Let's talk about one-way streets

[Jon Dalton]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

You can call Jason and get him to try, but it won't happen for the same reasons that two way conversion isn't going to happen downtown on arterial roads vital to the whole city. Sorry to burst your bubble but councilors still do get calls from people complaining about almost anything. As for trying to dismiss people opposed to the conversion as being bottom of the barrel, you would be very surprised at the number of people from all walks of life who I have heard criticizing the conversion. Other than some people on these forums I don't know anyone who likes the idea. Personally I don't care if they convert all of the secondary roads back to two way, but they better think long and hard about making it harder to get around this city on main thoroughfares.

I think conversion of the secondary roads is a non-issue to most outside of downtown and to most all councillors. It is simply a matter of council voting to do what council already voted on in 2002 and public works actually doing it. Minor conversions were not held up by council, they were held up for the most part by Hart Solomon when he was head of traffic.

It is my view that while minor arterial and residential one ways are a nuissance, their conversion will have the least overall impact. Sure it will improve the quality of life for residents, but it will not address the most serious issues which are dangerous speeds and lack of local access on our main arterials where the businesses are located.

I really think these objections and angry calls to councillors on the subject of two way are overblown and come from a vocal minority. And I fully understand that the same could be implied for proponents of two way, but hear me out. The number of downtown core workers is approximately 24,000. For arguments sake lets say 75% live outside wards 1 through 3 - and thus benefit from one ways for commutes in and out of the core. That leaves 18,000 people out of hundreds of thousands who have an objection to two way conversion based on a direct daily experience, out of hundreds of thousands. Statistically speaking that is a small, if vocal minority.

My argument all along is that the one way streets are used and abused as a shortcut through downtown, by people who have other options. A lot of the current traffic through downtown is gratuitous in that the origin / destination pairs could be well served by other options such as our perimeter highway system. As two way conversions slowly and incrementally reduce the speed of traffic to lower and safer levels, much of the traffic will shift to other routes currently underutilized. Downtown streets should not be a shortcut used mainly for traffic speed - this is not the case in any successful downtown. There needs to be balance, and currently there is none. One ways like Main and King were made in a time when planning was rooted in the supremacy of the automobile and the goal was to get people off the streets. It's a different world we live in now.

[durandy]

I think conversion was seized upon as a fairly easy and cheap change that would have a huge impact - a quick win. Except it isn't. People depend on these streets and to take them away in a sudden conversion is a really drastic change, no matter how solid the case is for converting.

I think incrementalism should still be the way forward but with a more active pressure against the status quo. There should simply be no way to get through the city at the pace it is currently possible. The one-way green wave is a totally unique phenomenon to Hamilton as far as I know. Not only for the lack of traffic, but for the sheer speed - in spots you can't keep up with the green wave without going over the speed limit. That makes no sense and could be changed tomorrow without any hue and cry. That's simply a traffic decision and a matter of safety. Other than that, bike lanes, streetscaping, and other calming measures could reduce the incentive to bust through downtown.

[flar]

Ottawa has the one-way green wave on Ablert and Slater streets through downtown. Not many people take these streets because they double as the transitway, so there are tons of buses. At some points along each, there is only one lane for normal through traffic, as there is a dedicated bus lane and parking on one or both curb lanes. You also have to drive at 50km/h to hit the greens and neither street extends much beyond downtown. So in reality, they are not comparable to Main, King or Cannon in Hamilton. They are still scary and I make sure to hold my young daughter's hand when we're walking around there.

[urban_planner]

@Jon Dalton
I agree with you on the people not using other options.

Last night I drove from the 403 and Main Street Off Ramp to Green Hill and the Red Hill Valley Parkway and it took me 15 Minutes. I then did the reverse but VIA king Street and it took 18 minutes, It actually took 3 minutes longer. This was going the posted speed limits both ways.

Along with this I used a bit less fuel taking the long way and didn't have to stop or slow down once. this was however off peak hours.

Afterwards I stopped along Main around Sherman and got talking to a resident on Proctor Ave and she was very much for 2 way conversion.

Anyway I wanted to share that bit of research, and when I have a chance want to explore this further.


I want to do more research

[Jon Dalton]

Cannon Street is one lane in one direction today due to a water main break. The traffic is backed up from James to Hughson during the red lights. It doesn't look like a big deal to have reduced traffic on Cannon.

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Cannon Street is one lane in one direction today due to a water main break. The traffic is backed up from James to Hughson during the red lights. It doesn't look like a big deal to have reduced traffic on Cannon.

I wouldn't expect it to be much of an issue midday. How was traffic for the pm peak period?

[mattgrande]

I drove past this morning and they were still working on it. Here's hoping it doesn't interfere with Supercrawl.

[matt602]

I can't imagine it would as James North will be shut down anyhow and the pit they've dug seems to be just off to the East side of the intersection.

[CaptainKirk]

Fixed!

It won't interfere with Supercrawl

http://www.raisethehammer.org/blog/2...mes_and_cannon

[coalminecanary]

Was anyone at the meeting last night?

http://www.bikehounds.ca/2012/11/som...rsion-meeting/

[thistleclub]

850m shave 'n' pave, $950K.

Wilson Street re-paving will have minimal impact, says councillor
(Ancaster News, Mike Pearson, Dec 14, 2012)

Another construction project is planned for Wilson Street East next summer, but Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said businesses and commuters won’t be forced to endure another lengthy road closure.

The city’s 2013 capital budget includes $500,000 to resurface Wilson Street between Rousseaux and Halson Streets next year. Unlike last summer’s five-month road reconstruction of Wilson Street between Halson and Fiddler’s Green, next year’s project does not include major infrastructure improvements such as water mains and sewers.

“We call it a shave and pave,” said Ferguson, who expects the work to be completed over a two week period in July or August.

Federal gas tax money will cover $450,000 of the project cost.

Gary Moore, director of engineering services in the city’s public works department, said limited curb and sidewalk improvements will be included, depending on the final cost of the road resurfacing.

After consulting with local businesses, city staff agreed to schedule the project during the late summer to minimize disruptions, said Moore.

“We don’t want to impact Heritage Days or anything else the city does,” Moore said.

[mattgrande]

This is how they do one way streets in Chicago: http://i.imgur.com/i5Wbg.jpg?1

(Photo credit to "lottonumber" on Reddit)

[fuller]

That's done right. If there's some need for a street to be one-way this is the way to do it.

Two-way bicycle travel - check
Parked-car buffer lane between bicycle lanes and traffic - check
Bollards (hopefully flexible) to prevent car travel into bicycle lanes - check

At first I thought, wait, no bike box?, but it's not needed when done this way.
Actually, I'm not sure I totally get bike boxes yet.

[thistleclub]

Watch it, buddy, I'm pedaling (driving) here
(Crain's, Greg Hinz, Dec 17, 2012)

As someone who literally bears battle wounds from the war between the bicycle and the automobile—a dislocated shoulder, a scar where my tibia gashed through my shin, etc.—I have a lot of sympathy with Gabe Klein's drive to keep the two safely apart.

I just don't know if it's possible.

Mr. Klein, the city's transportation commissioner, has been busily putting up dedicated bike lanes throughout Chicago, some of which place an actual physical barrier between the hunter and the prey. One of those protected lanes was to open this weekend on stretches of Dearborn Street downtown, in which bike riders going both ways will get a no-cars lane on the side of the street, with parked vehicles between bikers and motorists.

The eventual goal is to create at least 100 miles of protected lanes in town—enough to bump up the 1.3 percent of Chicago commuters who travel via bike to something like the 3.6 percent in Minneapolis, or even the 14 percent in Berlin, where the weather is just as bad as it is here.

“The end objective is to make it safe and fun to use active transportation in Chicago,” says Mr. Klein, who adds that surveys find that as many as 60 percent of Chicagoans would at least occasionally commute via bicycle if they thought it was safe. “Every street is different. We're customizing programs to recognize that.”

The reality, however, is that it's not safe out there. According to the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) 39 Chicago bikers were killed in crashes from 2005 to 2011, with an average of 1,451 injured every year, based on data from the Illinois Department of Transportation. And the toll actually is worse than that because, until 2010, the state didn't track a biker's worst dread: being “doored” by someone who throws open the car door into a passing bicycle without looking....

That said, things are improving.

Crain's website, ChicagoBusiness.com, last week carried an opinion piece from DRW Trading Group LLC CEO Donald Wilson about how technology talent is drawn to cities that are bike-friendly. The essay got a ton of reaction (it, and some of those comments, are here). And while Chicago may not yet be Berlin, the amount of riding here has exploded in the past few years and, with milder winters, seems likely to rise further.

Rather than paying a fortune to drive or cramming into an overcrowded bus or train, biking is a good, fun way to get around. And we're not about to disappear, no matter how much some of my waddling peers would prefer. All sides need to live together here. So, let's do it.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/colum...-great-streets

[SteelTown]

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...onversion.html

[SteelTown]

Personally I don't object to one way streets.

The problem with Main and King St is that it's being treated as a highway. In my opinion the real problem is the synchronized street lighting. A quick fix would be advocating for signal priority for HSR.

[durandy]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Personally I don't object to one way streets.

The problem with Main and King St is that it's being treated as a highway. In my opinion the real problem is the synchronized street lighting. A quick fix would be advocating for signal priority for HSR.

totally agreed. Getting rid of the green wave would immediately remove most of the incentive for using those streets the way people do. Once people cease to rely on them for commuting to the QEW and use the LINC the way it was designed then the east west streets can be properly designed. Until then there will be opposition to any reduction - but changing the green wave is much easier to apply. Just shave a second off every few weeks, make it slower and slower.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^That's not really enough, though, is it? I mean, that's not even a half-measure - more like an eighth measure.

There needs to be, at least, some sort of lane reduction and a buffer for cyclists and pedestrians. That will bring people back to the street (Main, King, Cannon, etc.) and encourage increased investment in properties along those routes.

It's been my experience that people who oppose two-way streets downtown, typically don't live downtown - surprise, surprise. Otherwise, people are just averse to change in general; we all like the status quo to some degree in life, don't we? But for those of us who brave those corridors on foot or on cycle, we know it's time for change. And when we finally take the leap, the benefits will be massive.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by durandy

totally agreed. Getting rid of the green wave would immediately remove most of the incentive for using those streets the way people do. Once people cease to rely on them for commuting to the QEW and use the LINC the way it was designed then the east west streets can be properly designed. Until then there will be opposition to any reduction - but changing the green wave is much easier to apply. Just shave a second off every few weeks, make it slower and slower.

The Linc wasn't intended to move traffic from the lower city to the 403 and QEW. As for King and Main St. they are being used exactly as they were intended, moving traffic through the lower city as efficiently as possible.