07-20-2017, 07:46 AM
Glasgow is actually an interesting road for a number of reasons. First, it has several very different sections, the east of Belmont (which is uninteresting, it's a too wide 50 km/h road).
Between Belmont and Westmount, it is a very narrow two lane road with bike lanes. Here, no traffic calming, and yet, most drivers respect the 40km/h limit. The 40 km/h limit is at least in part due to the school, but the design of the road and the housing makes it appropriate (really all our residential streets should be designed and have a 40 limit). It's narrow, which makes the bike lanes uncomfortable, but traffic is usually pretty slow, which helps.
The section between Westmount and Fischer-Hallman is a whole different story. The limit here shouldn't be 40 (by our rules). There is no school, there aren't that many houses. The reason it is 40 km/h (in my opinion at least) is the same reason there is no sidewalk on the north side even though the road is rebuilt and there was supposed to be one. The people on that street have an unusually large amount of political influence. You can speculate as to why.
Given the 40 km/h limit the road is enormously wide. So obviously speeding was a huge issue. Residents complained (and of course are listened too), and traffic calming was installed. It is effective, speeds were reduced substantially, and around the traffic calming are now within the 40 limit.
However, the traffic calming is utterly life threatening for cyclists. Realistically, if drivers want to stay between the island and the bike lane, speeds should be around 20-30 km/h. That of course never happens, drivers simply swerve into the bike lane to maintain 40-45 km/h. Sometimes, even regardless of if there is a cyclist.
Not to mention the curbs installed for the "segregated bike lane" portion are not terribly smooth and pose a danger to cyclists going down the hill.
And of course, there is nearly continual bike lane parking on that road. When I used to bike it, rare was the morning that I didn't stop to call in a parked vehicle.
Of course, everyone complains about the traffic calming...even the residents, who wanted it.
Between Belmont and Westmount, it is a very narrow two lane road with bike lanes. Here, no traffic calming, and yet, most drivers respect the 40km/h limit. The 40 km/h limit is at least in part due to the school, but the design of the road and the housing makes it appropriate (really all our residential streets should be designed and have a 40 limit). It's narrow, which makes the bike lanes uncomfortable, but traffic is usually pretty slow, which helps.
The section between Westmount and Fischer-Hallman is a whole different story. The limit here shouldn't be 40 (by our rules). There is no school, there aren't that many houses. The reason it is 40 km/h (in my opinion at least) is the same reason there is no sidewalk on the north side even though the road is rebuilt and there was supposed to be one. The people on that street have an unusually large amount of political influence. You can speculate as to why.
Given the 40 km/h limit the road is enormously wide. So obviously speeding was a huge issue. Residents complained (and of course are listened too), and traffic calming was installed. It is effective, speeds were reduced substantially, and around the traffic calming are now within the 40 limit.
However, the traffic calming is utterly life threatening for cyclists. Realistically, if drivers want to stay between the island and the bike lane, speeds should be around 20-30 km/h. That of course never happens, drivers simply swerve into the bike lane to maintain 40-45 km/h. Sometimes, even regardless of if there is a cyclist.
Not to mention the curbs installed for the "segregated bike lane" portion are not terribly smooth and pose a danger to cyclists going down the hill.
And of course, there is nearly continual bike lane parking on that road. When I used to bike it, rare was the morning that I didn't stop to call in a parked vehicle.
Of course, everyone complains about the traffic calming...even the residents, who wanted it.