Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Were you wearing a reflective vest when you got hit? Probably your own fault if you weren't.

Yeah that's right, blame the victim.

[retro_orange]

A veil of ignorance doesn't count.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I just don't like cyclists, after getting hit by one when I was crossing the road. Guy was totally invisible, wearing light grey clothes, and totally silent.

Well there are certainly bad cyclists out there, just as there are bad drivers and even bad pedestrians (some pedestrians step blithely out onto the road without even bothering to check for hazards, even when they don't have the right of way).

But hating all cyclists because of the bad actions of one isn't really any better than hating all left-handed people because one of them wronged you. Yes, it should teach you to be wary of cyclists, but it doesn't mean they're all reprobates.

I've seen my share of motorists doing some pretty idiotic and life-threatening things while on my bike, but I've seen even more of them be cautious and surprisingly courteous. I'm still delighted when motorists stop and gesture for me to proceed even though they have the right of way.

I can understand being wary. But my philosophy is that thinking everyone is a jerk just condemns yourself to living in a world of jerks. I prefer to live in a world where my fellow humans are decent and reasonable unless they prove otherwise.

[Feathered Friend]

Good post aberdeen5698.
Now, in an effort to get this back on topic, rather than the typical cyclists suck/ drivers suck argument, I'll try this:

I'm happy to see the following information from the recent 10th Avenue Newsletter.

In May, City Council approved the design for the 10th Avenue Corridor improvements from Oak to Cambie Street, near the Vancouver General Hospital.
We are scheduled to begin construction on these safety improvements in October. Each month, we will share updates on construction progress and provide information on what is expected in the upcoming month.

Upgrades to 10th Avenue will take place in two phases. Phase one will include upgrades from Oak to Willow Street, with minor changes planned between Cambie and Ash Street.
Key safety improvements include:

• enhanced pick-up and drop-off areas for patients
• raised crosswalks and intersections
• measures to separate road users
• enhanced lighting and wayfinding
• ​an increase in accessible parking for the buildings that need it most

Access: Access for all users will be maintained throughout the construction period. Vehicle travel will be one-way eastbound for the duration of construction, with access via Oak Street or Laurel Street. Two-way bicycle traffic will be maintained. However, occasionally cyclists will be asked to dismount in construction zones...
Construction Staging: Construction will take place in stages, with work focused on one side of the street at a time..

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Yeah that's right, blame the victim.

<whoooosh>

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I think they should require cyclists to wear clothing that doesn't blend in with the roads (like a reflective safety vest) and have their bike make a certain amount of noise.

Depending on the municipality, cyclists may already be required to equip their bicycle with a bell. Vancouver's got such a requirement, for example. There's also a provincial law stating that bicycles need lights turned on front and rear between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise.

Your statement of "wearing clothing that doesn't blend in with the roads" could equally apply to vehicles. There are an awful lot of gray cars out there that really blend in when the weather gets inclement. Without some other legally-required devices (headlights, taillights) they're nearly impossible to see.

There's also a provincial law on pedestrians to not step out into a crosswalk in front of a vehicle such that it's impracticable for the driver to stop the vehicle, so there's an onus on them to make sure that they're safely crossing the street.

It turns out that safe use of the roads requires everybody to be vigilant and follow the laws. Who would have thought.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Well there are certainly bad cyclists out there, just as there are bad drivers and even bad pedestrians (some pedestrians step blithely out onto the road without even bothering to check for hazards, even when they don't have the right of way).

But hating all cyclists because of the bad actions of one isn't really any better than hating all left-handed people because one of them wronged you. Yes, it should teach you to be wary of cyclists, but it doesn't mean they're all reprobates.

I've seen my share of motorists doing some pretty idiotic and life-threatening things while on my bike, but I've seen even more of them be cautious and surprisingly courteous. I'm still delighted when motorists stop and gesture for me to proceed even though they have the right of way.

I can understand being wary. But my philosophy is that thinking everyone is a jerk just condemns yourself to living in a world of jerks. I prefer to live in a world where my fellow humans are decent and reasonable unless they prove otherwise.

Or there's this cyclist, who flew into a rage when questioned hy he didn't use hand signals:
http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/po...nich-1.3588232

I'd say 5% of cyclists deign to use hand signals. Care to dispute that?

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Or there's this cyclist, who flew into a rage when questioned hy he didn't use hand signals:
http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/po...nich-1.3588232

I'd say 5% of cyclists deign to use hand signals. Care to dispute that?

Yeah cyclists should be held to the same laws that motorists are held do, albeit modified to be compatible with cycling.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Or there's this cyclist, who flew into a rage when questioned hy he didn't use hand signals:
http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/po...nich-1.3588232

I'd say 5% of cyclists deign to use hand signals. Care to dispute that?

Well I don't know the actual number, but I certainly agree that hand signals by cyclists are much more the exception rather than the norm. I myself don't generally signal braking because (a) it's difficult to brake safely with one hand off the handlebars, especially if you have to brake hard and (b) it's usually pretty clear from context (coming up on a STOP sign or a red light) that I'm going to be braking anyway.

I don't use hand turn signals unless I can see someone (a motorist or pedestrian) who might need to know, but when I see that I do use them.

As a cyclist, it seems pretty obvious to me that you don't want to surprise a driver, and as a motorist it annoys me too when cyclists do unexpected things, most especially if those actions risk a collision. Of course I have the same reaction for pedestrians and motorists doing stupid things.

But I have to say that I've seen a lot of these "road rage" videos and I'm always suspicious of the line "I didn't do anything to provoke him". It may be true in some cases, but I strongly suspect that most of the time people don't fly into a rage for no particular reason. The reaction may be wildly disproportionate to the provocation, but I'd never judge without hearing both sides of the story. Even then, you have to be pretty skeptical about taking people's words at their face value.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

There's also a provincial law on pedestrians to not step out into a crosswalk in front of a vehicle such that it's impracticable for the driver to stop the vehicle, so there's an onus on them to make sure that they're safely crossing the street.

It turns out that safe use of the roads requires everybody to be vigilant and follow the laws. Who would have thought.

Yeah, in most cases the old saying "it takes two to make an accident" holds true. We need to assign responsibility, either wholly or partially, to each party for legal reasons. But in most cases the innocent person could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering with more vigilance. For me anyway, I'd much rather be uninjured and shaking my fist at the idiot who nearly creamed me than lying in a hospital bed and "in the right".

[SpongeG]

Sunshine, Concrete Couches and Ping Pong Next to a Brewery on a Bike Route



http://scoutmagazine.ca/2017/09/14/s...-a-bike-route/

[Feathered Friend]

My photos - September 14 2007









I've been holding off posting photos of the near finished improvements to this intersection, as I was hoping the City might finish the flower beds before the summer's end. Regardless of it's near finished state, as a frequent pedestrian user of the intersection, I can't begin to express what an improvement it has made to my crossings.

Despite a serious amount of signage, I routinely still see cars trying to rat run using 7th Ave, that then are forced to turn around and head back to the previous intersection. I've also heard that traffic on 8th avenue has dramatically increased as well, and anecdotally that seems accurate.

[tybuilding]

Great news out of Surrey this summer - City Councillors have approved plans for separated and protected bike infrastructure in Surrey’s City Centre!

On July 20th, Councilors voted to approve new, high-quality Centre Standard Drawings that reflect the role streets will plan in supporting higher volumes of pedestrian, cycling and transit users. These plans incorporate new urban standards for greenways such as separated cycling infrastructure, protected bike lanes for users of all ages and abilities on arterial and collector routes, and enhancements for pedestrians.

These new designs reallocate the space currently used for non-motorized transportation by bringing cyclists into the boulevard to physically separate people on bikes from vehicles and pedestrians. This makes for safer, more viable transportation alternatives in Surrey’s City Centre.
https://bikehub.ca/about-us/news/sur...in-city-centre

The designs show one way cycle tracks with protected intersections!

[idunno]

Very happy to see this!

[Feathered Friend]

https://twitter.com/lucio_picciano/s...83434048995328

Lucio Picciano‏
@lucio_picciano
Incredible news for my block. COV to close street to cars. Buses and bikes only for most of 2018. Multiblock test area on major bike path.

The owner of the passive house at 3322 Adanac recently posted this tidbit, which was highlighted on Frances Bula's twitter.

[GlassCity]

TransLink's released a list of road, sidewalk and bike projects they'll be funding as part of the 10 year vision. I'm assuming there will be more such projects funded in the future as part of this vision as well.

News story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...ture-1.4354878
PDF detailing the projects: http://s3.documentcloud.org/document...nder-FINAL.pdf

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

TransLink's released a list of road, sidewalk and bike projects they'll be funding as part of the 10 year vision. I'm assuming there will be more such projects funded in the future as part of this vision as well.

News story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...ture-1.4354878
PDF detailing the projects: http://s3.documentcloud.org/document...nder-FINAL.pdf

So I read through this and find this announcement misleading. All of the projects are sidewalks / and bikes with the exception of one project where Fraser highway is being widened to 4 lanes. This is minor and does nothing for congestion in this region. Having said that I don't expect anything to actually be done, I expect the region to continue to fall behind and degrade.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by cornholio

So I read through this and find this announcement misleading. All of the projects are sidewalks / and bikes with the exception of one project where Fraser highway is being widened to 4 lanes. This is minor and does nothing for congestion in this region. Having said that I don't expect anything to actually be done, I expect the region to continue to fall behind and degrade.

There were definitely other road projects in there, like 64 Avenue widening.

In any case, there's a reason I posted it in the bike/pedestrian thread.

[Spork]

Sidewalks on Payne St. near Joyce Collingwood seems like a waste of time considering that street just received much more density with a new community plan and will likely be redeveloped in the next 5-10 years anyways.

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

My photos - October 20th 2017

The seats/steps are now gone


From Granville Island