Regina Construction IV

[thebasketballgeek]

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.

Few things

1. Winter cycling is just a byproduct of investing in active transportation infrastructure. The more bike lanes that are constructed predominantly for the summer months the more people convert to winter cycling because of induced demand.

2. Even cycling infrastructure that is “expensive” like multi-use paths separated from the street are far cheaper then car infrastructure. For example in Winnipeg we are constructing a active transportation path on a hydro corridor in the northwest part of the city that is 4.5m wide (average 2 way bike lane is 3.5 m wide) that in phase 1 of the project stretches 2.4km long and only costs $2.5 million. So the most expensive possible piece of bike infrastructure at the end of the day only costs roughly $1 million/km. In cities like Regina and Saskatoon where the sprawl isn’t nearly as large as cities like Winnipeg and Edmonton even a $10 million investment on a Main Street would be a great bang for a cities buck.

3. Even if you don’t envision a workable solution for Canadian prairie cities all of the larger municipalities in the prairies are investing significant amounts of money to make cycling work. Edmonton just announced a plan to build $100 million worth of bike lanes, Calgary already has the most extensive bikeway network in North America, and Winnipeg has a 20 year $320 million plan to improve active transportation.

Simply put, bike lanes are inevitable

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Few things

1. Winter cycling is just a byproduct of investing in active transportation infrastructure. The more bike lanes that are constructed predominantly for the summer months the more people convert to winter cycling because of induced demand.

2. Even cycling infrastructure that is “expensive” like multi-use paths separated from the street are far cheaper then car infrastructure. For example in Winnipeg we are constructing a active transportation path on a hydro corridor in the northwest part of the city that is 4.5m wide (average 2 way bike lane is 3.5 m wide) that in phase 1 of the project stretches 2.4km long and only costs $2.5 million. So the most expensive possible piece of bike infrastructure at the end of the day only costs roughly $1 million/km. In cities like Regina and Saskatoon where the sprawl isn’t nearly as large as cities like Winnipeg and Edmonton even a $10 million investment on a Main Street would be a great bang for a cities buck.

3. Even if you don’t envision a workable solution for Canadian prairie cities all of the larger municipalities in the prairies are investing significant amounts of money to make cycling work. Edmonton just announced a plan to build $100 million worth of bike lanes, Calgary already has the most extensive bikeway network in North America, and Winnipeg has a 20 year $320 million plan to improve active transportation.

Simply put, bike lanes are inevitable

Wow! That's some very encouraging information. And you make a great point about the cost, relative to car infrastructure.

[StealthGirl]

I'd like to see multi-use paths parallel to Arcola, south of Victoria. Get the bikes out of traffic and run all the way out to the Greens and Towns. There is space.

[gecho111]

Originally Posted by StealthGirl

I'd like to see multi-use paths parallel to Arcola, south of Victoria. Get the bikes out of traffic and run all the way out to the Greens and Towns. There is space.

Paths that parallel roads create problems at intersections. You've got the habitual ignoring of red light by drivers making right turns. Drivers never looking to their right when making right turns. Having cyclist riding against traffic so drivers going that same direction have to look for bikes behind them when making a left turn. And when cyclist are going with traffic, you have right turning vehicles crossing cyclists going straight through.

The paths on Courtney and Prince of Wales already experience these issues. I gave using the Prince of Wales one altogether since every time I used it drivers were blowing through the stop signs at McDonalds, Superstore and Canadian Tire. At Courtney & 9th N I'm always seeing cyclists start crossing south on a green light even though there is a left turn arrow for drivers.

For a road as busy as Arcola the should really consider tunnels or bridges at every intersection (but won't because the city is run by cheapskates). As a core design philosophy the main backbone of the pathway system should prioritize grade separated crossing to allow for free flow of pedestrian and bike traffic.

Crappy paths and bike lanes are why I prefer riding on the road most of the time. Other times using them is just inconvenient. If I'm going south to Harbour Landing I'll just ride down the Lewvan from the airport rather than having to cross the Lewvan twice just to use the half built path on Pasqua.

[gecho111]

Pinkie bridge project not off to the best start with the construction trailer laying on its side.

[UPP]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Few things

1. Winter cycling is just a byproduct of investing in active transportation infrastructure. The more bike lanes that are constructed predominantly for the summer months the more people convert to winter cycling because of induced demand.

2. Even cycling infrastructure that is “expensive” like multi-use paths separated from the street are far cheaper then car infrastructure. For example in Winnipeg we are constructing a active transportation path on a hydro corridor in the northwest part of the city that is 4.5m wide (average 2 way bike lane is 3.5 m wide) that in phase 1 of the project stretches 2.4km long and only costs $2.5 million. So the most expensive possible piece of bike infrastructure at the end of the day only costs roughly $1 million/km. In cities like Regina and Saskatoon where the sprawl isn’t nearly as large as cities like Winnipeg and Edmonton even a $10 million investment on a Main Street would be a great bang for a cities buck.

3. Even if you don’t envision a workable solution for Canadian prairie cities all of the larger municipalities in the prairies are investing significant amounts of money to make cycling work. Edmonton just announced a plan to build $100 million worth of bike lanes, Calgary already has the most extensive bikeway network in North America, and Winnipeg has a 20 year $320 million plan to improve active transportation.

Simply put, bike lanes are inevitable

I biked to work nearly every day from until the end of October, but I'm gonna tell you, after that, it's just too cold here. We can spend up the wazoo on cycling infrastructure, but it won't get major use from November to March.

Having said that, I would love better infrastructure because it's downright deadly dangerous at times.

[Fjords]

The City of Regina is advertising a new Intensification and Revitalization Program for homes in the 'heart' of Regina. They are offering up to $50,000 in grants to property owners who want to upgrade, demolish, or bring up to code.

https://www.regina.ca/business-developme...ation-revitalization-incentive-programs/

I found interesting that you could have the entire cost of your demolition, including fees and permits, covered. Does this spur widespread brownfield sites? Demolish now while it's free, build later once the economy recovers and mortgage rates drop?

[StealthGirl]

I biked to work nearly every day from until the end of October, but I'm gonna tell you, after that, it's just too cold here. We can spend up the wazoo on cycling infrastructure, but it won't get major use from November to March.

So it's good from March/April to October/November and smaller use in the winter months. It's not like we don't fund things in this city with shorter usable windows than that.

Originally Posted by Fjords

I found interesting that you could have the entire cost of your demolition, including fees and permits, covered. Does this spur widespread brownfield sites? Demolish now while it's free, build later once the economy recovers and mortgage rates drop?

But you also have to get it past council and get approved. Last year they had a ton of property owners wanting funding and there were discussions about having enough dollars to fund this.

Given that we have a deficit budget and $3M in cuts to make, I'm not sure how much they can hand out.

[yveseluj]

Originally Posted by UPP

I biked to work nearly every day from until the end of October, but I'm gonna tell you, after that, it's just too cold here. We can spend up the wazoo on cycling infrastructure, but it won't get major use from November to March.

Having said that, I would love better infrastructure because it's downright deadly dangerous at times.

Yup, this is it for 95% of people right here. I bike to work every day from March-ish to November-ish. I love it, but as much as I love it, it's just too cold in the winter, even if the city maintained their roads/MUP better than they currently do. I admire the small amount of folks who do bike year round, but to assume this would become the norm is just wrong, sadly. This doesn't preclude the city from improving cycling infrastructure, mind you. We did spend 300m on a stadium that gets used to its full potential maybe 10 times a year, after all.

[yveseluj]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

During the recent World Juniors, they were showing clips of past junior hockey stars and finished with a clip of who is the de facto upcoming number 1 draft pick in Connor Bedard, scoring a goal for the Pats during a game at the Brandt Centre. The sparsely attended arena gave me second-hand embarrassment and also made me realize just how ridiculous the idea of a new arena is.

You can thank the Pats having the most expensive tickets in the WHL for that. They've bungled their two years with Bedard horribly.

[city rep]

In regards to biking infrastructure, our only issue is not lack of it.
I live on park street, with the front of my house facing the dedicated bike lane. I can not count how many times I have seen bikers still on the single lane road rather than using their own dedicated lane.
Our city culture needs to change in regards to alternate forms of transit. Part of this shift includes situations such as this as well. Its easy to say we need to do things like toss more money at the problem, however that is only part of the solution.

[gecho111]

Originally Posted by city rep

I live on park street, with the front of my house facing the dedicated bike lane. I can not count how many times I have seen bikers still on the single lane road rather than using their own dedicated lane.

That's because that bike lane is SHIT! Right up against the curb so you have to ride over manholes. Dirt collects in there. Stupid ramps at all the bus stops. When you are going south you have to look backwards at Douglas and switch sides of the road. Though going south there is plenty of room on the correct side of the street so there is no point in using the bike lane going that way.

The recurring theme of Regina bicycle infrastructure is: worse than nothing.

Chuka always full of dirt, and the northern part is where people put their recycling / garbage bins. Wascana Gate lane that forces you to turn left in front of right turning drivers. 13th Ave one that is full of sand and standing water. The city forces you into a shitty space and in doing so eliminated the space where you could previously ride comfortably.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by yveseluj

You can thank the Pats having the most expensive tickets in the WHL for that. They've bungled their two years with Bedard horribly.

Yep. 5-6 years ago when the Pats had a very good team with reasonable ticket prices they would pretty well fill that place up.

The small crowds are 100% on the ownership.

[blacktrojan3921]

Originally Posted by yveseluj

You can thank the Pats having the most expensive tickets in the WHL for that. They've bungled their two years with Bedard horribly.

In fairness, that's mainly due to Ticketmaster.

[Newstart]

Originally Posted by yveseluj

You can thank the Pats having the most expensive tickets in the WHL for that. They've bungled their two years with Bedard horribly.

How are the Pats the most expensive tickets in the league?

Kelowna Rockets are More. Victoria Royals are on par. Vancouver Giants are more, Brandon Wheat Kings are a bit less. Blades are similar. Hitman are a few bucks difference. Edmonton is a couple bucks difference...The best I can find is 6-8 dollars more than some and on par with others. However a majority of the pricing differentials are 3-4 dollars difference for premium seats. Every Arena has different operating costs and requirements but if ya'll are blaming poor Pats attendance on 3-4 bucks...I'd say that's indicative of a bigger problem...

When the Pats did the BC Road Trip in November it was sell out crowds everywhere. And in many cases the tickets are more than the Pats home games...

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/ju...r-bedard-leading-to-sellout-games-galore

[Newstart]

Originally Posted by gecho111

That's because that bike lane is SHIT! Right up against the curb so you have to ride over manholes. Dirt collects in there. Stupid ramps at all the bus stops. When you are going south you have to look backwards at Douglas and switch sides of the road. Though going south there is plenty of room on the correct side of the street so there is no point in using the bike lane going that way.

The recurring theme of Regina bicycle infrastructure is: worse than nothing.

Chuka always full of dirt, and the northern part is where people put their recycling / garbage bins. Wascana Gate lane that forces you to turn left in front of right turning drivers. 13th Ave one that is full of sand and standing water. The city forces you into a shitty space and in doing so eliminated the space where you could previously ride comfortably.

A lot of bike lanes all around North America are like that. What makes Regina so special that it should have a different bike lane? I remember riding in Portland a decade ago and you have to ride over train tracks in bike lanes and one of the people I was riding with got caught in a train track and bailed over.

Regina is a car centered community with little to no urban development, little to no urban housing/rebuilds. Everything is focused in the burbs. The office buildings have limited infrastructure for secure bike storage.

I'm a bit gobsmacked that a dialogue around spending millions for bike lanes is a good idea, yet building affordable housing is not nearly as a pressing point and doesn't not instill this much dialogue. Regina shouldn't spend a dime on cycling infrastructure until it starts solving some of its urban core and housing issues.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by Newstart

How are the Pats the most expensive tickets in the league?

Kelowna Rockets are More. Victoria Royals are on par. Vancouver Giants are more, Brandon Wheat Kings are a bit less. Blades are similar. Hitman are a few bucks difference. Edmonton is a couple bucks difference...The best I can find is 6-8 dollars more than some and on par with others. However a majority of the pricing differentials are 3-4 dollars difference for premium seats. Every Arena has different operating costs and requirements but if ya'll are blaming poor Pats attendance on 3-4 bucks...I'd say that's indicative of a bigger problem...

When the Pats did the BC Road Trip in November it was sell out crowds everywhere. And in many cases the tickets are more than the Pats home games...

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/ju...r-bedard-leading-to-sellout-games-galore

A 12 year old can go to a game in Moose Jaw for $6.69. In Saskatoon it's $7.50. In Regina it's $30.50. Taking kids to a Pats game was a great thing to do at one time. Now it's effen ridiculous.

I'm gobsmacked that people don't realize how high the ticket prices are for Pats games compared to other teams.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by blacktrojan3921

In fairness, that's mainly due to Ticketmaster.

No. No it isn't.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by Newstart

A lot of bike lanes all around North America are like that. What makes Regina so special that it should have a different bike lane? I remember riding in Portland a decade ago and you have to ride over train tracks in bike lanes and one of the people I was riding with got caught in a train track and bailed over.

Regina is a car centered community with little to no urban development, little to no urban housing/rebuilds. Everything is focused in the burbs. The office buildings have limited infrastructure for secure bike storage.

I'm a bit gobsmacked that a dialogue around spending millions for bike lanes is a good idea, yet building affordable housing is not nearly as a pressing point and doesn't not instill this much dialogue. Regina shouldn't spend a dime on cycling infrastructure until it starts solving some of its urban core and housing issues.

That’s the problem though. North American bike lanes on average are complete trash. It’s one of the reasons Europe has significantly higher number of cyclist.

You either get the painted bike lane with no buffer from cars which are at best a marginal improvement over not having a bike lane at all; painted bike lanes in between a driving lane and street parking which presents an opportunity to get doored into a lane resulting in a fatal crash or one with serious injuries; and then there’s the bike sharrow which gives a false sense of security and are actually worse then not having a bike lane at all. Unless the bike lane has a protected curb, adequate width (2m for 1 way and 3.6m for 2 way), or separated from the street one won’t see a huge increase in ridership. I’d say 80% of bike lanes in North America fail to meet these standards. I’m in the Bay Area rn and I’m gobsmacked that Winnipeg has better bike lanes then San Francisco lol. If you compare it to bike lanes in Denmark or the Netherlands it’s like we’re on completely different planets despite us having similar if not more wealth then those countries.

Also, I would argue affordable housing is discussed far more then bike lanes. Which I find weird because the costs of owning an automobile are what’s truly causing a lot of Canadians to get into debt with financing, gas prices, insurance and maintenance. Canadians on average spend $10k a year on cars, while I spent maybe $250-500 a year to maintain my bicycle. Since I personally don’t own a car and including my bus pass I’m saving roughly $8,500 a year just based on 1 less purchase. That’s a lot of money that can either go to rent or used as disposable income.

Off topic but Portland is so overrated.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

Something we agree on. Ticketmaster is likely the ticket sales company for all WHL arenas.

Not all. Winnipeg doesn't use it, neither does Moose Jaw. I think PA and others also use different systems. Besides, Ticketmaster is just the ticketing system. The ticket prices charged are up to the teams.

Originally Posted by pappcam

A 12 year old can go to a game in Moose Jaw for $6.69. In Saskatoon it's $7.50. In Regina it's $30.50. Taking kids to a Pats game was a great thing to do at one time. Now it's effen ridiculous.

I'm gobsmacked that people don't realize how high the ticket prices are for Pats games compared to other teams.

Pats games are definitely on the pricy side. For a family of four, it's $149 for silver seats, all in with taxes and fees. You can pay a few bucks more if you want to sit right at centre ice. That's a lot for junior hockey IMO.

When I see Pats games on WHL Live the building seldom looks more than half full and I would think price plays into that.