Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick
fusilli, this is all fine in a city with no snow. And unbelievably high population density. You cannot compare the Netherlands, the absolute global platinum standard for cycling infrastructure, with Calgary or even Portland. And speaking of Portland, there are many miles of bike lanes in that city that ARE nothing but painted lines, precisely like what we have now on 10th Ave SW (and there ARE lanes there, not on all stretches, but there are LANES and not just a sign and a graphic of a bike on the asphalt) and even more clearly on 11 St SW.
To say that painted lines don't constitute "lanes" is silly. They do for cars.
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For sure. I am not saying that we should have the same level of cycling infrastructure as the Netherlands, but we can take some lessons from them. We actually do have great cycling infrastructure, especially in terms of the Bow and Elbow river pathway systems, which I cycle around once a week. But our downtown really needs high quality infrastructure because the potential for conflict between cyclists and cars is so much higher due to the higher traffic volumes and the presence of so many one ways. A dedicated east-west bike lane with a curb separation on either 5th avenue or 6th avenue is a must. Calgary will never be the Netherlands in terms of cycling infrastructure, but our downtown should at least be slightly comparable.
And painted lines may constitute sufficient separation for cars, but it all depends on context. Vehicles are large, easy to see and collisions are rarely fatal or cause serious injury at low speeds, so a small collision due to the lower level of separation has little risk. Cyclists, on the other hand, are sometimes hard to see and cyclist-vehicle collisions have a much higher potential for serious injury or fatality, even at low speeds. A curb separating the two provides a needed reduction in potential collisions. That is not to say that every bicycle lane needs a curb separation, but on higher speed roads, and especially on one ways, they are essential.
It is the same reason why we have large medians on high speed highways (like Deerfoot). A head on collision on a 50km secondary road has a much lower potential for fatality than on the Deerfoot, and as such, painted lines are sufficient. Painted lines separating opposing traffic would be horrendous on a road like Deerfoot. It is all about the context. One way streets absolutely have to have a curb separating traffic. And 10th avenue needs not just painted lines, but a painted lane, as most drivers would just assume the line is a line separating vehicle traffic. Paint it red or something.
Trust me, even someone passing you close at 50km/hour or more when you are cycling is really scary, and can easily result in serious injury.
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