if this picture is a raised curb between the bike lane and the parking lane, but those bricks look like a challenge either way.

As well, any vehicle with a ramp or lift would pose a challenge as it would deploy into the bike lane.

An alternative could be to find nearby places for accessible parking where a bike lane wouldn't interfere with anyone's safety.