Bikes, bikes, bikes

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by flar

I should note that Bixi is back in Ottawa and Gatineau this summer.

Jealous

A few spots I feel Bixi's should be placed downtown Hamilton:
-CityHall Forecourt
-Gore Park
-York Blvd between CityCentre/Market (or maybe York Blvd)
-Bayfront Park/Trail and Pier 8/Williams Coffee Pub
-TH&B GO Ctr (and future JamesNorth GO Stn)
-Dundurn Park
-St Joe's Hospital
-Ferguson Station (King/Ferguson)
-Corktown Park (Ferguson/Young)

[palace1]

Sounds like this pilot project includes on-road bike lanes only but it would be nice if the city could clear the snow on the Rail Trail from Ferguson up to Mount Albion Falls during the winters.
I think the snow does get cleared on the Waterfront Trail from Princess Point to Bayfront Park (?)

[thistleclub]

Hamilton EMS reports:

HAMILTON, ON, June 21, 2011— Hamilton EMS is currently on scene at the intersection of Young Street and John Street for a collision between an automobile and a bicycle. Paramedics are treating the cyclist for serious head injuries and he is being transported to the Hamilton General Hospital. Additional information will be available once confirmed.

[SteelTown]

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ome-bike-lanes

[mattgrande]

According to Nicole O'Reilly, the vehicle was a Blue Line taxi van that fled the scene.

[flar]

To be honest, BIXI would not work in Hamilton. It loses tons of money even in Montreal, where there are lots of tourists and everybody rides bikes.

I haven't tried it yet because it seems cheaper to walk, but I've been curious. I only know one person who tried it so far and it costs $5 to take a bike out, plus a security deposit, then it costs increasingly more money every half hour the longer you borrow it. It ended up costing her like $20. I guess if you buy a longer subscription you can use it for a half hour for free each time. You can buy a decent used bike for the cost of a subscription. Basically, I don't think many people in Hamilton have that kind of coin and there are virtually no tourists in Hamilton.

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by flar

To be honest, BIXI would not work in Hamilton. It loses tons of money even in Montreal, where there are lots of tourists and everybody rides bikes.

I haven't tried it yet because it seems cheaper to walk, but I've been curious. I only know one person who tried it so far and it costs $5 to take a bike out, plus a security deposit, then it costs increasingly more money every half hour the longer you borrow it. It ended up costing her like $20. I guess if you buy a longer subscription you can use it for a half hour for free each time. You can buy a decent used bike for the cost of a subscription. Basically, I don't think many people in Hamilton have that kind of coin and there are virtually no tourists in Hamilton.

Wait!? Bixi loses money in Mtl!? Everytime I'm there the Bixi Stations are always empty! I couldn't find one for my life last fall despite the stations being everywhere!

Montreal is awesome for cycling. Many of their bike lanes are seperated from traffic by a concrete median, marked clearly for bikes. Love it!
Also, I can never get enough of the Lachine Canal trail. I blade on it, but I wanna Bixi it next time I'm in town!

[flar]

The city of Montreal had to bail out Bixi with over $100 million in loans and financial guarantees. City of Ottawa has been debating whether they would be willing to use public money to keep it going here.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by DC1983

Wait!? Bixi loses money in Mtl!? Everytime I'm there the Bixi Stations are always empty! I couldn't find one for my life last fall despite the stations being everywhere!

Bixi is supposed to make profits once they have 50 000 subscribers, which they had planned to achieve on year 5. They are now at 40 000 subscribers in Montreal, with up to 27 000 bike movements per day.

[arch100]

I was driving down Longwood today and was shocked to see that the recently installed bike lanes and street parking between Main and King have been painted over!! Instead there is now one northbound land and 2 southbound lanes - no more bike lanes and no more street parking!

This is too bad - I used this route often to bike from the Durand / Kirkendall area to Westdale. Anyone know why the city has done such an about-face?? McHattie is generally such a champion of bike lanes.

[SteelTown]

http://www.thespec.com/news/world/ar...lly-in-vilnius

Haha could we rent a tank and do this if cars are parked along the Dundurn bike lanes in front of LCBO and Beer Store?

[SteelTown]

Ding ding: Bike lanes coming to Dundurn Street North

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...n-street-north

The city will install bicycle lanes on Dundurn Street North this fall.

Ward 1 councillor and cycling advocate Brian McHattie said Thursday the new lanes, between York Boulevard and King Street West, will not require the removal of street parking because there is none there now.

Installation of bike lanes on Dundurn South between Main Street West and Aberdeen Avenue as recommended by the city’s master cycling plan, caused an outcry among merchants on the street two years ago as parking spaces were lost.

McHattie, who made the announcement in Gore Park early Thursday as the city celebrated Bike to Work Day in honour of International Car Free day, said the city hopes to have the bike lanes installed by the end of autumn.

He said later the Dundurn North stretch will be “a little bit different” because there is no parking allowed on the street between King and York now, so there is no parking to lose.

Nevertheless, McHattie said, he will be presenting the idea at the Strathcona Community Council annual general meeting Sept. 27.

He will also be speaking directly with Our Lady of Mercy Lithuanian Church at Lamoureaux Street, whose members park on Dundurn during services.

The new lanes on Dundurn North connect to the new CP rail trail via Glenside Avenue, link to the existing Chedoke rail trail up the escarpment and provide access to the downtown via Herkimer Street, Charlton Avenue and Jackson Street.

The plan also says the bike lanes will connect to the McMaster Innovation Park on Longwood Road via the extension of Frid Street at the west end of Charlton Avenue and link to the waterfront over King Street and Longwood Road.

[NuclearNerd]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Ding ding: Bike lanes coming to Dundurn Street North
The new lanes on Dundurn North connect to the new CP rail trail via Glenside Avenue, link to the existing Chedoke rail trail up the escarpment and provide access to the downtown via Herkimer Street, Charlton Avenue and Jackson Street.

That's a bit disingenuous isn't it? The Dundurn St North lanes won't connect at all to the Dundurn St South lanes as far as I can tell. The block between King and Main will still be four lanes of impatient traffic. I'm a huge supporter of bike lanes, but sometimes I wonder if the piecemeal approach causes more backlash then benefits.

[thistleclub]

The City of Burlington recently finished its deluxe road resurfacing along Northshore Boulevard from the hilltop just east of LaSalle Park to just west of King Road (it's so smooth it's hilarious), and just last weekend they enhanced the bike lanes along that stretch with grip-positive green crescents at intersections along the north face, which serve as safety-forward highly visible alerts for cyclists and drivers alike and hopefully prevent collisions.

On a related note, considering how car-centric it is, the City of Hamilton should really post a highly visible breakdown like this on its site.

[fuller]

Bike lanes on Stinson!

Yesterday, bicycle lanes appeared on Stinson Street. I haven't looked yet but I believe they're also on Hunter Street, at least as far as the GO Centre, and on Wellington between Hunter and Young. At least that's what was in the plan.

[Duckyboy]

Originally Posted by fuller

Bike lanes on Stinson!

Yesterday, bicycle lanes appeared on Stinson Street. I haven't looked yet but I believe they're also on Hunter Street, at least as far as the GO Centre, and on Wellington between Hunter and Young. At least that's what was in the plan.

Ha! I was just about to comment on that. I noticed it as I drove into work this morning, but I forgot to notice where they end.

I don't ride a bike in the city, but I'm glad to see this as many do and it's a sign of progress as far as transportation goes. Good to see.

[SteelTown]

Rail trail is looking good so far...

[LikeHamilton]

Coroner launches review of Ontario cycling deaths

TORONTO Ontario’s chief coroner has announced a review into cycling deaths across the province.

Dr. Andrew McCallum says there is public concern about the issue of bicycle safety.

The review will try to identify common factors in the deaths from 2006 to 2010.

Dr. Dan Cass, regional supervising coroner for the Toronto West Region, will lead the review.

He will make recommendations next spring.

http://www.thespec.com/news/ontario/...cycling-deaths


The coroner’s office says 15 to 20 cyclists die in Ontario each year from injuries suffered on their bikes.

[SteelTown]

West-end link added to city’s cycling network

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ycling-network

A trail is opening this week in the west end, providing both safer options for cyclists and the vision of a future cycling network spread across town.

The 1.8-kilometre trail, a $1.95-million project that’s part of the city’s Shifting Gears Cycling Plan, starts just west of Leland Street, will cross over the 403 and connect to Studholme Road by Chedoke Golf Course.

“I think the CP rail trail is a great sign of the city showing commitment to the bike plan,” said Andrea Kita, chair of the Hamilton Cycling Committee, a volunteer group dedicated to improving cycling in the city.

“It’s a multiyear plan which can be done sooner rather than later if there’s continued investment,” she said. “I think it’s important for the cycling master plan to be a priority for each ward.”

Ward 1 Councillor Brian McHattie said the trail is paved to offer greater accessibility and, since it is designed to be a year round pathway, will have snow removed in the winter.

McHattie said many local residents would use the Canadian Pacific Railway line as a trail illegally so it already served as a natural passageway.

“It was identified in the cycling plan as a connection that makes sense,” he said.

[thistleclub]

Public Works press release:

New Bridge to be Installed at Closed Portion of Chedoke Radial Trail

HAMILTON, ON – November 2, 2011 – Hamilton’s Public Works Department recently completed a comprehensive geotechnical investigation at the Chedoke Radial Trail which has been closed since August due to ongoing stability concerns. Based on the geotechnical assessment, the existing Bailey bridge near Chedoke Falls no longer suits the conditions at the site and a replacement bridge has been ordered.

The City is working towards having the trail re-established before year’s end. In the meantime, trail users are encouraged to use the alternate route by taking the Chedoke Stairs located between the Chedoke Golf Course and Cliffview Park at the corner of Upper Paradise and Scenic Drive. Barriers and safety fencing remain in place to mark the closed portion.