Cycling in Canada

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by habfanman

Yeah I hear that Toronto is only about 50 years behind in cycling infrastructure. Can anyone say "3 years later import BIXI from Montréal without the supporting infrastructure"=Sure to FAIL

Jarvis=painted lines=FAIL. University=designed to fail=FAIL.

It all fits in with still asking for "Subway tokens please"=FAIL.

Toronto=FAIL

Heh heh. I envy Montreal's cycling infrastructure. All in all, though, Toronto's still a pretty cool city with a lot more cyclists than Montreal and a distinctly more amenable climate for it, wouldn't you say?

[kool maudit]

i wouldn't even address habfanman about toronto.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Heh heh. I envy Montreal's cycling infrastructure. All in all, though, Toronto's still a pretty cool city with a lot more cyclists than Montreal and a distinctly more amenable climate for it, wouldn't you say?

I bet we have more per capita

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

I bet we have more per capita

I'm not trying to instigate anything here, but bear with me: if Montreal is covered in three feet of snow for about three months of the year, while in Toronto the roads are impassibly snowy for maybe two weeks in total, the mere fact that there are lots of cyclists on the roads in TO from December to February would mean that there are more cyclists there. Wouldn't it?

I guess this comes down to how you define a "cyclist." Or maybe your assumptions are based on a comparison of cyclists on the streets during the summer?

Anecdotally, I've been to Montreal three times in the dead of winter and never saw a single cyclist on the streets, which were hazardous enough to drive a car or walk on, never mind commandeer a two-wheeler on. This isn't generally a problem around these parts outside of the days during and immediately after a good dumping of snow, which might be around two weeks in total.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I guess this comes down to how you define a "cyclist." Or maybe your assumptions are based on a comparison of cyclists on the streets during the summer?

Pretty much.

Its not fair to compare during the winter, ours are much worse. That said, I have seen people cycling in snow storms here.

[rousseau]

The Donut Ride in Toronto is legendary. It's been going Saturdays and Sundays for more than thirty years, and is only prevented by heavy rain or snow. In summer they get more than a hundred riders, and in winter they still get dozens.

Here's footage from a ride in January. It was -8 degrees. That's cold when you're going 30+ km/h, so you need to dress properly for it. I myself have ridden in -10 before, but never for as long as the Donut Riders do (and, sadly, never as fast, either).

Basically, as long as the roads are dry, you can ride.

• Video Link

Donut Ride

[mike474]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

Pretty much.

Its not fair to compare during the winter, ours are much worse. That said, I have seen people cycling in snow storms here.

Weather isn't always a deterrent; apparently Saskatoon is second for per capita commuters who cycle (although Victoria is first, and the statistic might be dubious anyway since I can't find the original source, but it seems to be quoted everywhere). I know there are other factors, people are likely to live closer to work in a smaller city etc., but the point is if hundreds of people seem to make it work in -25C weather and shitty road conditions it's certainly doable.

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by mike474

Weather isn't always a deterrent; apparently Saskatoon is second for per capita commuters who cycle (although Victoria is first, and the statistic might be dubious anyway since I can't find the original source, but it seems to be quoted everywhere).

http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/labr88f-eng.htm

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/labr88f-eng.htm

Just what I thought:

Montreal: Total - modes of transportation: 1,716,485

Bicycle: 27, 400

Toronto: Total - modes of transportation: 2,433,060

Bicycle: 24,690

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Anecdotally, I've been to Montreal three times in the dead of winter and never saw a single cyclist on the streets, which were hazardous enough to drive a car or walk on, never mind commandeer a two-wheeler on. .

I live and drive in downtown Montreal and I can assure you that there are many cyclists during the winter months in this city. In fact, the city kept open the main bycicle paths during the season, clearing the snow.

[b31den]

There is a small city in Finland ive been to a couple times called Joensuu. They have colder winters there than most of Canada, yet I saw more people biking around downtown than anywhere else ive ever been. In the winter they don't scrape the paths or roads down to the pavement, but leave a thin layer of "groomed" ice/snow.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by b31den

There is a small city in Finland ive been to a couple times called Joensuu. They have colder winters there than most of Canada, yet I saw more people biking around downtown than anywhere else ive ever been. In the winter they don't scrape the paths or roads down to the pavement, but leave a thin layer of "groomed" ice/snow.

I imagine biking during winter is easier without the millions of cars bikers share the road with in bigger cities.

[waterloowarrior]

Oops! Councillor’s mistake derails bike lanes on University Ave.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1567108/
Broad plan for new bicycle network passes but pilot project downtown is spiked
Article Comments (145)
Anna Mehler Paperny

Toronto — Globe and Mail Update
Published on Wednesday, May. 12, 2010 11:52PM EDT
Last updated on Thursday, May. 13, 2010 3:58AM EDT
A plan to establish separated bike lanes along University Avenue was defeated Wednesday night – after a councillor made a voting mistake.

In a vote to remove a proposed segregated-lane pilot project from the city’s larger bike network plan, councillor Paula Fletcher voted “yes” by accident, she said, passing what would otherwise have been a tied (and defeated) amendment.

That means that a 12-week summertime pilot project that would have established the bike lanes on University Avenue was spiked.

“It’s extremely, extremely disappointing,” said Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of the Toronto Cyclists Union. “It was a forward-thinking pilot that connected three major east-west routes. ... We were so close to getting this passed.”

When the plan passed at the city’s public works committee last month, councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker said he was confident the pilot project would become permanent and be expanded across the city – it was a necessary step, he argued, in making cyclists safe.

Ms. Bambrick said she isn’t optimistic the proposal will come back to council after the October election: Multiple mayoral candidates, including councillor Rob Ford, who was at Wednesday’s vote, have opposed bike lanes in one form or another.

Rocco Rossi has said he supports a bike lane network on secondary streets, but not on such major arteries as University Avenue. George Smitherman has called for a pause on bike-lane development. Joe Pantalone supports them, and voted for the University Avenue pilot project.

Ms. Fletcher apologized for the error, which she and several other councillors tried unsuccessfully to correct. But changing a single vote that would have altered the outcome isn’t allowed.

“I feel very badly. ... I’ve been a very strong advocate of bike lanes,” she said, adding that she’s confident it will come back to council after the election.

“I’ve spoken to many councillors who’ve said we will commit to getting this on University Avenue in the new round of council.”

The bikeway network, which ended up passing by a wide margin, will establish new bike lanes on several roads – including Bay Street, Lansdowne Avenue and Spadina Crescent – as well as partially segregated bike lanes on Bay Street near Lakeshore.

The issue of University Avenue bike lanes didn’t generate the same amount of anger caused by proposed bike lanes on Jarvis Street last year. But the prospect of removing lanes of vehicle traffic and replacing them with bike lanes caused motorist consternation, especially in a city facing growing congestion problems.

Councillor Anthony Peruzza, who voted against the pilot project, said as an avid cyclist he supports physically separated bike lanes. Just not these ones.

“I support bicycle lanes and I support safety for cyclists. ... I think you need to have some kind of physical separation between cyclsts and automobiles,” he said. “They’ve turned this into a political hot potato.”


Fail!

[Darkoshvilli]

Wait till habfanman reads that LOL

[softee]

New dedicated bicycle lanes will be added to 4 streets in North Bay's west end this summer in order to connect two existing paths. I'm really looking forward to it as these lanes will go through some of the most attractive, historic and progressive neighbourhoods in town and will really add to the appeal of the area.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

I imagine biking during winter is easier without the millions of cars bikers share the road with in bigger cities.

Also, my understanding is that car ownership is generally more difficult over in some of those European nations - gas and auto prices... That would be a big incentive for riding bikes.

[SFUVancouver]

METRO VANCOUVER
Total - modes of transportation 1,003,020
Car, truck or van, as driver 675,075 | 67% of total
Car, truck or van, as passenger 70,990 | 7% of total
Public transit 165,435 | 16.5% of total
Walked to work 63,415 | 6.3% of total
Bicycle 16,585 | 1.6% of total
Motorcycle 2,745
Taxicab 1,275
Other method 7,495



VICTORIA
Total - modes of transportation 158,510
Car, truck or van, as driver 102,920 | 64.9% of total
Car, truck or van, as passenger 10,715 | 6.7% of total
Public transit 16,205 | 10.2% of total
Walked to work 16,510 | 10.4% of total
Bicycle 8,955 | 5.6% of total
Motorcycle 1,195
Taxicab 230
Other method 1,775


Per capita Vancouver's official rate of commuter cycling is about the same as Montreal and about 50% better than Toronto. However Victoria's per capita rate is almost three times higher than Montreal or Vancouver and more than five times higher than Toronto. The Galloping Goose cycling route in Victoria is a major factor in its success, plus the exceptionally mild climate and compact nature of the capitol region.

With all the public transportation improvements in Metro Vancouver and new cycling infrastructure in the City of Vancouver the next census should be interesting.

[SFUVancouver]

Vancouver pushes $25-million plan for more bike lanes

Council to consider 55 km of new routes in 10-year master cycling plan

By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver SunMay 6, 2010
Source


Vancouver is proposing to invest $25 million in additional bike paths over the next two years as part of the city's ambitious goal to become the world's greenest city by 2020.

A city report on a proposed 10-year Cycling Master Plan, which will go to council Thursday, calls for another 55 kilometres of bike lanes and routes around Vancouver.

This includes the long-awaited Comox–Helmcken Greenway project to connect the seawall, the West End and downtown Vancouver to the Central Valley Greenway, which stretches all the way to New Westminster.

The additional bike paths and routes would give Vancouver a 415-kilometre bike-route network and help the city reach its target of having 10 per cent of all urban trips in Vancouver made by bicycle by 2020, Mayor Gregor Robertson said. Right now, only 3.7 per cent of trips, or 60,000 trips a day, in Vancouver are made by bike on average, although some neighbourhoods boast up to 12 per cent.

"This will definitely get more people on bikes," Robertson said. "Most data shows that cities don't go much beyond five per cent until they create separated bike lanes. That's about the percentage of people that will take their chances in traffic."

The report, which will initiate the planning process for the new plan, recommends that council on Thursday approve an immediate $1.25-million investment in the city's bike network for 2010 and 2011.

This money would be used to draft a new 10-Year Cycling Program Master Plan, develop a comprehensive cycling monitoring program, add on-street bicycle parking and do spot improvements - such as more traffic lights - on existing bikeways to address safety concerns.

It also recommends council approve plans in principle to develop a new cross-town bikeway along 45th Avenue from Balaclava to Nanaimo, the North Arm Trail Greenway, generally along 59th Avenue from West Boulevard to Vivian, and create better cycling connections to the Canada Line Bridge and the Cambie Street bike lanes, which carry traffic over the Fraser River to Richmond.

The proposals are in addition to plans underway to complete separated bike lanes from the Burrard Bridge to the Dunsmuir Viaduct across the downtown core.

The total investment would be $25 million, which is roughly 30 per cent of the city's $90 million streets-and-roads budget for the same period, city engineer Jerry Dobrovolny said. The new cycling plan will form a component of a new transportation plan, to be initiated later this year.

The money for the cycling paths and improvements has already been set aside in various budgets, including $3.7 million in the city's developer "greenlink" fund, which is for pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. Another $3 million earmarked for major arterial roads will also go toward projects that benefit cyclists, while the city has another $8.3 million that isn't allocated to any specific projects.

Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs said about 12 per cent of the funding would be used for new infrastructure, while the rest would maintain or upgrade cycling paths. He noted many of the projects have been waiting for years to be built.

Vancouver's bicycle network comprises five primary types of facility: off-street paths, local street bikeways, painted bike lanes, painted shared-use lanes and separated bike lanes.

Robertson said one of the considerations would be to look at separated-bike-lane trials on major arterial routes such as Main or Commercial and on residential-street bike lanes.

"We have a really good bike infrastructure but it really needs a catch-up in investment," he said. "For many years all city investment went into roads and sidewalks and the city ignored safe bike options."

Margaret Mahan, executive director of Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST), welcomed the city's report. "It marks the first time we've seen that kind of significant commitment to a future that is going to be greener," she said. "The single thing most people say keeps them from riding is the perceived safety issue.

"[They'll get on their bikes] when they're not afraid of being hit by two tonnes of moving vehicle."

If approved by council, a public consultation process would probably start immediately and take about a year.




Vancouver approves $25 million funding over two years for bike lanes
New and improved bike lanes part of 10 year plan
Jill Drews / Mike Hanafin 2010/05/06
Source

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Vancouver City Council has approved a plan to spend $25 million over the next two years on bike lanes and bike lane infrastructure. The money will be spent on creating more bike lanes, and improving existing ones.

The two-year spending plan--which includes building 55 kilometres of new bike lanes in the city--is part of the city's 10 year cycling plan. The new money will be spent on completing an east-west bike route along 45th Avenue, and better connections from existing north-south bike routes in South Vancouver to the Canada Line Bridge, which has a pedestrian/bike lane on the bridge over the Fraser River to Richmond.

The plan will also fund extra bike parking and a trial for separated bike lanes along busy routes.

About four per cent of Vancouver commuters use bikes. The city hopes the investment will encourage more people (their goal is 10 per cent) to use bikes for commuting.

The complete city report of proposals to City Council can be viewed via the City of Vancouver website: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/...ents/csbu5.pdf

[softee]

Bike to work stats don't take into account how many people use their bikes to simply get around town on a regular basis. Downtown Toronto is full of people just riding around for the sheer joy of cycling and showing off how cool and unique their ride is.

[Darkoshvilli]

Those numbers are also from before bixi was introduced in Montreal and we all know how succesfull that became.