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dkazzed said:
I did observe that while riding there, moreso than other MUPs. I transitioned to the quiet adjacent road near the senior complex.

I do ponder almost daily what is the best way to safely pass pedestrians without startling them. Half of the people don't hear my bell, even without headphones on, and half are startled nearly to death. Only a small fraction of pedestrians just wave me by to acknowledge my presence. I generally slow down to 5-10 when passing kids, very elderly, and dogs, 15-20 when passing everyone else (smaller number coming from behind, bigger number going the other way). I aim to ring my bell and announce which side I'm passing on 3-5 seconds before passing them. Someone must've done a study on what works best.
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Small arms fire.
 
dkazzed said:
I did observe that while riding there, moreso than other MUPs. I transitioned to the quiet adjacent road near the senior complex.

I do ponder almost daily what is the best way to safely pass pedestrians without startling them. Half of the people don't hear my bell, even without headphones on, and half are startled nearly to death. Only a small fraction of pedestrians just wave me by to acknowledge my presence. I generally slow down to 5-10 when passing kids, very elderly, and dogs, 15-20 when passing everyone else (smaller number coming from behind, bigger number going the other way). I aim to ring my bell and announce which side I'm passing on 3-5 seconds before passing them. Someone must've done a study on what works best.
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I wonder if they painted a yellow centre line down that MUP, as goofy as that might look, if that would create a psychological cue for pedestrians to stay more aware of cyclists. Anyone who has lived in Edmonton for awhile recognizes the black asphalt with yellow centre line as MUP paths where cyclists or scooters may pass by anytime. That 114th MUP doesn't give that impression whatsoever
 
northlands said:
I wonder if they painted a yellow centre line down that MUP, as goofy as that might look, if that would create a psychological cue for pedestrians to stay more aware of cyclists. Anyone who has lived in Edmonton for awhile recognizes the black asphalt with yellow centre line as MUP paths where cyclists or scooters may pass by anytime. That 114th MUP doesn't give that impression whatsoever
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Quite a simple but very effective solution that instinctively gets people to keep right as much as possible except to pass others.
 
northlands said:
113th st bike lane would be a perfect bike commuting route for a lot of Blatchford also, no?

113 st -> 105 ave -> destination (MacEwan, downtown offices, Rogers/ICE, or through Railtown MUP down to U of A/Garneau)

Best way to sell bike lanes is keep them off main arterials. Perhaps 113th is largely a 30 km/h quiet road, but during commuting hours it does get a fair amount of use from impatient drivers shortcutting between 107-111 ave. Bet most are going a lot faster than 30, too.
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I 100% agree that this is for future Blatchford connectivity, which is needed.

I already use 113 ST as a route to bike to and from work, so I am quite happy about this new infrastructure. To those that don't understand the importance of such connections, or why they are necessary, one very nice benefit of these lanes will be auto bike detectors in the road that will trip the signals for cyclists crossing 111 AV and 107 AV. This to me alone is a huge win. I used to take the 104 ST bike lane across 107 AV and it is an amber flasher intersection and is not particularly safe for any user. I with the City would upgrade that signal to be triggered by bikes.
 
The hill from Brookside down to Fox Drive will close August 11 for upgrades which will take until "Fall 2025" per the city website (I think the sign posted at the bottom of the hill may have had a slightly more detailed timeframe but I only had a quick glance at it as I rode by so I'm not sure). Disappointing as I ride this hill frequently and the suggested detour is rather extensive. I almost always use the hill to get to Keillor Rd though so detouring via the Whitemud over to Lansdowne and then up is almost as fast. The Whitemud route is pretty unpleasant with the construction but I guess now that they are shifting to the other side of the bridge it should be much better. I hope the new Rainbow Valley footbridge adjacent to the Whitemud is opening soon if they are now done the westbound side too.
1754516822991.png

I wonder what the "upgrade" to the Brookside hill will consist of? The trail is a bit rough in some sections particularly near the bottom so a new surface is in order but I wonder if there may be more in the works, particularly due to what seems to me to be a long timeframe for a trail revitalization. Does anyone know more?
 
policyenthusiast said:
I'm all for bike lanes - but this is a stupid location to put one. I feel 100% comfortable riding through low-speed residential areas.

I hope they start using this funding to build MUPs along major transit corridors and roads, where people currently can't travel without cars. Once we have a workable network of bike infrastructure to get around the whole city, then maybe there's value to putting these inside low speed areas.
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It’s great you feel comfortable. Many don’t. A few benefits of dedicated cycling infrastructure:

1) safety for all ages and abilities. Many adults are chill to ride on quieter residential streets. But do I want my 9 year old on 113st without protection? No. Could he ride on the sidewalk? Sure. But if I’m with him, am I now on the sidewalk too? What’s happens when turning at intersections?

2) wayfinding. Endless grid streets are fine if you know where you’re going. But then can also dump you out on major roads with 0 protection. Dedicated bike lanes/paths ideally connect you to the “next” infrastructure. Ex: 121st has bike lanes, that connect you to Victoria promenade, with protected bike lanes. If you were on 120st going south though, you’d miss Victoria promenade and end up on 7+ lanes off hell called jasper ave. Biking east on jasper ave vs Victoria promenade is very different for safety.

3) winter useage. Dedicated lanes are protected from the pack/freeze/thaw of residential streets in winter than make many neighborhoods un-bikeable for many days of the winter. I live in such a community, where I’m forced to bike sidewalks with sketchy road crossings every block, often requiring dismounting, just to get to an eventual bike path that’s maintained.

4) dedicated lanes are used by wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility devices that feel less safe randomly on the road with cars (they’re often slower than bikes).

5) dedicated lanes help notify drivers to be more aware at crossings. And crossings can be given sensors/buttons to help bikes at busy streets.
 
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policyenthusiast said:
Yes, but there would be considerably more value if we had a complete network to begin with. This bike lane is being built near Kingsway, 109th, and 111th, all of which have pedestrian sidewalks instead of MUPs. Cyclists are technically supposed to ride on the road.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have small-scale bike infrastructure in residential areas - we do need it. But connecting the entirety of Edmonton by focusing on roads that go places should come first.

109th (no bike infrastructure currently being added, 60 km/h, connects NE Edm. to NW):
View attachment 671446

113th st (small, isolated neighborhood, 30km/h, low density, get a bike lane in that bad boy immediately)
View attachment 671450
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So the province can force their removal like what’s happening in Toronto and Calgary?
 
northlands said:
I wonder if they painted a yellow centre line down that MUP, as goofy as that might look, if that would create a psychological cue for pedestrians to stay more aware of cyclists. Anyone who has lived in Edmonton for awhile recognizes the black asphalt with yellow centre line as MUP paths where cyclists or scooters may pass by anytime. That 114th MUP doesn't give that impression whatsoever
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This is needed in more places. 2 way painted bike lines and then a walking section. Extra wide MUPs.
 
ntt1 said:
Too bad there aren't really more old rural roads like the Wedgewood Ravine where this could come to fruition.
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Most MUPs in our central river valley should move in this direction where space exists I think. On summer weekends it gets sketchy.

But I’m sure paint is annoying to maintain and things like varying surface materials up costs a lot too. So idk.
 
thommyjo said:
Most MUPs in our central river valley should move in this direction where space exists I think. On summer weekends it gets sketchy.

But I’m sure paint is annoying to maintain and things like varying surface materials up costs a lot too. So idk.
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On that point about the river valley, it could just be me, but the River Valley Road shared-use path from the Menzies bridge to the Groat bridge feels a bit wider than the McKinnon Ravine section and the part connecting the Menzies bridge and Walterdale Bridge.
 
They’ve added mystery bicycle traffic signals on 103 Ave from 104 to 109 St, except at the LRT construction at 107 St. Additional overhead vehicular traffic signals were added to compensate.

EDIT: Come to think of it, it’s probably for a detour of the 102 Ave bike lanes to accommodate LRT construction.
IMG_3592.jpeg
 
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TAS said:
China is miles ahead with EV development and sales and significantly investing in wind/solar.

And now also making huge gains in bike infrastructure.

View attachment 672253

https://twitter.com/x/status/1954092681912627575
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It isn’t really surprising. There was a big shift on cycling during COVID and I remember seeing a decent chunk of Chinese state owned media pieces talking about the merits of cycling. And it’s not like Beijing doesn’t get below zero.

Even Moscow is investing in dedicated cycling infrastructure and that city is notoriously car-centric and car-bottlenecked and gets harsh winters.
 
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