this is ridicules so what about winter these bike lanes are useless... to all drivers a smaller road means more traffic... this isnt going to help anything but cause more gridlock in an already traffic filled city sigh...
Justin Soares - 8 years ago
Cars should be taken off the road until everyone can
1) fully come to a stop at a stop sign
2) use their turn signals
3) check before opening their door in traffic
4) share the road with all road users
5) stop texting and driving
6) stop drinking and driving
7) come to a complete stop before making a right at a red light
8) speeding
9) excessive speeding
10) drive with their licence and insurance
11) obey the hta period!
Justin soares - 8 years ago
To jerry Martin and all others who think like him:
I am a driver. I am also cyclist. Don't give me this bull about who pays for the roads. taxes pay for the roads and I pay my taxes. I pay the gas tax, I pay for my licence and all that other crap. Even if a cyclist doesn't own a car they still pay 13% on every purchase they make. That 13% pays for everything, education, healthcare, infrastructure and etc. As for following the rules of the road, as a cyclist and a driver I can see that both parties suck at following the rules of the road
Justin soares - 8 years ago
To jerry Martin and all others who think like him:
I am a driver. I am also cyclist. Don't give me this bull about who pays for the roads. taxes pay for the roads and I pay my taxes. I pay the gas tax, I pay for my licence and all that other crap. Even if a cyclist doesn't own a car they still pay 13% on every purchase they make. That 13% pays for everything, education, healthcare, infrastructure and etc. As for following the rules of the road, as a cyclist and a driver I can see that both parties suck at following the rules of the road
Jerry Martin - 8 years ago
When bike riders follow the rules of the road like stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, signals at turns, and paying taxes to support the road building and maintaining the roads as drivers pay for through gas taxes and license fees, then they can have dedicated lanes. Otherwise forget it. The roads belong to cars and trucks.
Doug Wedel - 8 years ago
The cyclists who ride on Bloor now accept the risk that comes with no bike lanes in heavy traffic. There are thousands of potential cyclists who refuse to take that risk, who don't bike. They usually don't say it's too dangerous, instead they say they aren't good enough riders. The bottom line is, if Bloor had bike lanes and if they were good bike lanes, they would bike on Bloor. Here's the benefit to drivers: These potential cyclists want to be safe. They demonstrate that in how they ride. They don't want to cut in front of cars or run red lights or filter between two cars. That's the kind of cyclist drivers want to share the road with. If you want that kind of cyclist, we need safer roads = safer road design = bike lanes.
Precious Cargo
What immediately changes how safely a cyclist rides is precious cargo. Spend any time of Bloor and watch car and bike traffic mix, how close they come to each other, how they pass each other. Ask yourself how much courage and self confidence it would take to ride here with a child in a child seat or in a trailer or ride with a dog in the handlebar basket. It rarely happens because it doesn't feel safe and it isn't safe weaving through car traffic. Bike lanes change all that. When we have thoroughfares without bike lanes and very few drivers or cyclists educated in car bike safety, we have roads designed for cars and to exclude bikes. Bike lanes allow more people through during rush hour, as much as two car lanes can. More bikes on Bloor reduces the demand on car capacity -there is less car congestion.
Statistics point out the most collisions with bikes and cars happen at intersections but even casual observation will show the most car vs bike frustration happens mid block when they want to pass each other. The mid block frustration gets eliminated with good bike lanes. Place barriers between the bike lane and the lanes for cars and you prevent cars from parking in the bike lanes. Parked cars push cyclists back into the lanes for cars, thereby eliminating any benefit of having bike lanes. Use planters as the barriers and you make the commercial strip a more attractive place to shop and dine. Plus, more cyclists on Bloor means drivers will not be surprised by cyclists and will know to watch for them, thus making roads safer for cyclists at intersections. The streets will be noticeably quieter with the regular presence of bike traffic.
A car costs about ten thousand dollars a year to have and use. A cyclist who leaves his car at home or sells it immediately has that much extra money to save or spend at stores. If a car owner has eight hundred dollars a month in discretionary spending money, he will double that budget by riding a bike instead. Surely some of that will go to retailers on Bloor.
D. Cornelius - 8 years ago
This piece is incorrect in that bike lanes on Bloorview are not yet approved, but correct in that they are much anticipated. They would actually speed up vehicular traffic on Bloor.
this is ridicules so what about winter these bike lanes are useless... to all drivers a smaller road means more traffic... this isnt going to help anything but cause more gridlock in an already traffic filled city sigh...
Cars should be taken off the road until everyone can
1) fully come to a stop at a stop sign
2) use their turn signals
3) check before opening their door in traffic
4) share the road with all road users
5) stop texting and driving
6) stop drinking and driving
7) come to a complete stop before making a right at a red light
8) speeding
9) excessive speeding
10) drive with their licence and insurance
11) obey the hta period!
To jerry Martin and all others who think like him:
I am a driver. I am also cyclist. Don't give me this bull about who pays for the roads. taxes pay for the roads and I pay my taxes. I pay the gas tax, I pay for my licence and all that other crap. Even if a cyclist doesn't own a car they still pay 13% on every purchase they make. That 13% pays for everything, education, healthcare, infrastructure and etc. As for following the rules of the road, as a cyclist and a driver I can see that both parties suck at following the rules of the road
To jerry Martin and all others who think like him:
I am a driver. I am also cyclist. Don't give me this bull about who pays for the roads. taxes pay for the roads and I pay my taxes. I pay the gas tax, I pay for my licence and all that other crap. Even if a cyclist doesn't own a car they still pay 13% on every purchase they make. That 13% pays for everything, education, healthcare, infrastructure and etc. As for following the rules of the road, as a cyclist and a driver I can see that both parties suck at following the rules of the road
When bike riders follow the rules of the road like stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, signals at turns, and paying taxes to support the road building and maintaining the roads as drivers pay for through gas taxes and license fees, then they can have dedicated lanes. Otherwise forget it. The roads belong to cars and trucks.
The cyclists who ride on Bloor now accept the risk that comes with no bike lanes in heavy traffic. There are thousands of potential cyclists who refuse to take that risk, who don't bike. They usually don't say it's too dangerous, instead they say they aren't good enough riders. The bottom line is, if Bloor had bike lanes and if they were good bike lanes, they would bike on Bloor. Here's the benefit to drivers: These potential cyclists want to be safe. They demonstrate that in how they ride. They don't want to cut in front of cars or run red lights or filter between two cars. That's the kind of cyclist drivers want to share the road with. If you want that kind of cyclist, we need safer roads = safer road design = bike lanes.
Precious Cargo
What immediately changes how safely a cyclist rides is precious cargo. Spend any time of Bloor and watch car and bike traffic mix, how close they come to each other, how they pass each other. Ask yourself how much courage and self confidence it would take to ride here with a child in a child seat or in a trailer or ride with a dog in the handlebar basket. It rarely happens because it doesn't feel safe and it isn't safe weaving through car traffic. Bike lanes change all that. When we have thoroughfares without bike lanes and very few drivers or cyclists educated in car bike safety, we have roads designed for cars and to exclude bikes. Bike lanes allow more people through during rush hour, as much as two car lanes can. More bikes on Bloor reduces the demand on car capacity -there is less car congestion.
Statistics point out the most collisions with bikes and cars happen at intersections but even casual observation will show the most car vs bike frustration happens mid block when they want to pass each other. The mid block frustration gets eliminated with good bike lanes. Place barriers between the bike lane and the lanes for cars and you prevent cars from parking in the bike lanes. Parked cars push cyclists back into the lanes for cars, thereby eliminating any benefit of having bike lanes. Use planters as the barriers and you make the commercial strip a more attractive place to shop and dine. Plus, more cyclists on Bloor means drivers will not be surprised by cyclists and will know to watch for them, thus making roads safer for cyclists at intersections. The streets will be noticeably quieter with the regular presence of bike traffic.
A car costs about ten thousand dollars a year to have and use. A cyclist who leaves his car at home or sells it immediately has that much extra money to save or spend at stores. If a car owner has eight hundred dollars a month in discretionary spending money, he will double that budget by riding a bike instead. Surely some of that will go to retailers on Bloor.
This piece is incorrect in that bike lanes on Bloorview are not yet approved, but correct in that they are much anticipated. They would actually speed up vehicular traffic on Bloor.