Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[racc]

Interesting news from NYC. They found that streets with bike lanes are safer for pedestrians.

From page 23 in:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/download...ction_plan.pdf

Controlling for other factors, pedestrian KSI crashes on streets with bike lanes were ~40% less deadly as crashes on other streets. The installation of bike lanes usually involves a narrowing of the motor vehicle portion of the roadway and indicates to drivers that they need to watch for other road users. These changes have a traffic calming effect, lowering speeds and increasing driver attention.

[Porfiry]

Also interesting...

In terms of prevention, safer, pedestrian-friendly streets also encourage everyday walking, an important part of a healthy lifestyle. People that reside in areas with more high quality sidewalks and bike lanes are more likely to be active and less likely to be overweight.

[SpongeG]

they've added some green it sparkles

pics by me

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

Also interesting...

Even taking transit can help as people usually have to walk to the bus stop or from the bus stop.

Any time you have to walk more the better off it is for you.

Which is why I find people who try and park 2 feet from the door to be well lazy. Aparently they don't like to use the 2 feet they were born with.


Ever since I stopped driving. I've lost 12 pounds and 2 inches off my waist. All from taking transit and cycling. Mind you though I do walk and cycle like I wanted to get there yesterday.

[tybuilding]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

Also interesting...

Also interesting:

The drivers that kill and seriously injure pedestrians are
overwhelmingly male. 80% of pedestrian KSI crashes
involved male drivers, while only 57% of New York
City vehicles are registered to men.

and:

Private passenger cars dominate pedestrian KSI
crashes, accounting for 79% of the total. Even in
taxi-saturated Manhattan, only 16% of pedestrian
KSI crashes involved a taxi or livery car. Similarly,
trucks (4%) and buses (3%) only accounted for small
proportions of pedestrian KSI crashes citywide. Since
professional drivers depend on driving (and their
vehicles) for their livelihood, they are highly incentivized
to avoid crashes.

and:

Countdown signals have been shown to reduce
pedestrian injury crashes and are strongly preferred by
pedestrians, who find them easier to understand than
other signal types.28 ---- I really like these!

[jlousa]

For those interested in what the city has in mind for Hornby they have released their plans. There is also another open house now set for the 8th. Enjoy and critic.

http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transpor...ted/effect.htm

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jlousa

For those interested in what the city has in mind for Hornby they have released their plans. There is also another open house now set for the 8th. Enjoy and critic.

http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transpor...ted/effect.htm

Wow such detailed plans just a couple weeks after their "consultation". One might almost think it was a foregone conclusion.

Eliminating one of the right hand turn lanes from Smithe onto Hornby, recipe for bad congestion. And I can't wait to see how many people unwittingly get stuck in the right hand lane of Hornby where it becomes a right turn lane onto Georgia. That'll be fun to watch. I'll just turn up the stereo, rev the engine and think of Gregor as I release all those hydrocarbons!

[racc]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Wow such detailed plans just a couple weeks after their "consultation". One might almost think it was a foregone conclusion.

The open house was on Aug. 11 so it is three weeks, not two weeks. It is great to see the city actually getting things done quickly. It is a great change from the old "lets take forever and study it to death approach".

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by jlousa

For those interested in what the city has in mind for Hornby they have released their plans.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

I like the connection to Canada Place and the seawall, but what about the other end? Is there an existing separated cycle path along Beach to connect the new lane to the Burrard Street bridge?

[IanS]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Wow such detailed plans just a couple weeks after their "consultation". One might almost think it was a foregone conclusion.

Well, I don't think that anyone but most committed advocate really believes this work started a few weeks ago. Besides, these are just concept drawings, according to the legend.


Regarding the design (and based on a quick review):

- the inclusion of the lane between Beach and Pacific seems strange, particularly the dedicated traffic signal on Beach itself. I don't think there's a whole lot of traffic, either car or bike, down there to justify the lane / signal. Having said that, it's probably not a problem, given the lack of traffic. I guess they want to connect the lane to the seawall, which makes sense.

- the single lane of traffic (if I'm reading it right) between Pacific and Davie is a recipe for congestion and delay. IMO, this may pretty much limits Hornby as a viable connection coming south over the Burrard Street Bridge. Maybe that's the idea?

- they are leaving the right turn onto Davie, which is good.

- seems odd to open up to two lanes south of Davie. Are they expecting a lot of traffic turning south from Davie onto Hornby? Perhaps if the traffic is choked off at the outset, the two lanes south of Davie will seem like a lot?

- they are keeping the right turn onto Nelson, which is good.

- the section between Nelson and Robson looks good. They are eliminating some parking, but I think that they are making that up elsewhere. There's a parkade exit on Hornby near Robson which will have to be taken into account, though. It's noted on the drawings, but it's not clear how they will accommodate it with the lane.

- the jog in traffic for the Museum loading bay is creative, but I can foresee potential problems if buses let people out to walk across the bike lane. May not be a problem, I guess, if the bike lane isn't widely used.

- they are keeping the right turn onto Georgia, which is good.

- they are keeping the right turns onto Pender and Hastings, which is good.

- it's not clear from the drawings, but it looks like they are going to eliminate right turns from Hastings onto Burrard. Not sure about that.

I had read from some posters here and elsewhere that the City was working with individual business owners along Hornby to meet their concerns. It will be interesting to see how (or if) the design evolves as those problems are raised and (hopefully) addressed.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I like the connection to Canada Place and the seawall, but what about the other end? Is there an existing separated cycle path along Beach to connect the new lane to the Burrard Street bridge?

Ah, looking at the diagram again I see a half-block "existing separated bike lane" on Pacific, and 1-block separated bike lanes on Drake and Burrard. That looks pretty good, assuming the latter are two-way.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by IanS

- the inclusion of the lane between Beach and Pacific seems strange, particularly the dedicated traffic signal on Beach itself. I don't think there's a whole lot of traffic, either car or bike, down there to justify the lane / signal. Having said that, it's probably not a problem, given the lack of traffic. I guess they want to connect the lane to the seawall, which makes sense.

Well, it's a 4-way stop right now on Beach right now. However, with the bike lane ending at Beach you need a way for southbound cyclists to move diagonally across traffic from the east side to the west side. Hence, a dedicated signal that should make it clear who has right-of-way at any given time. Since you don't want to introduce any more complexity to the Pacific intersection, you do this at Beach.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Ah, looking at the diagram again I see a half-block "existing separated bike lane" on Pacific, and 1-block separated bike lanes on Drake and Burrard. That looks pretty good, assuming the latter are two-way.

I believe those are one-way. Northbound cyclists coming off Burrard connect at Pacific. If you want to get onto the bridge going South, you turn off on Drake and go South on Burrard.

[IanS]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

Well, it's a 4-way stop right now on Beach right now. However, with the bike lane ending at Beach you need a way for southbound cyclists to move diagonally across traffic from the east side to the west side. Hence, a dedicated signal that should make it clear who has right-of-way at any given time. Since you don't want to introduce any more complexity to the Pacific intersection, you do this at Beach.

That makes sense, I guess. Though, I would have thought that having cyclists making a turn at the 4 way stop would have worked as well, as there's not a whole lot of traffic down there from what I've seen.

[racc]

Originally Posted by IanS

That makes sense, I guess. Though, I would have thought that having cyclists making a turn at the 4 way stop would have worked as well, as there's not a whole lot of traffic down there from what I've seen.

There is pretty steady traffic on Beach but not much on Hornby. As a result, some drivers go through the stop sign without stopping. I have seen this a few times. Drivers may also not expect or notice cyclists on the side of the road they are not usually on. All and all, I think the signal is a good idea.

[SpongeG]

Driving a message home with an optical illusion



Rebecca Lindell
Vancouver — From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 2:48AM EDT
Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 02, 2010 10:43AM EDT

It’s already on the big screen, but now a 3D image is being used on the streets of West Vancouver in an attempt to jolt reckless drivers into reality.

Motorists travelling on 22nd Street in West Vancouver will be confronted with a 3D image of a little girl chasing a ball in the street starting next Tuesday. The girl will be an optical illusion, but the scenario is very real, according to David Dunne of the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation.

‘We need to expect the unexpected because anything could happen, whether it is a 3D image on the road ... or whether it’s a live child or a dog running in front of the car, these are all things that we have to be able to control for in a vehicle,” Mr. Dunne said.

The foundation is partnering with Preventable, a safety advocacy group, and the District of West Vancouver to install Canada’s first ever 3D image aimed at driver safety.

The display, which costs $15,000 to run, will be installed in a school zone on 22nd Street, just north of Inglewood Avenue, and very close to École Pauline Johnson Elementary School. It will be in place for one week.

The 3D image will look like an indistinguishable mark from far away, but by the time the driver is within 30 metres, the image of the girl and ball will become clear.

“You’ll see this image start to rise off the pavement and it will look like a little child is crossing the street. As you get closer to the image, the image recedes into the pavement,” Mr. Dunne said.

The back-to-school season was chosen because September and October are the months that see the most child fatalities, Mr. Dunne said. Plus, parents are often the worst offenders, speeding, pulling u-turns and talking on cellphones, he said.

The key to prevention is changing attitudes, according to Mr. Dunne. The image is meant to provide a surprising physical reminder that drivers need to have an attitude of safety and caution.

Traditional safety messaging just does not seem to be getting the job done, according to both Mr. Dunne and the District of West Vancouver.

...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1693547/

[whatnext]

Waiting for the first West Van matron to jam on the brakes and promptly get rear-ended by another.

[dleung]

they need to install a few dozen more of those. Eventually a real girl chasing a real ball is going to get hit by a driver who thinks it's just a really good hologram

[WBC]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Waiting for the first West Van matron to jam on the brakes and promptly get rear-ended by another.

They should project the images of local politicians instead. See how many people break vs. step on the gas.

[Smooth]

If they want people to slow down they should just paint the road like one of these sidewalks...


http://www.bikingbis.com/_photos/LondonCanyon.sized.jpg


http://vanillaseven.com/wp-content/u...8/The-Cave.jpg