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Really sorry that happened.  I know far too many people who have been hit by cars on their bikes.
I have mixed feelings about the Erb Street lanes because I worry about precisely the left turning traffic hitting cyclists travelling the same way as them. It's a reservation I have about 2-way separated lanes in general.
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(09-21-2021, 05:58 PM)jamincan Wrote: Really sorry that happened. I know far too many people who have been hit by cars on their bikes.
I have mixed feelings about the Erb Street lanes because I worry about precisely the left turning traffic hitting cyclists travelling the same way as them. It's a reservation I have about 2-way separated lanes in general.
The same way as them is the direction cyclists would be moving in a one way bike lane.
I think two way bike lanes do have a higher injury rate but I think the real problem/solution is designing safe intersections regardless of type of bike lane.
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(09-21-2021, 07:17 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: (09-21-2021, 05:58 PM)jamincan Wrote: Really sorry that happened. I know far too many people who have been hit by cars on their bikes.
I have mixed feelings about the Erb Street lanes because I worry about precisely the left turning traffic hitting cyclists travelling the same way as them. It's a reservation I have about 2-way separated lanes in general.
The same way as them is the direction cyclists would be moving in a one way bike lane.
I think two way bike lanes do have a higher injury rate but I think the real problem/solution is designing safe intersections regardless of type of bike lane. I am referring to cyclists travelling east on the lane, which is the same direction as traffic on Erb and opposite to what would be normal. Drivers are not accustomed to checking for overtaking traffic to their left when making a left turn.
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(09-21-2021, 08:53 PM)jamincan Wrote: (09-21-2021, 07:17 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: The same way as them is the direction cyclists would be moving in a one way bike lane.
I think two way bike lanes do have a higher injury rate but I think the real problem/solution is designing safe intersections regardless of type of bike lane. I am referring to cyclists travelling east on the lane, which is the same direction as traffic on Erb and opposite to what would be normal. Drivers are not accustomed to checking for overtaking traffic to their left when making a left turn.
I don't disagree, but that doesn't change the fact that a one way bike lane would have cyclists traveling the same direction (eastbound) in the same location. Since it's a one way road, the bike lane doesn't have to be on the left, and given the connection to the park, there's a good argument for it to be on that side.
Regardless, I don't think it matters, drivers don't check to the right when turning right either.
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Shoot. jwilliamson your experience makes me nervous to keep cycling to work...
I want it for the exercise but is it worth it in this city?
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(09-22-2021, 08:30 PM)mastermind Wrote: Shoot. jwilliamson your experience makes me nervous to keep cycling to work...
I want it for the exercise but is it worth it in this city?
So much of it depends on your route options. Along the IHT is (mostly) great. Biking on Westmount or Weber is no fun, for example.
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(09-22-2021, 09:07 PM)tomh009 Wrote: (09-22-2021, 08:30 PM)mastermind Wrote: Shoot. jwilliamson your experience makes me nervous to keep cycling to work...
I want it for the exercise but is it worth it in this city?
So much of it depends on your route options. Along the IHT is (mostly) great. Biking on Westmount or Weber is no fun, for example.
Agreed. I generally cycle everywhere in the city....but I choose where I go based on where it's safe to cycle.
Sadly the driver hit jwilliamson at a location that I would consider fairly safe, although that probably is part of why, although still an extremely unpleasant incident, no serious injury resulted.
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(08-21-2021, 10:32 PM)dtkvictim Wrote: Some photo updates (sorry, didn't go all the way to Victoria, but from what I saw the other day everything that direction is still missing lane markings, and the Victoria St intersection is still partially unfinished).
Joseph & Water
Joseph & Water is now almost completed, but still needs some paving and signage. I now understand how the twisty passages turn into sidewalks.
But I am still mystified why the intersection of a one-way street with a residential street needs to be so massive. Is the city expecting a huge growth in traffic volumes here? Pre-construction, there would rarely be a car waiting at the traffic lights.
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(09-22-2021, 10:34 PM)tomh009 Wrote: (08-21-2021, 10:32 PM)dtkvictim Wrote: Some photo updates (sorry, didn't go all the way to Victoria, but from what I saw the other day everything that direction is still missing lane markings, and the Victoria St intersection is still partially unfinished).
Joseph & Water
Joseph & Water is now almost completed, but still needs some paving and signage. I now understand how the twisty passages turn into sidewalks.
But I am still mystified why the intersection of a one-way street with a residential street needs to be so massive. Is the city expecting a huge growth in traffic volumes here? Pre-construction, there would rarely be a car waiting at the traffic lights.
A combination of good and bad reasons: buses, garbage trucks, regional and city road standards and engineers.
Pretty much every residential street in the city is constructed with a 9 meter turning radii at a minimum, which is why the Complete Streets guide is so important (it suggests a 3 meter turn radii).
Yeah, it's a shame because they lost a bunch of trees on that corner.
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(09-22-2021, 08:30 PM)mastermind Wrote: Shoot. jwilliamson your experience makes me nervous to keep cycling to work...
I want it for the exercise but is it worth it in this city?
This was the first time I've been in a collision in 15 years of using a bicycle as my primary vehicle, so I'd say it's reasonable low risk.
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09-29-2021, 09:57 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-29-2021, 09:58 PM by KevinT.)
(09-21-2021, 01:23 PM)jwilliamson Wrote: I got hit by a car turning left across the Erb St bike lane on Friday. I'm okay other than some road rash, but my bike has had its last ride.
I cycle commuted to WLU from the Rockway area in 1990 (pre Iron Horse trail), and upgraded my $200 high school 12-speed with $300 worth of 27x1-1/8 racing wheels at the recommendation of my bike shop. (They had a more stable spoke pattern than the original 27x1-1/4s, so didn't require all the monthly truing I'd been shelling out for.) The bike got faster, and while riding downhill on King toward Central St at the speed of traffic, I got hit by a right turning vehicle and summersaulted over its hood. (Note: Never stay in a car's blind spot for a block and a half; they couldn't see me and I didn't see their turn signal.)
Long story short, I folded my new front wheel in half very similarly to your damage. The next day I bought my first bike helmet and a new front wheel, and today I still ride that bike from time to time (though a mountain bike is now my usual ride). If you like that bike it appears easily fixed with a new front wheel; that doesn't have to be it's last ride...
...K
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Anyone on WRC have or know of someone with a front-load cargo bike? Musing about getting an Urban Arrow / Riese Muller Load and curious of the experience of anyone else using them around town and finding space to park/lock and how they are through the seasons here.
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(09-30-2021, 05:10 PM)cherrypark Wrote: Anyone on WRC have or know of someone with a front-load cargo bike? Musing about getting an Urban Arrow / Riese Muller Load and curious of the experience of anyone else using them around town and finding space to park/lock and how they are through the seasons here.
I know several on twitter who have them including https://twitter.com/josh_orita who is probably willing to answer questions like that.
Also, the London Bicycle Cafe is going to be a fantastic source of info, as well as a retailer and mechanic, but obviously some distance away.
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(09-30-2021, 05:40 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: (09-30-2021, 05:10 PM)cherrypark Wrote: Anyone on WRC have or know of someone with a front-load cargo bike? Musing about getting an Urban Arrow / Riese Muller Load and curious of the experience of anyone else using them around town and finding space to park/lock and how they are through the seasons here.
I know several on twitter who have them including https://twitter.com/josh_orita who is probably willing to answer questions like that.
Also, the London Bicycle Cafe is going to be a fantastic source of info, as well as a retailer and mechanic, but obviously some distance away.
Excellent - thanks! I think I have seen Josh out on his Bullitt once before; not something you see in the wild too often.
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(09-30-2021, 05:10 PM)cherrypark Wrote: Anyone on WRC have or know of someone with a front-load cargo bike? Musing about getting an Urban Arrow / Riese Muller Load and curious of the experience of anyone else using them around town and finding space to park/lock and how they are through the seasons here.
Another twitter user you could reach out to is Meeerkat2. I believe she recently moved a love seat with hers!
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