Regina Construction IV

[StealthGirl]

Originally Posted by pappcam

Who hates bikes? Do you think people that don't ride bikes as their main mode of transportation hate bikes? Do you think people hate buses too just because they don't ride them all the time?

Seems like a really weird thing to say out of the blue.

Sorry, I posted an incomplete thought there responding to the post before mine. I think there is a hate for bikes in Regina. I agree with gecho111 that there is a place on our city for more of them, but we definitely lack secure storage for them. We don't have enclosed, secure cahes for parking.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by skphc08

I do agree with you on the 13th/Broadway comparison. 13th should be so much more by now, given what can happen in other cities, including Saskatoon.

I'm not sure I follow your 11th/20th comparison though. Are you referring to the segments exclusively in the CBDs? I would have thought the relevant parts are 11th in the CBD but 20th to the west of Idylwyld. If so, this is not exactly apples to apples, and I am not sure how useful of a comparison it is.

I see what you mean. It was really just off the top of my head, but I was thinking CBD adjacent commerical streets. So the comparison to me would be 20th west of Idylwyld, as you mentioned, to 11th east of Broad. For a city the size of Regina there is a real lack of areas with low-rise mixed used builidings that foster vibrant, walkable commerical districts, similar to Broadway or the area around 20th. In Regina you have fragments on Hill Ave., 15th Ave, parts of 11th west, but not much with any critical mass, including 13th. I think 11th east of Broad could be that. When you consider the possible future plans for Sask Drive, the North/South Streets in the heritage area could help tie things together as well. Save for the arcane monstrosity that is the RPS headquarters I suppose...

[Stormer]

The Nest is nearing completion of its new fitness centre in the former downtown YMCA. It is scheduled t open Feb. 1

https://nesthealth.ca/fitness/

sneak peak:

https://youtu.be/NCKDDerCCQA

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by StealthGirl

Sorry, I posted an incomplete thought there responding to the post before mine. I think there is a hate for bikes in Regina. I agree with gecho111 that there is a place on our city for more of them, but we definitely lack secure storage for them. We don't have enclosed, secure cahes for parking.

I think the part of the problem, in addition to a lack of robust cycling infrastucture of course, is there isn't a really strong cycling culture in the city. Now some of that is for obvious reasons like climate, but it doesn't stop cities like Olso or Edmonton. But I do think we are a city without a lot of confident cyclers. As in some people are riding on the sidewalk, some are in traffic, some are in traffic but don't know the rules and others will only use dedicated corridors. It feeds into the idea that we don't know what we're doing and so we don't derserve the space, ergo Regina hates cyclists. More of us need to make our presence known on our bikes to challenge the dominant car culture!

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by cityboy

I think the part of the problem, in addition to a lack of robust cycling infrastucture of course, is there isn't a really strong cycling culture in the city. Now some of that is for obvious reasons like climate, but it doesn't stop cities like Olso or Edmonton. But I do think we are a city without a lot of confident cyclers. As in some people are riding on the sidewalk, some are in traffic, some are in traffic but don't know the rules and others will only use dedicated corridors. It feeds into the idea that we don't know what we're doing and so we don't derserve the space, ergo Regina hates cyclists. More of us need to make our presence known on our bikes to challenge the dominant car culture!

Oslo is much much warmer in winter than us. Edmonton is a fair comparison but I spend a lot of time there and I don't see much of a large bike community, especially in the winter.

There aren't very many cities in the world of our size that have colder winters.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by pappcam

Oslo is much much warmer in winter than us. Edmonton is a fair comparison but I spend a lot of time there and I don't see much of a large bike community, especially in the winter.

There aren't very many cities in the world of our size that have colder winters.

Good point about Oslo. I guess maybe Saskatoon would be a better comparison too lol! I'm not sure if there are considerably more cyclists there than here but I'm suspecting yes given the larger university. You are right, there are not that many cities similar in size with the same temperature challenges, but I think of places with persistent heavy snowfall like Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Boston, New York. And then Winnipeg, which seems to get the worst of all types of weather. All much bigger centres of course, but my point is that climate alone shouldn't be a good enough excuse for the lack of a biking culture.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by cityboy

Good point about Oslo. I guess maybe Saskatoon would be a better comparison too lol! I'm not sure if there are considerably more cyclists there than here but I'm suspecting yes given the larger university. You are right, there are not that many cities similar in size with the same temperature challenges, but I think of places with persistent heavy snowfall like Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Boston, New York. And then Winnipeg, which seems to get the worst of all types of weather. All much bigger centres of course, but my point is that climate alone shouldn't be a good enough excuse for the lack of a biking culture.

How can it not be? Biking in -20C weather is a non-starter for virtually everyone.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by pappcam

How can it not be? Biking in -20C weather is a non-starter for virtually everyone.

Because there’s 9-10 months of the year where it’s virtually not an issue. I don’t know why people are always so fixated on the two-three months we receive extreme cold.

Even so, a lot of the days it’s not even -20 and for most people in the prairies who have lived in the region their whole lives should at this point have acclimated to the climate conditions. As someone who has done winter cycling I agree it’s a massive challenge, but so rewarding and fulfilling it gives a great dopamine boost!

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by pappcam

How can it not be? Biking in -20C weather is a non-starter for virtually everyone.

Most commuters granted, but to say virtually everyone? That's a rather arrogant and myopic assertion.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

The good thing about humans, is we are a creative and adaptable bunch. Others might want to limit their imagination, put up self-imposed barriers, and be followers, but I am optimistic that we can do almost anything we set out minds to. I believe that there is an opportunity for us to be leaders in making a sustainable, winter-weather city. That being said, in order to do so, we need to get out of the car-centric mindset that was previously discussed.

Agreed! However, to be a true winter city will require considerablly more than a Frost festival

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by cityboy

Most commuters granted, but to say virtually everyone? That's a rather arrogant and myopic assertion.

Well, how many people do you see on bikes in the winter?

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by pappcam

Well, how many people do you see on bikes in the winter?

I thought we were talking about what is possible, not what exists currently. Are you saying that because something is a certain way now, that's the only way it could ever be?

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by cityboy

I thought we were talking about what is possible, not what exists currently. Are you saying that because something is a certian way now, that's the only way it could ever be?

I'm saying there are real roadblocks in the way of your vision of a bicycle friendly community and one very big one is the weather. I'm saying that it will take more than a few bike lanes to get people to commute to work on a bike all year. I guess it doesn't hurt to dream though.

[StealthGirl]

Originally Posted by pappcam

Well, how many people do you see on bikes in the winter?

They are out there. I know a couple of people in the city who don't have cars and commute by bike all winter. I know they aren't the only ones. I run outside every day and a few times a week, I see people on bikes. This time of year, it's usually fat bikes with the wider tires.

[Stormer]

Maybe we need a bicycle thread like Winnipeg has?

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by StealthGirl

They are out there. I know a couple of people in the city who don't have cars and commute by bike all winter. I know they aren't the only ones. I run outside every day and a few times a week, I see people on bikes. This time of year, it's usually fat bikes with the wider tires.

There definitely are winter riders out there. I'm not one of them currently but hope to at some point!

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by pappcam

I'm saying there are real roadblocks in the way of your vision of a bicycle friendly community and one very big one is the weather. I'm saying that it will take more than a few bike lanes to get people to commute to work on a bike all year. I guess it doesn't hurt to dream though.

There's real roadblocks to a lot of things, including the obvious ones you point out. I get the sense that for a lot of folks around here, that's a good enough reason to not attempt to change the status quo. It's not my vision anyway, I was just responding to another poster who was being criticized. But thanks anyway for your condescension.

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by cityboy

Good point about Oslo. I guess maybe Saskatoon would be a better comparison too lol! I'm not sure if there are considerably more cyclists there than here but I'm suspecting yes given the larger university. You are right, there are not that many cities similar in size with the same temperature challenges, but I think of places with persistent heavy snowfall like Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Boston, New York. And then Winnipeg, which seems to get the worst of all types of weather. All much bigger centres of course, but my point is that climate alone shouldn't be a good enough excuse for the lack of a biking culture.

Things are not much different in Saskatoon, as we face the same challenges as Regina. The infrastructure simply isn't set up for winter cycling, other than on the Meewasin Trail system along the river. One could certainly argue that there would be more usage if the infrastructure was there, but to what degree? It's a bit of a catch 22 - few people cycles in the winter because there's no infrastructure to make it safe/feasible to do so vs. there's no infrastructure because so few people cycle in the winter.

Frankly, I'm not convinced that we should be investing in the work required to make winter cycling feasible for commuters. Even with a very good (and expensive) cycling infrastructure, I don't believe that it would get significant usage in the winter and by winter, I'm talking October through April - basically as long as there is snow on the ground. Saskatoon's experiment with dedicated bike lanes in the downtown did not lead to significantly increased cycle traffic even in the summer months.

I do know that the current situation is no good for either cyclists or motorists. Yesterday, I was stuck behind a cyclist riding up the hill on Idylwyld doing approx. 10 kph in the centre of the curb lane. Traffic all took their turns moving around him as he trudged up the hill. My passenger was pissed off and yelling "why doesn't he ride on the sidewalk?" I replied that they're not supposed to do that either. We motorists get annoyed when cyclists choose when to act like pedestrians and when to act like vehicles as it suits them, so we can't be too upset when they follow the rules of the road.

I really don't envision a workable solution being incorporated for Canadian prairie cities in the foreseeable future.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by Crisis

Things are not much different in Saskatoon, as we face the same challenges as Regina. The infrastructure simply isn't set up for winter cycling, other than on the Meewasin Trail system along the river. One could certainly argue that there would be more usage if the infrastructure was there, but to what degree? It's a bit of a catch 22 - few people cycles in the winter because there's no infrastructure to make it safe/feasible to do so vs. there's no infrastructure because so few people cycle in the winter.

Frankly, I'm not convinced that we should be investing in the work required to make winter cycling feasible for commuters. Even with a very good (and expensive) cycling infrastructure, I don't believe that it would get significant usage in the winter and by winter, I'm talking October through April - basically as long as there is snow on the ground. Saskatoon's experiment with dedicated bike lanes in the downtown did not lead to significantly increased cycle traffic even in the summer months.

I do know that the current situation is no good for either cyclists or motorists. Yesterday, I was stuck behind a cyclist riding up the hill on Idylwyld doing approx. 10 kph in the centre of the curb lane. Traffic all took their turns moving around him as he trudged up the hill. My passenger was pissed off and yelling "why doesn't he ride on the sidewalk?" I replied that they're not supposed to do that either. We motorists get annoyed when cyclists choose when to act like pedestrians and when to act like vehicles as it suits them, so we can't be too upset when they follow the rules of the road.

I really don't envision a workable solution being incorporated for Canadian prairie cities in the foreseeable future.

Haha, yeah that's the typical prairie city image, only exacerbated by the snowpiles that narrow our streets in the winter. We're never going to be Copenhagen. It would just be nice if the cities, motorists and cyclists alike got to a point that it was treated as a viable option for those that wanted it. Truth be told I'd much rather the time and money by put into transit if it was one or the other.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Agreed. We need to get out and remove snow. Not just push it around. Remove it.

The city hasn't even plowed King's Road in two weeks it seems and it is a sloggy mess for driving and the bus as it is a bus route. Our roads are down a half a lane in a lot of places. Remove the snow. Get some equipment and learn how to do it. At least along main commuter routes for bikes and maybe we'll see more riders.