Bikes, bikes, bikes

[matt602]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Just got hit by a car today. As I'd always predicted, it happened in Burlington while riding on the right, doing nothing out of the ordinary, by someone who was just not paying attention. Bike lanes wouldn't have helped. Drivers need to be aware of bicyclists. The best improvement to bike safety is more bikes on the road.

Sorry to hear about that. Doesn't surprise me that it was in Burlington, though.

[FairHamilton]

Jon,

I hope you are relatively unscathed. That's brutal, how bad? Were the police involved in the incident (i.e. ticket to driver).

[Jon Dalton]

It's all good, no injuries, but scary that someone would just plow right into me from behind. The area is terrible for people just gunning it out of driveways as if there's no sidewalk. Also, yesterday I was counting the number of drivers on cell phones which is truly astounding. 5 in a row were on the phone including a lady who almost ran the red and was reaching to grab the phone from the passenger seat while jerking the wheel abruptly with the other hand and screeching to a halt halfway into the crosswalk.

[FairHamilton]

I'm glad for no injuries! That's the most important thing.

[highwater]

Oh jeez, Jon. Glad you're ok. Take care of yourself.

[adam]

As more cyclists take to the roads, we need stricter enforcement of motorized vehicles.

[emge]

i just got my bike back last week. I had loaned it to my sister while she was attending the University of Guelph last year.

After a terrible summer biking to work in North York in Toronto during college I thought I would never bike again... now, I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Anything particular I should know about biking in Hamilton as opposed to other cities?

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by emge

Anything particular I should know about biking in Hamilton as opposed to other cities?

I recommend for anywhere to ride with a white flasher on the front and a red flasher on the back at all times, even during the day. Lights on for safety!!

Increased visibility to drivers and pedestrians is paramount.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by adam

As more cyclists take to the roads, we need stricter enforcement of motorized vehicles.

We need stricter enforcement of motorized vehicles, and bicycles. There needs to be a joint respect between the two.

[adam]

Comparing a car to a bike is like comparing a handgun to a baseball bat... or actually baseball bat is too strong... twig or small stick would be more accurate.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by emge

i just got my bike back last week. I had loaned it to my sister while she was attending the University of Guelph last year.

After a terrible summer biking to work in North York in Toronto during college I thought I would never bike again... now, I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Anything particular I should know about biking in Hamilton as opposed to other cities?

avoid Main St at all costs.

[Blurr]

^^ I am pretty comfortable taking main/king. With all the lanes available I just take one lane to myself. I have found that drivers and buses simply go around.

I find other routes too slow in my area.

[raisethehammer]

anyone noticed the construction on Wilson, east of Wellington?
It almost looks like they are going to redo it as 3 lanes instead of 4. Perhaps room for a bike lane??
I'm sure this is just wishful thinking...when it's all said and done it'll be back to a 4-lane freeway, but for now they've got painted dots in a 3-lane design.
I can't see a bike lane going there or we'd have heard about it years ago and the subsequent 2 dozen studies, 6 years of hand-wringing and constant delays while the brainiacs at city hall try to figure out if it's possible to add a bike lane on a 4-lane, one-way street without the world coming to an end.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by FairHamilton

We need stricter enforcement of motorized vehicles, and bicycles. There needs to be a joint respect between the two.

I have to agree. The same day Jon was hit, I nearly hit a cyclist who was blowing through a 4-way stop sign. She was concealed by a parked van and I didn't see her till I had already entered the intersection. She hadn't even bothered to slow down.

I live near the university and see this all the time, moreso now that there are more bikes on the road. Now I totally understand about cyclists treating all-way stops as a yield if there are no other vehicles, I do it myself. That's not what I'm talking about here. Sterling is a busy street and you will see two or three vehicles stopped at an intersection, and the cyclists just blow through without even looking, let alone slowing down, like they're in their own little universe. Many of them are wearing headphones as well. It's only a matter of time.

Because I'm aware of this, I'm extra cautious at 4-way stops in our neighbourhood, but I didn't see the cyclist yesterday because of the parked van, plus it was a side street where there usually aren't as many cyclists so I wasn't anticipating. Could have been tragic.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by adam

Comparing a car to a bike is like comparing a handgun to a baseball bat... or actually baseball bat is too strong... twig or small stick would be more accurate.

Unless you're a pedestrian. Then the baseball bat analogy applies.

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by emge

Anything particular I should know about biking in Hamilton as opposed to other cities?

In Hamilton, cars cut across 3 lanes to hit the Tim Horton's Drive-Thru's.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by adam

Comparing a car to a bike is like comparing a handgun to a baseball bat... or actually baseball bat is too strong... twig or small stick would be more accurate.

I think you missed my point. My point was drivers see cyclists as mavericks who flaunt all aspects of law while riding. Even if that's a small minority of cyclists. To get more respect from drivers we need to clean up those cyclists.

To illustrate my point. Monday night at th Main West Exit fom the 403, a cyclist riding westbound on eastbound direction sidewalk quickly turns and and rides across pedestrian crosswalk at the light. The GO bus driver advances turning right while checking traffic driving eastbound (he'd already checked that corner for pedestrians and none were present) he slams brakes thus avoiding collision with cyclist. Bus driver shakes head and mutters under breath.

Also, as a pedestrian in this city I'm worried about getting hit by a bike on the sidewalk then I am a car. Monday night between Jimmy Thompson Memorial Pool and Carrick (a very short distance), 3 bikes on sidewalk riding east on King Street (a westbound street).

[Jon Dalton]

I don't believe deliberate traffic violations are the cause of most car / bike accidents, either on the part of the driver or the cyclist. It's ignorance. Most cycling deaths I hear about are simply getting plowed while biking in the right lane. If a cyclist whizzes through a stop sign without looking, that's just as ignorant.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

I don't believe deliberate traffic violations are the cause of most car / bike accidents, either on the part of the driver or the cyclist. It's ignorance. Most cycling deaths I hear about are simply getting plowed while biking in the right lane. If a cyclist whizzes through a stop sign without looking, that's just as ignorant.

First off I'm a cyclist, and I've posted as such previously.

Here's what I'm saying. If you want to be safer on the road then you have to be respected by drivers. Currently, I believe the one major thing that is preventing us (cyclists) from getting our due respect are the yahoo's who pull the stupid stuff.

How many times have you heard from drivers, "Hey, you cyclists blow red lights/stop signs, ride on sidewalks, ride at night with no lights, and generally have no respect for the rules of the road." I've read letters to the editor in The Spec which have said that. Those drivers don't respect cyclists.

Heck, why should they cyclists break laws all the time right in front of police without repercussions (Monday night on King Street the 3 bikes on the sidewalk passed 3 police cruisers on a traffic stop of some sort without any issue). I think police should enforce the rules of the road on cyclists. When people ride on the sidewalks they should be ticketed, when they ride at night with no lights they should be ticketed, when they blow red lights/stop signs they should be ticketed.

When drivers see most cyclists respecting the rules of the road, and being ticketed for infractions they'll develop a respect for cyclists. I've posted before I ride with a forward facing white flasher on my bike all the time even during the day, and why shouldn't I. There are laws for cars sold in Ontario to have daytime running lights why shouldn't I be the same on my bike.

I have yet to see another cyclist riding with a flasher during the day. And it's my belief that if I act like those around me, then they'll respect me (I'll be part of the club) and they will afford me the room on the road I deserve.

Without their respect, what should I expect to get? Probably, close brushes........

[thistleclub]

The press release version of Rob Faulkner’s piece in the Spec:

Hamilton Shifting Gears to Expand Cycling Infrastructure

HAMILTON, ON - October 2, 2008 - Hamilton's Public Works Department has initiated updates to the City's Cycling Master Plan in order to enhance the cycling experience for all riders. Updates to the plan, Shifting Gears, which was written in 1999, will focus on improving and expanding Hamilton's cycling network.

"The updated Cycling Master Plan will address the needs of all cyclists, from recreational riders to all-season cycling commuters," said Daryl Bender, Project Manager of Alternative Transportation in Hamilton's Public Works Department. "We want to ensure all riders, regardless of skill level, can be accommodated on Hamilton's bike lanes and trails."

Cycling is encouraged as an alternative form of transportation for numerous health and environmental benefits. Shifting Gears takes a holistic approach to cycling, and aims to make cycling accessible and attractive to all citizens and tourists of Hamilton. In addition to expanding Hamilton's network of routes, the updated Cycling Master Plan will review bike safety issues, bicycle parking and other ways to improve cycling.

As part of Hamilton's goal to develop an integrated sustainable transportation system, Hamilton has already been aggressively enhancing cycling facilities. Latest improvements include the installation of secure bicycle parking facilities at the York Boulevard parkade and the addition of bicycle lanes on North Service Road, York Boulevard, Ferguson Avenue and Stone Church Road.

The Environmental Assessment process will begin this fall to allow for consultation with stakeholders and the general public. In order to engage stakeholders and gather feedback, the City intends to hold public information centres by the end of this year and again in the first half of 2009. Stakeholders and the general public are welcome to attend these meetings to learn about updates to Shifting Gears and voice suggestions. More details will be shared as they become available. Comments are also welcomed by email anytime at cycling@hamilton.ca

For more information on the Cycling Master Plan, please visit www.hamilton.ca/cycling.