Cycling in Waterloo Region

[timc]

It looks like they paved over the dividing line to cover up the existing line that was water blasted off, as well as the two new lines they put down.

I saw all that happen, but I don’t get why the lines were blasted and repainted in the first place. I guess someone decided that the road had deteriorated along that line and it needed new pavement.

[plam]

It looks like they paved over the dividing line to cover up the existing line that was water blasted off, as well as the two new lines they put down.

I saw all that happen, but I don’t get why the lines were blasted and repainted in the first place. I guess someone decided that the road had deteriorated along that line and it needed new pavement.

Agree. Think it was a last minute decision to repave (which is not a bad idea...)

[danbrotherston]

Kitchener city council has reversed their decision to re-route the Young St. bike lane around Hibner Park and thus return to the direct route downtown.

[ijmorlan]

Kitchener city council has reversed their decision to re-route the Young St. bike lane around Hibner Park and thus return to the direct route downtown.

Sanity prevails? Any idea why they re-considered? What triggered them to revisit the issue? For that matter, how did that go down? I thought Council decisions were hard to reverse during the same term.

[danbrotherston]

Kitchener city council has reversed their decision to re-route the Young St. bike lane around Hibner Park and thus return to the direct route downtown.

Sanity prevails? Any idea why they re-considered? What triggered them to revisit the issue? For that matter, how did that go down? I thought Council decisions were hard to reverse during the same term.

It is quite hard, a 2/3rd majority is needed.  Frankly, I was surprised this reversal went through so easily (only 2 opposed, 9 supported, we only needed 8 to pass).

I think they were taken by surprise the extreme response on social media about original decision, I believe originally most felt it was a "minor" and "fair" "compromise" or "middle ground".

The actual motion passed with even more support (1 to 10), to move back to the original routing[1].  This I believe is in part due to some councillors switching their positions, but also largely in part due to staff making an effort to find other free parking in the area, specifically by moving a parking sign, and removing parking meters (this is another issue entirely, which can go in another topic). As a result I believe it was no longer a "hard" decision, where they can't make everyone happy, instead they get to say "hey, no lost (actual...err...free *wink wink*) parking" and then also put in the right bike lane.  I still fear/wonder what they will do when they are faced with a hard choice.

It is also worth noting that several councillors were angry, and by angry, I do mean raised voices, angry sentiments were expressed, about the response they got on social media on this issue. Basically, some asserted that the most extreme comments came from people who made a huge deal out of nothing and won't be happy unless cars were banned (my pretty safe inference). I don't find this entirely fair, certainly there were extremely harsh comments, but I don't remember any personal attacks. Frankly, the most angry (and the one dissenter) has absolutely no room to speak, as he has said unfair and rude things about cyclists in the last meeting.



[1] As a point of clarification on procedure, council must first pass a motion to reconsider an item with a 2/3rds majority, there were no delegations, and little discussion outside of why an item needs reconsideration before this motion. If that passes, council then reconsiders the original motion where there can be debate and delegations on the actual topic.

[jamincan]

[ijmorlan]

My concern in this case was more about how it was evident of council thinking about cycling routes as something we tuck in where we can instead of a larger network. Young isn't exactly a busy street, so in some ways I personally don't really think lanes are a huge priority there - ideally I'd rather see cars, bikes and pedestrians all use the same space on streets like that where car volume is very low. That said, an E-W cycle route is sorely needed, and this is the route they chose. If it's going to be the primary EW cycle route, it has to be a sensible one, and twisting around to avoid a bunch of parking spaces makes no sense at all.

Yes, this makes a lot of sense. It’s not like they gerrymandered a bicycle route on King St., but it’s the principal. Bicycle routes still don’t get the prioritization that every single car route gets. People still talk about how a route on one street isn’t needed because there is one a block over, and it’s routine to build bicycle infrastructure with no protection from motor vehicles. Even “refuges” are built with no actual “refuge”. When people argue that parking isn’t needed on one street because the next street over has parking we might be approaching parity.

Also, thanks to Dan for the procedural explanation.

[Acitta]

CTV: Downtown Kitchener to get two-way bike lanes on one-way streets

[clasher]

I still don't get who needed those parking spots on Young St, both houses on that little section have driveways that look like they could hold 2-4 cars. Glad to see they reverted to the much more logical plan.

Maybe the spots with the meters removed will be used by people attending centre-in-the-square events, much to the chagrin of whoever was using the young street spots.

[Bob_McBob]

For exactly the same reason people in Vista Hills are losing their shit about bike lanes: their convenience matters more than cyclists' lives.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/neighbourho...-1.4494336

[clasher]

I rode out Ottawa Street toward Mannheim and they've put a wide MUP on both sides once you pass David Bergey dr. It's even got a little curb cut after the stoplight so you can ride up onto it. There's no cub cut at the trussler intersection though. I'm not a huge fan of switching modes when they do bike lanes but it's better than nothing. Getting up to that area from central Kitchener is still a gong-show unless you like the riding on F-H or Ottawa street... it's not too bad in the middle of the day but it's still kind of sketchy riding through the weaving traffic in front Canadian tire.

[Bob_McBob]

'This happens every single day': Cyclists call for change at dangerous uptown Waterloo rail crossing

[ijmorlan]

'This happens every single day': Cyclists call for change at dangerous uptown Waterloo rail crossing

There is a spurious space after the url= which breaks the link. I think I’ve fixed it in my the quotation above. And now my real comment:

No discussion at all of the real solution:

https://www.environmental-expert.com/pro...rip-126618

Given that this product exists, there is no excuse for not using it in this location. Actually I would start on the east side of Regina and take it right through the parking lot to where the track becomes non-embedded shortly before the junction with the LRT track. But the bit between Regina and King is the crucial segment.

[KevinL]

That poor gentleman provides a very sobering tale. It seems to me they are tacitly allowing access here even though they have legal limitations on doing so, as an active railway; this prevents them from the kinds of signage and other measures that could be set up.

More reason to get Transport Canada to come to the table and modernize regulations around such things.

[Bob_McBob]

Looking at old aerial and Streeview shots, what actually caused the issue is the realignment of the tracks for the LRT a few years ago. Until then, there was a clearly defined crossing at the east end of the alley, and brick paving stones running along either side of the track. After the realignment they just paved the entire alley with asphalt and set the tracks in it, which encourages cyclists to cross at a very shallow angle.