Cycling Master Plan

[BrianE]

Originally Posted by emge

I'm rather of the opinion that motorists understand "painted line, do not cross" better than "squishy human, do not hit"

Awsome.

[emge]

To my mind, a motorist that has to stay out of a lane on a continuous stretch of road is less of a risk to me than a motorist who is speeding along at 70 km/h along Main and may or may not see me in their lane.... and then take that situation, x 100 motorists who will pull over to the next lane and pass me, at least, during one trip.

I loaned my bike out to someone till August, but I'll be biking again then, squishy or not

[jgrwatson]

A couple of comments:

Flamborough Councillor Margaret McCarthy: “For my money, this wouldn’t go forward.”

Yet another stupid opinion by a stupid unprogressive Hamilton Councillor. You just have to laugh. I would LOVE to learn which car is hers, where she parks, have my key ready, so I can scratch her car while seated on my bike as she cuts me off flying outta the parking lot!

And I beg EVERYONE on this Forum, PLEASE lets all meet at Dundurn with our bikes, spread across all lanes of traffic and bike all the way Downtown. I think we would make the news, I'm sure!

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by jgrwatson

And I beg EVERYONE on this Forum, PLEASE lets all meet at Dundurn with our bikes, spread across all lanes of traffic and bike all the way Downtown. I think we would make the news, I'm sure!

Critical Mass: last Friday of every month, 5:30 PM at the corner of Hess St. and George St. in Hess Village.

[thistleclub]

Anyone know how long it takes to cyclists to wear ruts and potholes into a dedicated cycling lane?

[adam]

I agree with Ryan, I feel the safest when I am biking in the middle of the lane for streets like Dundurn, Queen, James. I stick to the far right side of the road on King and Main (I try to avoid these inner-city highways if I can) Although on the weekends I'll bike along Main St in the far lefthand lane and take up the whole lane - never got a complaint.

I try to avoid cycling between 5-6pm as road-rage among commuters seems to be at an all-time high then. Otherwise, I find Hamilton motorists are far more courteous to cyclists than those in Burlington and Oakville.

[SteelTown]

Bike paths: Heed the younger generation

June 20, 2009
Terry Cooke
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/586576

They built the Great Pyramid in ancient Egypt in 20 years. But in Hamilton it's going to take us 40 years to construct a network of bicycle paths. Maybe we should be just a little more ambitious.

Or perhaps our city councillors should ask any randomly selected group of younger Hamiltonians what they think about encouraging the use of alternative forms of transportation to the private automobile.

Because young people just get it. They have figured out that our political future looks very different than the recent past on a bunch of different issues. Take gay marriage for instance, about which people of my generation remain deeply divided. Yet everybody I've talked to under 30 believes it's a no-brainer -- live and let live.

Just as young people know successful urban areas have to move away from planning that focuses exclusively on moving large numbers of vehicles quickly through the heart of our cities.

I guarantee that a city council comprised of 25-year-olds would jump at the opportunity to convert a five-lane urban expressway such as Main Street into something that actually nurtures local neighbourhoods and businesses while encouraging people to cycle and walk along it.

But in Hamilton, the car remains king and political change never seems to happen easily.

I learned that lesson the hard way as a political novice when I initiated the creation of a regionwide system of bicycle paths in the late 1980s.

We formed a committee to oversee the process, hired technical experts to design a plan (including both on-street bike lanes and rail trails) and got council to approve a capital budget. So far so good, I thought.

But when we actually converted one of the five lanes on Main and King streets to dedicated bicycle paths in 1993, all hell broke loose. Angry drivers who experienced some minor delays due to the changes literally lit up the switchboard at City Hall. The Spectator then piled on with front-page coverage of an accident in which a cyclist was hit on Main Street.

Regional council quickly caved to the pressure and abandoned the project. That political debacle remains seared in the memory of veteran councillors, explaining in part their trepidation about moving too aggressively now on bike lanes.

It's too bad because had we stayed the course Hamilton today would have a cycling network that would be the envy of mid-sized cities in North America.

Meanwhile, places like Portland, Ore., and Montreal have managed to get up to 15 per cent of their commuter traffic out of cars and onto bikes, helping the environment while reducing the demand for new road construction.

Thankfully much has changed in Hamilton in the last 15 years. Both our civic attitudes and our infrastructure are better equipped to support a fundamental shift in favour of neighbourhoods, transit, pedestrians and cyclists.

Not the least of these changes is the opening of the Linc and Red Hill expressways which provide a better way for drivers interested only in getting across town quickly.

There are political champions for change such as downtown Councillor Bob Bratina and Mayor Fred Eisenberger who are pushing for a more aggressive approach to building the cycling network in perhaps five or 10 years rather than 40.

Let's hope council considers not only the wisdom of Bratina and Eisenberger on this issue, but also takes the time to listen to our next generation of leaders in trying to figure out the future.

Terry Cooke is a director of the Canadian Urban Institute. He is president of Cooke Capital Corp. and former Hamilton-Wentworth chair.

[highwater]

Sing it, Brother Terry!

[bornagainbiking]

I was just South of Montreal and saw what they do. I saw so many 50cc type scooters, electric scooters and a car lanes divided with a centre line for two way bike traffic.
If the city changed to Main & King to two way traffic that is 4 lanes and one left over for a divided bike lane or parking. if the parking option was used with a West bound parking lane on King and an East bound parking lane on Main.
As for the cross town bike lane there is one already but it is so far south (Lawrence), it is under utilized as it adds distance, but it runs from the RedHill to Gage and hooks onto bike lanes to the downtown.
I think that maybe one lane of bike traffic be dedicated for either Wilson, Cannon or Barton.
East bound on Wilson would connect on with the Plains road lane from Burlington and go all the way to Sherman.
Cannon should be the Bike lane goal as it is being resurfaced from Gage to Ottawa and could be painted as soon as the job is complete.
As the road is now closed the opening would soften the transition.
If you consider the Cannon\Brittannia Option you would have a link that would Join onto the RedHill bike path and bridge to the waterfront with minor change other than signage.

[Blurr]

^^

I agree we need a bike lane that is accessible around King or a little north. The current bike path south at the escarpment is beautiful, but too far out of the way for the majority of downtown.

I go downtown often from the Gibson/Stipley neighbourhood, and although king william is a nice bike route, east of Wentworth there are not any good options.

[bigguy1231]

Sorry to say but that debacle that Terry Cooke talks about with the bike lane on Main St. has forever changed the attitudes of politicians in this city towards bike lanes. They just don't have the political will to take the chance of upsetting the voters of this city.

Unfortunately, for bikers, you just don't represent enough of a voting block to make a difference.

If the citizens of this city seen hundreds or thousands of bikes on the roads each day then maybe they would see a need and support the idea. But as it is right now bikes are a rarity on main streets and as the old saying goes out of sight out of mind. It's going to be a tough sell to get bike lanes added to main streets.

[ryan_mcgreal]

^Chicken/Egg. There will never be thousands of bikes on the road as long as our road infrastructure remains hostile to cycling. That's the whole point of building a cycling network.

The problem with our current and past experiments with bike lanes is that none of them were continuous. If you had a road that didn't connect to any other roads, how many cars do you think would drive on it?

[bornagainbiking]

There is tangible and intangible.
Yes, it is alot of money but imagine the reduced costs for repair and replacement of tarmac (ashphalt) as bicycles and roller blades have minimal impact on surface wear and tear. It is the trucks and big tires of SUV that grind the pavement and the increased PSI that warp the roads.
A bike lane could be used many years with maybe an application of cheap industrial sealant.
Bike can operate on just a solid layer of compacted screening.
Electric scooters (max 40 km per hr) would have a safe option and not impede traffic for the downtown commute. And are they easy to park.
http://www.blueavenue.ca/WebProductsPage.html
$799 for 32 kph and 40 km range and minimal cost to operate.
you don't think some shy people who are intimidated to ride on a major road wouldn't jump at the chance to commute and no parking fee (@$40 a month it would pay itself off also if parking was available at the Go Station).
Yeah it would get used. To live near Gage park and ebike it to the Go is not a stretch.

[adam]

The way Main and King are structured right now, 99% of cyclists are too scared to go down these streets. Cars have a "highway" mentality, even though they are in a downtown and routinely go 20km above the posted speed limit.

I wonder how counsel would respond to requests to put more speed limit signs along these roads as well as posting a policecar periodically to give out speeding tickets?

[bigguy1231]

Ryan, bornagainbiking and Adam, I don't disagree with anything you are saying. I was merely pointing out what it's going to take to get the politicians on board. They are going to have to answer to thier constituents for spending millions on bike lanes. I am not so sure that people in this city are willing support spending the kind of money being talked about without a proven need. I know it's only a couple of million a year, but people don't look at it that way.

The other problem, that caused the initial outcry with the bike lane on Main St. was that people were stuck in traffic while the bike lane was empty. I use Stonechurch Rd. E. almost every day, it has a bike lane and in all the years since it was built I have never seen anyone using it. Perception is everything, and if people don't see existing lanes being used they are not going to support building more, especially on main thoroughfares.

Being optimistic there may possibly be a couple of thousand people who would ride thier bikes to work or wherever each day compared to a couple hundred thousand people who use thier cars daily. If push comes to shove who do you think is going to win the battle.

[adam]

From what I hear from older cyclists, it was a lot more difficult to cycle on the road in the 90's than it is now. Cars are finally starting to respect that cyclists legally belong on the road and have every right to be there as they do. York Blvd. has a successful bike lane and is becoming a conduit for bike commuters to Burlington since It is connected to Plains Rd. The younger generation is very much more pro-cycling than they were even 10 years ago. There is a huge bike culture drifting up from larger cities in the States and it is beginning to catch on thanks to the internet.

[bornagainbiking]

Big
I agree, the city needs to look at and co-ordinate their plan more closely.
The bike lanes on Stonechurch are nice but where are they supposed to go?
They are more recreational. You could ride to Upper Ottawa and then mix with mad vehicle traffic and busses on the narrow lanes to the access down the mountain.
To get downtown from Valley park You need to get over to near Mount Albion Falls and hook up to the rail trail at either the Fall parking lot or on Limeridge between the Kenilworth near the Brow. That route would take you right to the Corktown on a excellent bike path with a good grad.
About 25-30 to the city core and about 45 going up.
So if the cycle path plan is to make sense and be spent properly you need to concetrate on maybe something like a clear marked route from Stonechurch to Pritchard to mountain brow. Which is maybe why you don't see many on Stonechurch as the East Rail trail is secluded and safe. It has a entrance near Mohawk and the Quad pads.
If they wanted to connect something join it to the Caledonia bike trail that starts on Stonechurch at Darnall.
So most is there already, however i see real concern with riding east-west downtown with Main/King speedways. Try to get across main at the bike path at Ferguson during the morning rush, HA.
We need to lure out the timid or curious and ensure their safety.
People in their car have NO concept or concern and in some cases are reckless in their interactions with cyclists.
I would like to see the police crack down on the idiots that are wearing MP3 players and wanderings all over the place from sidewalk to darting across traffic without looking. The adults racing their little stunt bikes al over the place.
Last weeks accident where the earpiece was embedded in the grill is evidence enough.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by adam

From what I hear from older cyclists, it was a lot more difficult to cycle on the road in the 90's than it is now. Cars are finally starting to respect that cyclists legally belong on the road and have every right to be there as they do. York Blvd. has a successful bike lane and is becoming a conduit for bike commuters to Burlington since It is connected to Plains Rd. The younger generation is very much more pro-cycling than they were even 10 years ago. There is a huge bike culture drifting up from larger cities in the States and it is beginning to catch on thanks to the internet.

Actually when I was a kid back in the 70's, there were alot more bikes on the roads than I see now. We rode everywhere in the city. Nowadays, kids just don't seem to ride bikes as much. But then again back when I was a kid parents wouldn't drive kids all over the place. I can remember riding my bike with friends from the West mountain down to the beach and back. We used to do it often. We stayed off the main streets and used secondary roads as much as possible. We used to carry our bikes up the steps at Dundurn to Garth.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by bornagainbiking

Big
I agree, the city needs to look at and co-ordinate their plan more closely.
The bike lanes on Stonechurch are nice but where are they supposed to go?
They are more recreational. You could ride to Upper Ottawa and then mix with mad vehicle traffic and busses on the narrow lanes to the access down the mountain.
To get downtown from Valley park You need to get over to near Mount Albion Falls and hook up to the rail trail at either the Fall parking lot or on Limeridge between the Kenilworth near the Brow. That route would take you right to the Corktown on a excellent bike path with a good grad.
About 25-30 to the city core and about 45 going up.
So if the cycle path plan is to make sense and be spent properly you need to concetrate on maybe something like a clear marked route from Stonechurch to Pritchard to mountain brow. Which is maybe why you don't see many on Stonechurch as the East Rail trail is secluded and safe. It has a entrance near Mohawk and the Quad pads.
If they wanted to connect something join it to the Caledonia bike trail that starts on Stonechurch at Darnall.
So most is there already, however i see real concern with riding east-west downtown with Main/King speedways. Try to get across main at the bike path at Ferguson during the morning rush, HA.
We need to lure out the timid or curious and ensure their safety.
People in their car have NO concept or concern and in some cases are reckless in their interactions with cyclists.
I would like to see the police crack down on the idiots that are wearing MP3 players and wanderings all over the place from sidewalk to darting across traffic without looking. The adults racing their little stunt bikes al over the place.
Last weeks accident where the earpiece was embedded in the grill is evidence enough.

I myself just can't understand why anyone in thier right mind would want to cycle on a main thoroughfare, bike lanes or not, with so many alternative routes around. I know there are certain areas where there is no choice, but those areas are limited. Those who are advocating the establishment of bike lanes have to make the idea more palatable to politicians. Insisting on having bike lanes on main thoroughfares will not help the cause.

I would suggest as a compromise, that bike lanes be built on secondary roads. Roads like Lawrence, Cumberland or Maple and Deleware and Stinson to Hunter for access to downtown from the East. From the West it will be a little more difficult with limited access across the 403, but I am sure with a little thought something could be worked out. North to South roads like Wentworth, Sherman or Gage could be used. There's numerous other roads that could be used as well without taking space from the busiest streets in the city.

The compromise I mentioned would serve 2 purposes. It would show the politicians that biking advocates are willing to compromise and it would also allow them to assess the need for lanes on busier streets. If the secondary routes are successful it will be easier to justify taking away traffic lanes from busier streets.

[bornagainbiking]

biggie
I use your Lawrence route to the downtown and it is very very quiet and stress free. It also connects directly onto the Ferguson Street bike path. So any HGH staff could use it and still be able to stop at Tim's. Ferguson goes to the Waterfront.
We need to maybe make some of these street local access only and install speed bumps in the centre of the lanes to divert cars to the many other routes available. ie Cumberland for bikes maplewood for cars.
Sherman would be a great option off this for N-S.
To ask for Main or King initially is suicide both for riding and political gains.
It is wise to discuss options and application as if you ask for too much you get very little. Especially at this point.
Hamilton has some great routes for commuting with the east and west rail trails and side streets. It is getting up the center mountain maybe the bus bike racks was a good aid.