Bikes, bikes, bikes

[coalminecanary]

It's interesting but not really surprising. The metrics they use are the number of lives saved versus the cost of the measure (minus the productive value of the lives saved).

Bike lanes and red light cameras are the worst performers - because they don't really save lives. I used to actually be against bike lanes because they do not solve the most serious bike/car collision problem, which is inattentive rider/driver at an intersection. They help protect cyclists against "hit from behind mid-block" which is one of the least common incidents. So their direct life-saving ability is negligible. However their value is in the ability of a continuous network to get way more people onto bikes - and then their life saving capacity becomes a difficult to calculate externality that is most certainly not captured in that graph.

Red light cameras' bad performance also does not surprise me - they are expensive and almost always come with the baggage of shorter yellow times which are proven to cause more red light running and more accidents. Municipalities who care about their citizens should increase yellow times and ditch red light cameras.

For some time now I have been arguing for better education. We need to be teaching the entire drivers' handbook to every child in school. It is mind boggling to me that rules of the road education in grade school stops pretty much at "look both ways before crossing and wear a helmet on your bike". And then we let people "challenge" the driver test without requiring them to take a course!? It's more difficult to get a license to operate a forklift in a controlled warehouse environment than it is to drive an 11-tonne greyhound bus sized RV on our public streets - which you can do with a standard G license that has no legal training requirement, and a test that you can perform in 20 minutes in a smart car that weights 1/10 as much as that motorhome.

Complete training on the provincial laws needs to start in grade school. Everyone needs to understand them whether you are walking, skateboarding, cycling or driving.

And according to this graph, my suspicions are correct: early school training is cheap and effective.

[thistleclub]

Bid to cut Strathcona car lanes sparks councillor road rage
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Oct 1 2013)

A staff proposal to cut car lanes on major arteries through the Strathcona neighbourhood is spurring road rage among some councillors.

A proposed transportation management plan for the neighbourhood on the west end of the core suggests more sidewalks and separated bike lanes on several streets at the expense of vehicle lanes.

Proposals include:

- Removing a lane of traffic along parts of Main Street in favour of wider sidewalks;

- Replacing two lanes on York Boulevard between Dundurn and Queen with separated bike lanes;

- If LRT or bus-only lanes don't go ahead, remove a lane of traffic on King Street for more parking.

- Beefed up, safer bike lanes along parts of Locke and Dundurn streets.

The proposal steamed Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, who suggested squeezing traffic on Main and King hurts commuters all over the city.

"Why do you want to put public safety at risk?" he asked, pointing to dangerous traffic slowdowns on Highway 403.

"What you're suggesting is contrary to the interest of the broader community," added Coun. Terry Whitehead, who argued the neighbourhood plan ignores the needs of the tens of thousands of Mountain residents who travel daily into the lower city.

Staff said traffic counts show Main Street can accomodate vehicle traffic with four lanes and the upcoming bus-only lane experiment on King will help evaluate traffic impacts.

Several lane-shrinking suggestions in the secondary plan can't be implemented until studied in a citywide context, added ward Coun. Brian McHattie.

While Strathcona residents indicated a preference for two-way traffic on both major east-west arteries, staff said those idea were beyond the scope of the neighbourhood transportation study.

The debate continues at planning committee.

[HillStreetBlues]

These guys are out to lunch. What, losing a lane on King or Main literally hurts commuters? “Public safety”? I’m struggling to guess how a person might be able to say something like that with a straight face.

Bike lanes along York are a no-brainer. And widened sidewalks along Main would be great: it’s hard to overstate how bad it is to walk along. These councillors claim to want to make Hamilton “the best City in which to raise a child,” but they oppose something that would very inexpensively make the walk to the grocery store in Strathcona a bit less dangerous with a stroller.

One part that I note in the report is the recommendation that Dundurn between Main and King remain four lanes wide, and that a bike lane and wider sidewalk be installed on new land to the west. That makes no sense- more foot traffic uses the east side because of the main bus stop on the northeast corner of King/Dundurn (and it is illegal to cross the west side of that intersection). At least one lane should be removed, with proper sidewalks on both sides.

Some pretty good ideas, though, all in all. Unsure why the widened sidewalks would begin only as far west as Strathcona, however…

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Ferguson and Mr Hairpiece should mind their own f***in' business.

[Pearlstreet]

Can we send one of our many crazy citizens here to deal with these two? Whitehead and Ferguson, what morons... Where is the vision? So selfish and narrowminded. Realize a stronger heart of the city will pump finances their direction too! Start taking tips from McHattie.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

Ferguson and Mr Hairpiece should mind their own f***in' business.

This city is their business and the last I looked Main st was an arterial road not a neighborhood street.

The biggest source of complaints for councilors outside of wards 1 and 2 was and still is the conversion of James and John to two way.

They tried a bike lane on Main in the past which caused a huge outcry from residents outside of the downtown. They are listening to their constituents on this one, which is their job. If we are talking about local streets like Strathcona or Locke then I don't think there would be a problem, but when it affects people outside of the local area then it does become the business of councilors outside the area.

[beanmedic]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

This city is their business and the last I looked Main st was an arterial road not a neighborhood street.

The biggest source of complaints for councilors outside of wards 1 and 2 was and still is the conversion of James and John to two way.

They tried a bike lane on Main in the past which caused a huge outcry from residents outside of the downtown. They are listening to their constituents on this one, which is their job. If we are talking about local streets like Strathcona or Locke then I don't think there would be a problem, but when it affects people outside of the local area then it does become the business of councilors outside the area.

Last I looked Main St was an arterial road not a freeway.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

This city is their business and the last I looked Main st was an arterial road not a neighborhood street.

The biggest source of complaints for councilors outside of wards 1 and 2 was and still is the conversion of James and John to two way.

They tried a bike lane on Main in the past which caused a huge outcry from residents outside of the downtown. They are listening to their constituents on this one, which is their job. If we are talking about local streets like Strathcona or Locke then I don't think there would be a problem, but when it affects people outside of the local area then it does become the business of councilors outside the area.

When was a bike lane on Main tried in the past?

Main Street is a street that bisects a number of neighbourhoods, and is unsafe for any other use than driving quickly because it is five lanes wide, doesn’t have a boulevard, and doesn’t have sidewalks of a proper width. It’s been established by the bureaucrats that four lanes is more than enough to handle traffic, so there is no reason for Hairpiece to honestly believe that widening the sidewalks there would be “contrary to the interests of the wider community.”

Is the only constituency that these councillors care about people who want to people to race through neighbourhoods as fast as possible, whether that means jeopardizing other people’s safety or not? I doubt it. Most people generally understand why safety is important- only these two fellows seem not to.

[Jon Dalton]

Main Street is terrifying to ride a bike on, but I still do it because that's how I get around. Suggesting that cyclists stick to side streets is just sweeping the problem under the rug. Cyclists are just like motorists in that they are trying to get somewhere and tend to take the most direct route.

If we really need 5 lanes for car traffic on Main Street (even 6 in places), why is King Street doing fine with 4 lanes? Shouldn't we increase King to 5 lanes to parallel Main by removing all sidewalks? After all, the needs of driving commuters are more important than those of pedestrians.

[coalminecanary]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

The biggest source of complaints for councilors outside of wards 1 and 2 was and still is the conversion of James and John to two way.

Citation Needed

[Jon Dalton]

If 13 out of 15 councillors received a majority of complaints about one issue, I'd think there would be a council vote on it. As far as I know, the conversions of James and John were considered successful and there has been no real debate on reverting them to one way. The only time I ever hear the suggestion is in Hamilton Spectator online comments. I lived right by James South for years after it was 2 way and came home during rush hour every day and never saw an issue. Then again, if I live there I guess my opinion doesn't count.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

When was a bike lane on Main tried in the past?

I think it was after the rebuild back in the mid 1990s - they briefly removed a lane of traffic and widened the others, with an even wider south curb lane (I don't recall if it was just shared, or if it had a painted bike lane). It didn't last long, maybe a few months (?). I recall complaints about traffic issues but not how widespread they were, nor if it was mainly just council bickering.

When they restored the original 5-lane configuration, removal of the 4-lane dashes left rough patches in the still-new pavement that made it more difficult to distinguish the new paint from the old markings at night when it rained. I remember driving behind people who couldn't tell the difference and ended up straddling a lane... fun for all.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by coalminecanary

Citation Needed

Ask your councilor.

[coalminecanary]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

Ask your councilor.

You mean you can't find any public comments by the councillors themselves to back up your sweeping claim that the number one complaint issued to 13/15ths of them is the traffic direction on James Street?

For all we know, there's one anonymous lunatic calling all of the councillors about how long it takes them to get through town. For all we know, it could be you.

Don't let any facts cloud your crystal clear opinions....

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

The biggest source of complaints for councilors outside of wards 1 and 2 was and still is the conversion of James and John to two way.

Sorry, I find the idea that people are actually complaining about the two-way conversion to be too fantastical. Aside from a few cranks, that is.

As someone else mentioned in this thread, let's see the sources of your claim that people are actually still complaining about two-way traffic on James and John.

[thistleclub]

Spec Interactive: Bicycle Collisions in Hamilton 2006-2012

The Spec has mapped 1,077 bike collisions recorded by Hamilton police from 2006 to 2012. The data we received was fairly basic: date, location and injury type.

Scroll across the bottom toolbar to search by injury or by year. Click on fatal collisions to read Spec stories.

Note: some dots will appear hidden at intersections with several collisions in the exact same location, particularly when viewing "total" incidents. We‘ve used rings to highlight some of the highest-collision intersections.

[Pearlstreet]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Spec Interactive: Bicycle Collisions in Hamilton 2006-2012

The Spec has mapped 1,077 bike collisions recorded by Hamilton police from 2006 to 2012. The data we received was fairly basic: date, location and injury type.

Scroll across the bottom toolbar to search by injury or by year. Click on fatal collisions to read Spec stories.

Note: some dots will appear hidden at intersections with several collisions in the exact same location, particularly when viewing "total" incidents. We‘ve used rings to highlight some of the highest-collision intersections.

It seems strange to me that these results do not really correspond to the new bike lanes installed, for example on Victoria Ave. N. According to this, NO problems ever existed there, although a nice addition.

[thistleclub]

Silhouette Interactive: Bike Thefts on McMaster University Campus, 2012-2013 School Year

[SteelTown]

Hamilton is getting a bike share program…

Staff have reviewed and evaluated all the proposals received, and have determined that Social Bicycles is the successful Proponent.

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...83PW13015b.pdf

[SteelTown]

The details of the sixty five (65) stations and six hundred and fifty (650) bike systems include:

 Next generation technology, which enables the bicycle to work independently from a station using smart cards, smartphones and dial pad codes.

 Bikes can be tracked for additional security to prevent theft.

 Minimalist station design allows for a larger amount of stations and bikes to be in service at a lower cost than typical bike share systems. In Hamilton’s case, we are able to implement the fully recommended station and bike configuration on budget.

 The system is intended to be run by a made-in-Hamilton not-for-profit group managed by Social Bicycles with a base of operations in Hamilton; further improving community capacity for bike sharing. The RFP, contract number C11- 57-13, includes the details of the five (5) year renewable contract between the City of Hamilton and Social Bicycles.

 Social Bicycles will assume all legal and financial liability with no additional legal or financial support from the City. This is in-line with other medium sized North American Cities who have similar contracts.

 Social Bicycles currently operates systems with operating partners in Hoboken New Jersey, Buffalo, New York and Orlando, Florida.