Cycling in Edmonton/Building a Bike Network

[itom 987]

Accidents between cyclists and pedestrians are never as bad as between cyclists and vehicles.


5 cyclists injured when struck by pickup truck on Sherwood Park Freeway
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...park-1.4782149

[mintzilla]

It’s always a pickup truck...

I always wonder how long the license suspension is for these people. I would hope at least 5 years but somehow I doubt it’s more than 1 year. Killing people(or attempting to accidentally or otherwise) remains the last acceptable cause of death in the western world.
Like if anything else took the amount of lives as Motor vehicle drivers do we would declare it an epidemic!

[Abii]

How the hell do you miss a bunch of bikers in a group ride? They're all wearing flashy technical gear, the bikes are colourful, there is a bunch of them, the road is fucking straight, they're on the shoulder....

I'm going to be ignorant and prejudge: he probably wanted to scare them and he overdid it.

[MichaelC]

This is why cyclist ride on sidewalks in Edmonton

[Airboy]

You do not get a licence suspention for running over cyclists, this will be a find for undo care and attention. It will be intersdting to see if any riders had a cameras on the bike. The team i ride with usually has a coule of cameras for this reason. I once road for the team that was hit. I am associated with a BC team that had a rider killed last year and the driver got basically a slap on the wrist.

[Abii]

Originally Posted by MichaelC

This is why cyclist ride on sidewalks in Edmonton

lol touche. I accept defeat on this one.

[mintzilla]

Regarding the discussion on bike lane using the bus lane on 109 street south of the river;
I always got the impression that the backups on 109 were caused by the poor light timings so the loss off that far (underused) lane wouldn’t add noticibly to the congestion.

As soon as you get of the high level you get a weird curve then stop lights. Then stop lights a few meters down. Then a crosswalk. Then more stop lights. Then that North of whyte crosswalk. Then whyte ave stop lights. All of which will never remain green during rush hour while you are driving one direction.

City council needs to
1. Fix the light timings
2. Put the bike lane on east side of 109 all the way down to Mac Donald’s
3. Stop making the simplest excersizes such a gong show.

[Landlocked]

Originally Posted by Abii

How the hell do you miss a bunch of bikers in a group ride? They're all wearing flashy technical gear, the bikes are colourful, there is a bunch of them, the road is fucking straight, they're on the shoulder....

I'm going to be ignorant and prejudge: he probably wanted to scare them and he overdid it.

Don't be unintentionally sexist... the quotes from the RCMP suggest it was a female driver. "Charges have not been laid against the female driver. Police were looking into distracted driving as a possible charge." edmontonjournal.com/

[Mikemike]

Originally Posted by mintzilla

Regarding the discussion on bike lane using the bus lane on 109 street south of the river;
I always got the impression that the backups on 109 were caused by the poor light timings so the loss off that far (underused) lane wouldn’t add noticibly to the congestion.

As soon as you get of the high level you get a weird curve then stop lights. Then stop lights a few meters down. Then a crosswalk. Then more stop lights. Then that North of whyte crosswalk. Then whyte ave stop lights. All of which will never remain green during rush hour while you are driving one direction.

City council needs to
1. Fix the light timings
2. Put the bike lane on east side of whyte all the way down to Mac Donald’s
3. Stop making the simplest excersizes such a gong show.

I don't know that it has to be east side, or that it has to be a single 2-way lane, but there is so much extra space on 109 that the fear of losing that curb lane is really irrational. I suppose some drivers feel that losing something that they don't need and rarely use is some kind of existential attack.

[Landlocked]

Originally Posted by Mikemike

I don't know that it has to be east side, or that it has to be a single 2-way lane, but there is so much extra space on 109 that the fear of losing that curb lane is really irrational. I suppose some drivers feel that losing something that they don't need and rarely use is some kind of existential attack.

Just a little bastardization of Niemoller because I thought it would be funny and it may answer why the complaints are trickling in:

"First they came for a portion of lanes, and I did not speak out—
Because I could still drive on the narrowed road.

Then they came for one lane on a four lane road, and I did not speak out—
Because I still had a lane and traffic wasn't too bad.

Then they came to take the lane going in one direction, leaving it a one way, and I did not speak out—
Because I never went that way anyway.

Then they came for my commuter route—and they claimed I should have spoke up when they started down this path."

[Coldrsx]

https://www.citylab.com/transportati...ent=edit-promo

[EdmTrekker]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

https://www.citylab.com/transportati...ent=edit-promo

With our homeless and vagrant population in downtown - no doubt in my mind any bike not docked and locked will be gonzo. I sure hope tax dollars are not used for that kind of an experiment. Let the private sector enter the market for profit if it wishes.

[s211]

Originally Posted by EdmTrekker

With our homeless and vagrant population in downtown - no doubt in my mind any bike not docked and locked will be gonzo. I sure hope tax dollars are not used for that kind of an experiment. Let the private sector enter the market for profit if it wishes.

No kidding. Dollars to doughnuts that virtually all the BMX-style bikes you see downtown are stolen. There are few things so telling as a fully-grown "gentleman" trying to wobble his way along a downtown sidewalk on one.

[itom 987]

You can buy an 'adult sized' BMX.

[240glt]

we started a bike share program at our complex earlier this year. We have eight cruiser style bikes designed specifically for the purpose, tenants can sign them out with their fobs. The bikes have seen a fair bit of use this summer, mostly people going for a ride at lunch, but some have taken them to meetings at other buildings. I think the program will continue to gain traction just as our other initiatives have, It’ll probably die right off in the winter but it’s a nice good weather amenity

[Coldrsx]

Seen them a lot and what a great idea.

[s211]

Originally Posted by itom 987

You can buy an 'adult sized' BMX.

And one can steal one, as is so patently obvious almost anywhere downtown, the BMX's natural habitat.

[Landlocked]

Originally Posted by s211

And one can steal one, as is so patently obvious almost anywhere downtown, the BMX's natural habitat.

Why is this a surprise to anyone? How many of those shopping carts were purchased instead of stolen, yet nothing will ever be done. When a portion of society is excluded from the rules of law, don't be surprised when they don't follow the rules of law.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by 240glt

we started a bike share program at our complex earlier this year. We have eight cruiser style bikes designed specifically for the purpose, tenants can sign them out with their fobs. The bikes have seen a fair bit of use this summer, mostly people going for a ride at lunch, but some have taken them to meetings at other buildings. I think the program will continue to gain traction just as our other initiatives have, It’ll probably die right off in the winter but it’s a nice good weather amenity

There is a bike share at our office as well, but will be more heavily promoted when we move downtown.

[Coldrsx]

High Level Line - Now with T-Shirts!

https://www.highlevelline.com/news/tshirts