Cycling in Waterloo Region

[bpoland]

They have added asphalt next to the sidewalk on the west side of Belmont, north of Glasgow. Could this be related to the separated bike lane pilot? The southbound bike lane ends at Rock Ave. right now (at the far end of the lane in the picture) so it would make sense...

   

[danbrotherston]

Yes, the intention was to link that bike lane to the remaining bike lanes on Belmont. There will be a similar connection to the IHT on the east side of Belmont.

[welltoldtales]

Interesting. So Queen's to Belmont will be on-road separation and lane reduction, this section will be off-road separation and then back to On-road separation pass Glasgow?

[danbrotherston]

Yes, this section exists only because it was the easiest way to connect the bike lane on Belmont north of Glasgow to the on road segment south.

[danbrotherston]

That is such an easy way to add bike lanes by the way, I find it really frustrating that we don't use them more often.

[danbrotherston]

The Young and Duke Sts. counterflow lanes are going to Kitchener City Council this Monday.

They are being presented more or less uncompromised, as a strong cycling advocate, I fully support this proposal, it's a no-brainer for me.

[KevinL]

That is such an easy way to add bike lanes by the way, I find it really frustrating that we don't use them more often.

Indeed, I can think of many wide boulevards that could work with this...

[danbrotherston]

CTV is pitting pedestrians against cyclists:

https://www.facebook.com/danbrotherston/...8611606087

I find this so frustrating, I rarely, if ever encounter a dangerous cyclist on the sidewalk (and I encounter plenty of sidewalk cyclists), I routinely encounter dangerous drivers, daily at least.

I'm not afraid of being hit by bikes, I'm afraid of being hit by cars.

I do find that some people, are utterly terrified of cyclists, I pass peds on the trail, who LITERALLY clutch their pearls, and jump, I kid you not 10 feet off the trail, as I pass at 8 km/h. They mutter about those menacing cyclists as I pass.

Honestly, I cannot understand this.

I can however, understand the tactic of pitting peds against cyclists, instead of focusing on the real dangers on the sidewalks and crosswalks, and whether intentional or otherwise, I fear it can be effective.

[KevinL]

Your Facebook link doesn't work for me.

[danbrotherston]

Your Facebook link doesn't work for me.

Sorry,  I made the post public.

[kitborn]

Cyclists have a catch-22 problem. Pedestrians don't want them on the sidewalk and drivers don't want them on the road.

What if all sidewalks were wide enough and divided by a yellow line like MUT's? Stay to right except to pass.

[danbrotherston]

Cyclists have a catch-22 problem. Pedestrians don't want them on the sidewalk and drivers don't want them on the road.

What if all sidewalks were wide enough and divided by a yellow line like MUT's? Stay to right except to pass.

The problem remains intersections, many roads have many intersections, which make them dangers.  Pedestrians know this well, as many drivers don't look for peds either.

[MidTowner]

I was hit by a bicycle once, and it wasn't that bad. Most people don't say the same thing about getting hit by a car.

Actually, my most serious encounter with a someone riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, he was coming from behind me, went to the edge of the narrow (1500mm) sidewalk, wound up putting his wheel down off of the edge, and wiped out. He was an older guy, and had a broken nose and a nasty cut on his head. As for me, well, I had to call 911 and wait for the paramedics to arrive, that was crummy.

People on foot and people on bike do not belong on the same sidewalks together when they're the pitifully narrow sidewalks we generally have in this Region. If I'm walking on Victoria Street (say), I can understand why someone might not want to be in mixed traffic. But I do get irritated when someone is riding his bicycle on the sidewalk of a quiet residential street, and sometimes I've even advised people what the rules are and where they ought to be riding.

[welltoldtales]

I think what they have done to Belmont as shown by bpoland is a super quick simple solution to the bikes on sidewalk problem. It defines the space and makes it clear where each user should be. That's basically all that is needed.

[clasher]

I didn't take a picture but up near Erbsville rd. and Conservation they've put up some white bollards/posts that are anchored right on the white line... when you're riding toward them they are very difficult to see. I was in a group of cyclists and it was very difficult to avoid swerving into traffic or off the narrow shoulder. I seriously wonder how someone that managed to get a university education can come up with such a stupid idea. I get they don't want cars veering onto the shoulder but put up some blue posts or something visible FFS. They didn't look like flex bollards either so if one were to hit them it'd likely be a nasty crash... I think even flex bollards would throw most people off the bike.