Bicycle Protests

[Baggsy]

Here's the outdated Toronto Bicycling Network (I don't see Kingston Rd on it). All these paths, and never the twain shall meet. You'd think they could put in one or two high speed areas for those who wish to ride the devil's invention like the wind.

Cycling Network Map

 

[LePhillou]

Same thing in sauga, little bits and pieces that often don't connect.

Cycling

From community rides to family friendly bike learning events, the City of Mississauga has something for everyone looking to get on their bike and ride.

www.mississaugabikes.ca

I have a few acquaintances and friends who've taken up cycling and getting around is just not intuitive on the bike. I love to help people i know and people online since i've tried a good amount of paths and trails but for someone who's never done it... it can take double the time to figure out how to get from point A to point B the first time around if you're alone.


If it were like that with a gps in a car people would be outraged. But that's just how it's built here

 

[GreyGhost]

Same thing in sauga, little bits and pieces that often don't connect.

Cycling

From community rides to family friendly bike learning events, the City of Mississauga has something for everyone looking to get on their bike and ride.

www.mississaugabikes.ca

I have a few acquaintances and friends who've taken up cycling and getting around is just not intuitive on the bike. I love to help people i know and people online since i've tried a good amount of paths and trails but for someone who's never done it... it can take double the time to figure out how to get from point A to point B the first time around if you're alone.


If it were like that with a gps in a car people would be outraged. But that's just how it's built here

I haven't tried it but how is google maps/waze/apple maps if you select your mode of transportation as bicycle?

 

[Baggsy]

Same thing in sauga, little bits and pieces that often don't connect.

Cycling

From community rides to family friendly bike learning events, the City of Mississauga has something for everyone looking to get on their bike and ride.

www.mississaugabikes.ca

I have a few acquaintances and friends who've taken up cycling and getting around is just not intuitive on the bike. I love to help people i know and people online since i've tried a good amount of paths and trails but for someone who's never done it... it can take double the time to figure out how to get from point A to point B the first time around if you're alone.


If it were like that with a gps in a car people would be outraged. But that's just how it's built here

People in cars ARE outraged. Look at Eastern Avenue. With the Gardiner torn out, actually even before it was torn out, Eastern was a nice calm way into the city centre without too much traffic. Now with the bicycle lane along part of it, but only part of it, it might as well be the DVP in the morning. It does the cyclists little good, and the motor vehicles, even less.

Bloor/Danforth isn't too, too bad, the extra lane was narrow anyways. The issues now are cyclists running reds, and then screaming at pedestrians stepping off the curb on the green, or pedestrians trying to jaywalk, get to their cars, and screaming at cyclists. Heavens forbid someone handicapped needs to put a wheelchair by the passenger door. The plan, if there even is one, doesn't seem well thought out.

Where I lived decades ago, the only safe way to take my twins with the trailer, was to ride on the sidewalk for part of the route. Not many pedestrians, and when there were, I'd just pull over, let them by, then carry on, until I hit the Goodman trail.

 

[LePhillou]

I haven't tried it but how is google maps/waze/apple maps if you select your mode of transportation as bicycle?

makes you take partial multi-use path, and makes you go on streets regardless of how busy or fast traffic is going.

Trying to go north or south of the qew is sketchy at best at most intersections (hurontario is a warzone, mississauga rd too) but that should theoretically be fixed with the LRT redesign.
There's one pedestrian bridge at Ogden, if you know about it, but google won't make you detour through there

People in cars ARE outraged. Look at Eastern Avenue. With the Gardiner torn out, actually even before it was torn out, Eastern was a nice calm way into the city centre without too much traffic. Now with the bicycle lane along part of it, but only part of it, it might as well be the DVP in the morning. It does the cyclists little good, and the motor vehicles, even less.

Bloor/Danforth isn't too, too bad, the extra lane was narrow anyways. The issues now are cyclists running reds, and then screaming at pedestrians stepping off the curb on the green, or pedestrians trying to jaywalk, get to their cars, and screaming at cyclists. Heavens forbid someone handicapped needs to put a wheelchair by the passenger door. The plan, if there even is one, doesn't seem well thought out.

Where I lived decades ago, the only safe way to take my twins with the trailer, was to ride on the sidewalk for part of the route. Not many pedestrians, and when there were, I'd just pull over, let them by, then carry on, until I hit the Goodman trail.

I honestly don't personally understand running red. I can maybe let it go at the "top" of a T intersection where no pedestrian is or no car is turning but i just don't get it. Maybe it's the motorcyclist in me imagining disastrous scenarios. Screaming at people is not better...but also, often times, people will have earbuds on, heck even with noise cancellation, and are lost in their world, so unless you're loud or just use your bell, they'll still be oblivious of the bike going 20km/h as they pop "out of nowhere". We've probably had this scenario in our cars and on our motorbikes too.

But overall i think the big issue is how little cohesiveness there is in the network. The goal here shouldn't be to add ****** bike lanes all over the place. It's to add a few high quality ones (protected/separate from traffic) where people can feel safe using them and cars can feel like they're not being hindered by them. And then maybe the "last mile" could be painted lanes or something less protected.

We're just adding unnecessary friction between road users because it's a free for all, so people act like they would in a free for all, chaotic

 

[Baggsy]

makes you take partial multi-use path, and makes you go on streets regardless of how busy or fast traffic is going.

Trying to go north or south of the qew is sketchy at best at most intersections (hurontario is a warzone, mississauga rd too) but that should theoretically be fixed with the LRT redesign.
There's one pedestrian bridge at Ogden, if you know about it, but google won't make you detour through there


I honestly don't personally understand running red. I can maybe let it go at the "top" of a T intersection where no pedestrian is or no car is turning but i just don't get it. Maybe it's the motorcyclist in me imagining disastrous scenarios. Screaming at people is not better...but also, often times, people will have earbuds on, heck even with noise cancellation, and are lost in their world, so unless you're loud or just use your bell, they'll still be oblivious of the bike going 20km/h as they pop "out of nowhere". We've probably had this scenario in our cars and on our motorbikes too.

But overall i think the big issue is how little cohesiveness there is in the network. The goal here shouldn't be to add ****** bike lanes all over the place. It's to add a few high quality ones (protected/separate from traffic) where people can feel safe using them and cars can feel like they're not being hindered by them. And then maybe the "last mile" could be painted lanes or something less protected.

We're just adding unnecessary friction between road users because it's a free for all, so people act like they would in a free for all, chaotic

I agree.

edit: This became a mess when they redesigned it: Bay St
Who builds two right turn lanes where the cyclists have to cross two lanes to go straight and the pedestrians have to push the button to cross?
Who "fixes" it by putting a bike lane down the right hand side?

This was where I almost got squished into paste by a bus before they had a bike lane: Also Bay St

 

[LePhillou]

I feel like we need "user acceptance testing" for this type of stuff hahaah
You put some kind of temporary equivalent of the redesign and get users to ride it (heck even the designers) and take in the feedback from the users.
Pilots usually can help identify pain points and flaws that a designer would never had thought of.

 

[xfactor]

Are we protesting bicycles? or are we protesting on bicycles?

 

[GreyGhost]

The bickering is still happening. Cops gave a bicycle a ticket for 26 km/h in a 20. Tory says police are putting safety first and don't deserve criticism.

I understand the concern with conflicts when riders are going 40+ but most bikes don't have speedometers and they are ticketing at 26? Seems far more political than safety motivated.

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551674663142555648

Mayor John Tory is standing behind police officers who have faced criticism for ticketing speeding cyclists in High Park in recent weeks, telling reporters that he believes they are “putting safety first” for all park users.

 

[Matt Rain]

Ridiculous. Cars are routinely going 40-50 around HP. I have trouble overtaking some of them on my pedestrian-killing-machine 20lb road bike.

 

[Matt Rain]

Are we protesting bicycles? or are we protesting on bicycles?

Yes.

 

[Sochi]

The bickering is still happening. Cops gave a bicycle a ticket for 26 km/h in a 20. Tory says police are putting safety first and don't deserve criticism.

I understand the concern with conflicts when riders are going 40+ but most bikes don't have speedometers and they are ticketing at 26? Seems far more political than safety motivated.

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551674663142555648

Mayor John Tory is standing behind police officers who have faced criticism for ticketing speeding cyclists in High Park in recent weeks, telling reporters that he believes they are “putting safety first” for all park users.

Speedy cyclists in DT need one of these nowadays

 

[GreyGhost]

Speedy cyclists in DT need one of these nowadays

View attachment 56713

I'd have to read HTA to see but they may be legal. You aren't riding a motor vehicle and I am pretty sure the offence requires a motor vehicle.

EDIT:

Yup, appears to be legal on a bicycle. To really piss the cops off, they are not allowed to seize it unless it is being used illegally and you get convicted. If they seize it, you can probably sue and win as they have no authority to take it.

HTA 79(2)

Speed measuring warning device prohibited​

(2) No person shall drive on a highway a motor vehicle that is equipped with or that carries or contains a speed measuring warning device. 1996, c. 33, s. 12.

 

[LePhillou]

Also there's a flaw in those laws and regulations.
A cyclist must respect the speed limit, but a speedometer isn't required. A bell is mandatory, a light is mandatory (or reflectors). So are casual cyclists to use a butt dyno to determine speed?

Unless you invest in a fancy bike computer with gps, or a combo of a speed sensor + some kind of unit that can be mounted on your handlebars. You most likely don't know what speed youre going at.

My cheap single speed bike can reach 40+ without issue on a downhill and half the time i use it, i don't take my bike computer out. I might have my watch recording but lets agree that in a busy area, staring at your watch while waiting for the right data screen to come up on your watch isn't the safest bet (removing your stronger brake hand off the handlebars and reducing handling greatly)

Also re: the blitz for the guy going 26 in a 20 from what i understand, the cop was driving in the bike lane, and the cyclist overtook him (at said speed) and the altercation started there which ended in a ticket for the cyclist.

 

[GreyGhost]

Also there's a flaw in those laws and regulations.
A cyclist must respect the speed limit, but a speedometer isn't required. A bell is mandatory, a light is mandatory (or reflectors). So are casual cyclists to use a butt dyno to determine speed?

Unless you invest in a fancy bike computer with gps, or a combo of a speed sensor + some kind of unit that can be mounted on your handlebars. You most likely don't know what speed youre going at.

My cheap single speed bike can reach 40+ without issue on a downhill and half the time i use it, i don't take my bike computer out. I might have my watch recording but lets agree that in a busy area, staring at your watch while waiting for the right data screen to come up on your watch isn't the safest bet (removing your stronger brake hand off the handlebars and reducing handling greatly)

Also re: the blitz for the guy going 26 in a 20 from what i understand, the cop was driving in the bike lane, and the cyclist overtook him (at said speed) and the altercation started there which ended in a ticket for the cyclist.

The cop was driving in the bike lane? Bloody unbelievable how they don't understand why everybody hates them. Just follow the bloody laws you are paid to enforce.

 

[Dirty Frank]

For the occasional trail rider if you want to reduce the amount of drama on your trail rides simply ride as close as you are comfortable to your right side of the trail.
Riding on the right hand side makes it so much safer nothing like meeting another trail user on a blind corner and having them understand what side of you is good to pass on without that left right malarkey.
END RANT.

 

[Baggsy]

Ridiculous. Cars are routinely going 40-50 around HP. I have trouble overtaking some of them on my pedestrian-killing-machine 20lb road bike.

Isn't the speed limit 40-50 around High Park, and less through High Park? The equivalent of 26 on a bicycle would be a motorcycle going 52 through a 40 kph school zone.

 

[GreyGhost]

Isn't the speed limit 40-50 around High Park, and less through High Park? The equivalent of 26 on a bicycle would be a motorcycle going 52 through a 40 kph school zone.

If you are looking at percentage difference in speed. If you are looking at kinetic energy which is much of what matters for safety, a car going the speed limit is far more dangerous to pedestrians than a bike at more than double the speed limit.

 

[Mad Mike]

On many bikes (for instance a road bike without compact chainrings), 8 km/h is verging on slowest possible speed while still pedaling.

No wake zone.

 

[GreyGhost]

No wake zone.

Dont get me started on that stupidity. If you try the posted speed limit in many boats they are on the step amd couldnt throw a bigger wake if they tried.