Metro Vancouver Bike & Pedestrian Discussion

[WBC]

I went on a drive down Dunsmuir today (Sunday) at around 11am.

Here are a few of my observations:

a) Traffic was backed halfway down the viaduct but this was due to the traffic lights on Citadel and Beatty not due to reduction in lanes or construction.

b) Once I cleared the Citadel/Beatty it was a smooth sailing (if we disregard the fact that some people feel obligated to drive 30km/h while being either confused by driving downtown or in awe of our glass towers)

c) Right turns on Hornby and Seymour are banned. This makes for a smooth ride as long as you are driving through the business district (as I was) and not turning north.

d) Bike lanes end at Hornby. I would bet that North/South bike route will use hornby.

e) Bike lanes look good. I like the design and I don't really see the need for planters, but I guess they are coming in later.

I think this will work well for both cyclists and cars as long as people don't try to break the law and turn right (which I already saw is happening) and if somebody does not decide to block the traffic buy stopping for illegal offloading. Any kind of accident or construction will cause big problems as well, but that"s to be expected.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by WBC

Right turns on Hornby and Seymour are banned.

I'm a little disappointed by that. It seems to me that there ought to be a way to accommodate both the cyclists and the cars. Making a right turn across the cycle lanes shouldn't be any worse in theory than trying to make a right turn across the pedestrian crosswalk.

On the other hand, for cars that DON'T have to turn northbound the lack of right-turn congestion might actually speed things up, cycle lanes notwithstanding.

Of course the people that really want to turn right are probably going to do it anyway... Be careful out there, folks!

[IanS]

Originally Posted by racc

Actually, looking at the data, there is decreased car use on the Bridge. Before the trial, car trips averaged 64,761 per day. Between the day after the trial started (I didn't include the day the trial started as car use was way lower than average) and the opening of the Canada Line, there was an average of 61,602 trips per day.

This year, from the end of the Paralympics until April 30, the average was only 56,630 per day. Obviously all the decrease was not due to people switch to bikes, some was the Canada Line and some people probably used the other bridges. But it is reasonable to expect that some was from people switching to bikes. As less than half of residents commute to work in cars by themselves, it would be likely that some people also switched from transit and the passenger's seat.

I've taken a closer look at the number and you are correct, the numbers do show a reduction in car use from the June / July period just prior to installation of the bike lane. Curiously, there also seems to be reduction in the number of bike trips once the initial increase, though I expect that is likely weather dependent.

IMO, the real test will come when we have more than 12 months of data, which should start fairly soon. At that point, we can compare bike and car traffic from the previous year and really see what's happening.

[IanS]

Originally Posted by WBC

d) Bike lanes end at Hornby. I would bet that North/South bike route will use hornby.

But.. wait.. they haven't done the public "consultation" yet.

Just joking.

But seriously Hornby makes a lot more sense than Burrard or Thurlow.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by whatnext

But as an advocate for downtown businesses, Gauthier said fewer parking spots and the possibility of eliminating right hand turns off Dunsmuir Street will hurt businesses.

—. The types of businesses most affected by loss of short-term street parking are retail. With that in mind, take a look at Dunsmuir Street. From the viaduct to Richards, there are no retail businesses, just a mix of office towers and monoliths like the Canada Post building, the QE theatre, and a church. I wouldn't be surprised if those spots are underused. The actual retail district, from Richards to Howe, has no current street parking, yet these businesses apparently survive. The cycle path will actually improve access to these businesses and increase their passerby traffic.

As for right turns, the restrictions are only in place at 2 intersections (Seymour and Hornby). I don't see any particular technical reason for this, so I assume it's a safety issue. Part of the trial is to see whether traffic can learn to adapt (easily done in the grid) and what types of intersection arrangements are the safest. If right-turns can be re-allowed in a safe manner, I see no reason why the restrictions wouldn't be lifted.

He pointed out the city’s 2002 Downtown Transportation Plan called for non-protected cycling lanes that would not take away parking spots or traffic lanes....

No, the 2002 plan calls for the preservation of parking when possible, but its removal when required.

If you can propose a way to put protected lanes in the downtown core, as required for public safety, without taking space away from cars, then just make your proposal instead of complaining. Otherwise compromise is required, and the safety of cyclists takes precedence over some minor inconveniences. We are members of society and have the same right to safety as you.

[SFUVancouver]

I have absolutely no problem with the protected north/south bicycle lane being on Hornby. That is already an underutilised street with very low traffic every time I have driven, rode, or walked it. The one missing piece will be the connection between the SeaWall at Burrard and Canada Place Way and the new protected bicycle lane network.

[IanS]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I have absolutely no problem with the protected north/south bicycle lane being on Hornby. That is already an underutilised street with very low traffic every time I have driven, rode, or walked it. The one missing piece will be the connection between the SeaWall at Burrard and Canada Place Way and the new protected bicycle lane network.

I don't know about that. I walk along Hornby most days at around 5:15 or so and it's pretty backed up most of the time. However, I do think it's a better choice than Burrard or Thurlow.

[twoNeurons]

Although I'm not a cyclist, I do welcome the bike lanes from a pedestrian's point of view.

It's a nice buffer from traffic.

I'm sure people loudly protested Granville St. becoming transit only and the widening of the sidewalks way back when that happened.

This too shall pass.

On a slightly more side note. I was in Seattle on the weekend and I have a new appreciation for two-way roads. The one way roads in Seattle are annoying as a pedestrian and annoying as a car driver.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by IanS

But seriously Hornby makes a lot more sense than Burrard or Thurlow.

If the 2-way bike lane goes on Hornby, I wonder whether it would be on the west or east side of the street?

If consistent with Dunsmuir, it would be on the east side of the street,
HOWEVER - linkages at Pacific would probably favour a west side allignment since the sidwalk in front of Bicylce Sports Pacific can be clawed back and a bike lane to the southbround bridge can be installed, while the existing northbound bridge lane would just mean crossing Pacific at Kettle of Fish.

That would mean no left turns from Hornby - which would make sense, because most Hornby traffic comes from Burrard Bridge, so drivers will know to stay on Burrard if they are going west of Hornby.

[deasine]

A collection of pictures on the progress of the Dunsmuir Bike Route project. As I walked down Dunsmuir (an outbreak of sunshine), I was glad to see cyclists already using the route! All photos are shot by myself today.





Some reporting done on the project.









Is it just me? Or are the dual direction arrows pointing the wrong way? From what I understood, the bike route still uses the right-hand-drive format...







Old Transit Shelter. To be decommissioned?



I'm assuming this will be the new "bus island" for boarding the 257.

[Locked In]

Great update deasine - looks good! Glad to hear/see that people are already using the new route.

[Locked In]

Cyclists: In Vancouver, beware of cars; in Toronto, watch for streetcar tracks

Early results of study show how infrastructure in different cities affects biking injuries



Richard Blackwell

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, May. 31, 2010 7:52PM EDT Last updated on Monday, May. 31, 2010 9:11PM EDT

If you ride a bike in Toronto, you’re most likely to be injured negotiating a slippery streetcar track. For cyclists in Vancouver, however, it’s a run-in with a car that’ll probably put you in the hospital.

Those are the preliminary findings of a large study of bike injuries that is attempting to figure out which places on the streets and paths of two of Canada’s biggest cities are the most dangerous for those travelling on two wheels.

Researchers on the study, being co-ordinated by the University of British Columbia’s Cycling in Cities program, interviewed 690 cyclists injured in Toronto and Vancouver in 2008 and 2009. The data on the routes they were following at the time of injury are being carefully examined, to determine how biking infrastructure affects accidents.

Detailed results won’t be ready until next year, but early findings – from about 150 interviews in each city – show very different pictures depending on where people ride.

“There are two main clusters in downtown Toronto,” said Steven Friedman, an emergency doctor at Toronto’s University Health Network who is involved in the study. “Out of 150 [accidents], roughly one-third involve streetcar tracks.” In many cases, cyclists hit the tracks while avoiding double-parked cars or cars moving out of parking spaces, he said.

The other big Toronto cluster was “dooring” – cyclists hit by a car door opening as they pass a parked car.

In Vancouver, by contrast, the highest proportion of bike injuries resulted from collisions with cars. And on the West Coast, it is also much more common for cyclists to be hurt after running into pedestrians or other cyclists.

Dr. Friedman, who is presenting the preliminary statistics at a conference of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians in Montreal this week, acknowledged the results are skewed somewhat because all the Toronto hospitals in the study serve the downtown core, where streetcar tracks are concentrated. Vancouver has no streetcars.

Still, the detailed results could eventually help direct city planners so they can design cycling infrastructure to make it as safe as possible, and thus encourage more people to ride, said UBC professor Kay Teschke, who is managing the study. She acknowledged many accidents are caused by human error, but added the physical environment where the mistakes take place often determines whether there is an injury.

The study will crunch data on the paths taken by each of the 690 injured people, along with the road surface, lighting and weather, to see what factors might have increased the risk of injury. Prof. Teschke hopes full results will be out early in 2011.

Arno Schortinghuis, president of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, is a participant in the study – he was injured in a bike crash after getting cut off by a driver. For him, one key to reducing injuries is to get more cyclists on the road. “Better cycling infrastructure gets more people riding bikes,” he said, “[and] there is an associated corollary, that the more people who are riding bikes, the safer it is for all cyclists.” That’s because when motorists expect to see more cyclists on the road, they tend to be more cautious and accommodating, he said.

Mr. Schortinghuis, who jockeys with car traffic on Vancouver’s streets virtually every day, said separated bike lanes or off-road paths are by far the best way to attract more cyclists, because they are assured of being safe.

Toronto Cyclists Union executive director Yvonne Bambrick said she is looking forward to the final results of the UBC study because they will shed light on all the factors that cause accidents, including driver and cyclist road-sharing behaviour and the state of the roads.

“One of the biggest hazards right now is the state of our roadways,” she said. “I’m having to cycle looking down … rather than looking ahead to see if a car door is opening in my path or if a pedestrian is going to walk out.”

Transport Canada’s most recent statistics show that in 2007, 65 cyclists were killed and 7,023 injured across the country.

Dr. Friedman, who sees the consequences of bike accidents in his emergency room, said his advice for cyclists is to be particularly wary of streetcar tracks – which tend to catch bike tires and can be extremely slippery when wet – and cross them at acute angles. He also said cyclists should redouble their vigilance for car doors, and watch for taxis making U-turns.

Dr. Friedman also says it is crucial for cyclists to signal, to wear reflective clothing at night and avoid drinking alcohol before riding. Most of all, he said, cyclists should wear helmets.

Source: Globe and Mail

[WarrenC12]

Interesting that the pedestrian incidents are 6 times higher here. Obviously a small sample size, but that's telling of the total obliviousness and entitlement you see from the average Vancouver pedestrian.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by deasine

A collection of pictures on the progress of the Dunsmuir Bike Route project. As I walked down Dunsmuir (an outbreak of sunshine), I was glad to see cyclists already using the route! All photos are shot by myself today.

That all looks pretty permanent for a "trial".

On a macro level, has any society ever succeeded by making the flow of good and people less efficient? Just sayin'...

[deasine]

Originally Posted by whatnext

That all looks pretty permanent for a "trial".

On a macro level, has any society ever succeeded by making the flow of good and people less efficient? Just sayin'...

It depends on how you define by macro but yes there are places that have suceeded. I wouldn't say it's making the movement of people less efficient; all it is doing is reallocating space for all the users of the road. Dunsmuir doesn't have too many congestion issues for the most part, and I've heard enough drama from the previous pages about buisnesses relocating out of the downtown core.

But you do bring up a good point about the permanence of infrastructure of this "trial," as I don't think this project should have such designation. Maybe the UBC line should be built as SkyTrain and be called a trial!

[IanS]

Originally Posted by whatnext

That all looks pretty permanent for a "trial".

On a macro level, has any society ever succeeded by making the flow of good and people less efficient? Just sayin'...

I don't think it's a "trial" in the sense of, giving it a try and seeing if it works out. I think the use of the designation "trial" or "pilot" is meant to give the impression that they are gathering evidence and making a decision based on that evidence.

As far as efficiency as someone else has already mentioned, it's not about efficiency. It's about providing facilities for cyclists. Hopefully, there will be enough capacity on other routes and drivers can compensate that the overall damage will be kept to a minimum.

[racc]

Originally Posted by whatnext

That all looks pretty permanent for a "trial".

On a macro level, has any society ever succeeded by making the flow of good and people less efficient? Just sayin'...

Good point. The automobile is the least efficient form of transportation ever invented.

[officedweller]

Thanks.

I see a right turn lane at Hamilton - and I guess that's also one at Homer too?

Good to see that the City has put up signs saying to yield to pedestrians.

I wonder if they'll eventually add "Cyclists obey your signals" the same way that some cities put up "Pedestrians obey your signals"?

WRT the bus shelter - I read that the passengers will have to cross the bike path to board the bus.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by officedweller

WRT the bus shelter - I read that the passengers will have to cross the bike path to board the bus.

Mmmm this is not so good. The curb level is quite high between the island area and the bike path and these pedestrian-cyclists conflicts can be avoided if the bus waiting area is on the island itself. I guess it's okay since this isn't a high usage bus stop, but these are things to learn from the trial.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by deasine

Mmmm this is not so good. The curb level is quite high between the island area and the bike path and these pedestrian-cyclists conflicts can be avoided if the bus waiting area is on the island itself.

I hope they've included ramps to allow wheelchair / scooter access from the sidewalk to the bus island...