[Northern Light]

The suburban councillors still look at cycling as "recreation", not transportation. They'll likely be the one of many suburbanites who drive 15 minutes in their gas-guzzling SUV to the fitness centre, where they then spend a half-hour on a stationary bicycle, before spending another 15 minutes getting back home.

Walter, you're generalizing again.

There are several suburban councillors who have been reasonably supportive of cycling infrastructure in their wards. Certainly, there remains lots of room for improvement. But again, non-productive 'tutting' doesn't actually get even one cycle track approved.

 

[H4F33Z]

A familiar face here at UT, @H4F33Z is launching a campaign for improved cycling infra on Lawrence Avenue East.

View attachment 447824

https://twitter.com/x/status/1608817681519484931

A link to the website he's set up as well:

The Lawrence Prospect Advocacy Campaign for a Complete Street

Let's start a conversation about making Lawrence Avenue East in Wexford better for everyone.

www.lawrenceprospect.ca

From the same:

View attachment 447825

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I want to congratulate Hafeez on some excellent advocacy work here. Its well thought out, and well presented. I would encourage anyone who has the time or interest to follow his campaign and lend a hand if you can.

I for one will see what I can do to be of assistance.

Hafeez, feel free to DM me.

Thanks a ton! I wanted to put my skills to good use. I could not let this slide again, and I need to make the city and councillor accountable for the state that Lawrence is in right now. We also need to get the residents out there in support of change so the councillor can't be like, "Well my constituents don't really bike, or want bike lanes."

It's more than bike lanes. It's improving the safety, vitality and efficiency of the road, even if it may be a pretty short stretch of Lawrence. This could set up something much larger if successful.

 

[Northern Light]

Thanks a ton! I wanted to put my skills to good use. I could not let this slide again, and I need to make the city and councillor accountable for the state that Lawrence is in right now. We also need to get the residents out there in support of change so the councillor can't be like, "Well my constituents don't really bike, or want bike lanes."

It's more than bike lanes. It's improving the safety, vitality and efficiency of the road, even if it may be a pretty short stretch of Lawrence. This could set up something much larger if successful.

You're quite welcome.

If you have not already, may I suggest outreach to the BIA? If you happen to know any businesses that have particularly good numbers of cyclists among their customers, reaching out to them may be helpful as well.

The BIA's web page seems to be down, but they also have FB and Twitter:

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

https://twitter.com/wexfordbia

Always a bit of flier trying to get neighbourhood associations on board........but might be worth a try. I believe this is the applicable group.

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Another group you may wish to be in touch with, if you are not already:

Toronto East Cyclists

Toronto East Cyclists. 746 likes · 33 talking about this. Sharing cycling information, events and opportunities with a focus on the east side of Toronto.

www.facebook.com

 

[max]

Not sure why, but it looks like the Adelaide cycle track was repainted back in on the south side of the road, rather than the north side. It was raining tonight so I didn't give it a good look to see if it's just paint, or the city's more durable road markings. I hope it was the former, but fear it was the latter.

 

[DSC]

Not sure why, but it looks like the Adelaide cycle track was repainted back in on the south side of the road, rather than the north side. It was raining tonight so I didn't give it a good look to see if it's just paint, or the city's more durable road markings. I hope it was the former, but fear it was the latter.

Last I heard was that the track is only moving to north side NEXT year once the IO work installing the streetcar tracks from York to Victoria is finished and all the repaving is done.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I would have to add the NIMBYs as well, who see cycling as "recreation" instead of "transportation".

 

[Northern Light]

I can absolutely not promise any answers, but if anyone has questions about specific cycling projects (ie. Is 'x' still happening, if so 'when'; or is there any plan for 'y' street etc.) I'm happy to try to share any info I have, and if I have none, I will see if I can't finagle some.

I note this, because I too will have some questions in the next while as the City budget process begins and docs become public.

I know @Railrunner was interested in the Finch Corridor across Yonge; the only thing I can say about that right now is that its not in the TOInview project list

 

[just east of the creek]

Food for thought? Original article on Inside EV’s. Article written by Enrico Punsalang. Their is an attached video as well.

Home News Safety

Swiss Startup URB-X Is Developing Elevated Bike Paths For European Cities​

The project is set to start in Stuttgart, Germany, with a one-kilometer test track to be consturcted.​

Jan 02, 2023 at 8:56am ET
4
By: Enrico Punsalang

In many European towns and cities, efforts are being made to make roads and thoroughfares more bicycle-friendly in an effort to entice citizens away from driving and toward riding. Unfortunately, space is frequently an issue. A solution from Switzerland may be able to alleviate the issue of the frequently congested space conditions for cycling lanes. URB-X, a Swiss startup, is building elevated bike paths, taking to the skies, so to speak.

The business is constructing two-lane cycling pathways on stilts so that they won't have to share space with vehicles or pedestrians. With their narrow pillars, these cycle highways—referred to by URB-X as "Bike Highways"—can be constructed over the current infrastructure with ease. In the Netherlands, where numerous cycling lanes span across streets, rivers, and the like on pillars, a similar strategy has been employed for quite some time now.

The best part is that with today's ever-evolving bike industry, a project like this would enable folks on all sorts of bikes—electric bikes and regular pedal bikes alike—to ride to their destinations without the fear of an inattentive driver running into them. Additionally, apart from their basic role as a bike highway, they also provide a number of supplementary benefits, ultimately making life easier for road users. The lanes may be heated, among other things, to keep snow and ice off of them even during the winter. Along with other features, the cycling route has lights and solar panels, transforming it into a solar power plant.
URB-X plans to start the Bike Highway project in Stuttgart, where the cycling populace is rather large and diverse. Naturally, a project of this magnitude will take a lot of planning, and will be rolled out in phases. A test track with a minimum length of one kilometer would be the first. The Bike Highway may be expanded, but at a price that would be fairly high. URB-X estimates that the expenses come to almost two million euros (approximately $2.14 million) per kilometer. For the supporting structure, there are an additional 300,000 to 500,000 euros ($322,000 to $536,000) per kilometer.
More Fun On Two Wheels:
Austria's Pierer Mobility To Bring GASGAS E-Bikes To U.S. Market

Bike Maker Sixthreezero Presents The EVRYjourney Three-Passenger E-Trike
Nevertheless, the project is estimated to be more affordable than expanding asphalt roads to accommodate cyclists. Should URB-X's Bike Highway project takeoff in Germany, chances are this model could also be adopted in a similar fashion in other European cities where the culture of cycling is rapidly gaining popularity. This will surely serve as a big step for cities looking to accelerate the use of bicycles in the long run.

 

[Railrunner]

I can absolutely not promise any answers, but if anyone has questions about specific cycling projects (ie. Is 'x' still happening, if so 'when'; or is there any plan for 'y' street etc.) I'm happy to try to share any info I have, and if I have none, I will see if I can't finagle some.

I note this, because I too will have some questions in the next while as the City budget process begins and docs become public.

I know @Railrunner was interested in the Finch Corridor across Yonge; the only thing I can say about that right now is that its not in the TOInview project list

Thanks @Northern Light, any news of the Bathurst Street bike lane/ Bathurst and Finch intersection redesign? Also the long term plan with the Finch West LRT bike lane and how it may connect to he Finch Hydro Corridor? Thanks for the updates!

 

[Northern Light]

Thanks @Northern Light, any news of the Bathurst Street bike lane/ Bathurst and Finch intersection redesign?

Going to consultation this year, probably soon.

Likely construction 2024. (though advancing it to Fall '23 is not out of the question)

Bathurst btw, will not be a 'bike lane', the preliminary design has it in the boulevard space. .

Also the long term plan with the Finch West LRT bike lane and how it may connect to he Finch Hydro Corridor? Thanks for the updates!

Not sure on this one. I will see if I can dig anything up.

Edit to add: No project listed for it currently on TOInview. I will inquire further.

 

[afransen]

Food for thought? Original article on Inside EV’s. Article written by Enrico Punsalang. Their is an attached video as well.

Home News Safety

Swiss Startup URB-X Is Developing Elevated Bike Paths For European Cities​

The project is set to start in Stuttgart, Germany, with a one-kilometer test track to be consturcted.​

Jan 02, 2023 at 8:56am ET
4
By: Enrico Punsalang

In many European towns and cities, efforts are being made to make roads and thoroughfares more bicycle-friendly in an effort to entice citizens away from driving and toward riding. Unfortunately, space is frequently an issue. A solution from Switzerland may be able to alleviate the issue of the frequently congested space conditions for cycling lanes. URB-X, a Swiss startup, is building elevated bike paths, taking to the skies, so to speak.

The business is constructing two-lane cycling pathways on stilts so that they won't have to share space with vehicles or pedestrians. With their narrow pillars, these cycle highways—referred to by URB-X as "Bike Highways"—can be constructed over the current infrastructure with ease. In the Netherlands, where numerous cycling lanes span across streets, rivers, and the like on pillars, a similar strategy has been employed for quite some time now.
View attachment 448280

The best part is that with today's ever-evolving bike industry, a project like this would enable folks on all sorts of bikes—electric bikes and regular pedal bikes alike—to ride to their destinations without the fear of an inattentive driver running into them. Additionally, apart from their basic role as a bike highway, they also provide a number of supplementary benefits, ultimately making life easier for road users. The lanes may be heated, among other things, to keep snow and ice off of them even during the winter. Along with other features, the cycling route has lights and solar panels, transforming it into a solar power plant.
URB-X plans to start the Bike Highway project in Stuttgart, where the cycling populace is rather large and diverse. Naturally, a project of this magnitude will take a lot of planning, and will be rolled out in phases. A test track with a minimum length of one kilometer would be the first. The Bike Highway may be expanded, but at a price that would be fairly high. URB-X estimates that the expenses come to almost two million euros (approximately $2.14 million) per kilometer. For the supporting structure, there are an additional 300,000 to 500,000 euros ($322,000 to $536,000) per kilometer.
More Fun On Two Wheels:
Austria's Pierer Mobility To Bring GASGAS E-Bikes To U.S. Market

Bike Maker Sixthreezero Presents The EVRYjourney Three-Passenger E-Trike
Nevertheless, the project is estimated to be more affordable than expanding asphalt roads to accommodate cyclists. Should URB-X's Bike Highway project takeoff in Germany, chances are this model could also be adopted in a similar fashion in other European cities where the culture of cycling is rapidly gaining popularity. This will surely serve as a big step for cities looking to accelerate the use of bicycles in the long run.

This sounds like car infrastructure akin to pedestrian overpasses that avoid the need to inconvenience car drivers to stop for pedestrians.

 

[just east of the creek]

This sounds like car infrastructure akin to pedestrian overpasses that avoid the need to inconvenience car drivers to stop for pedestrians.

A agree to a point, although I'm not sure its about stopping for pedestrians/cyclers. I believe its more about sharing a resource i.e. a road, or avoiding a very unfriendly environment for cyclers/pedestrians. This could be where high traffic volumes, the type of traffic (higher % of trucks for instance), or the narrowness of the ROW might work against good surface separated bike/pedestrian lanes. This might be an interesting tool to have in the box of options for separated bike lanes. Flyovers were pretty common in the Netherlands (when I had a chance to work there and cycle to work), this is a slightly different but related concept and it will be interesting to see if it gains acceptance.

 

[Coolibop]

I can absolutely not promise any answers, but if anyone has questions about specific cycling projects (ie. Is 'x' still happening, if so 'when'; or is there any plan for 'y' street etc.) I'm happy to try to share any info I have, and if I have none, I will see if I can't finagle some.

I note this, because I too will have some questions in the next while as the City budget process begins and docs become public.

I know @Railrunner was interested in the Finch Corridor across Yonge; the only thing I can say about that right now is that its not in the TOInview project list

Are there any planned capital repairs of the trails along the west highland creek (roughly Finch southeast to Birchmount?) and north branch to Lamoureux park (I thought they were improving but not visible on INview)? I know it was part of the Scarborough bike trail network at one point but it is in terrible state of repair and hasn't got any attention for decades. I note there are some bridge work (near Warden and Bridletown circle) happening soon. I always thought the west highland would be a great North/South trail connector Thompson memorial to the Finch hydro and note there are some paths going in north of the 401 as part of the Southwest Agincourt transportation study...still disconnected and almost there to the south near midland/ellesmere.

I mentioned how terrible Sheppard E between Morningside/Port Union was in a post some time ago; notice there is planned bikeway (on INview but nothing on Toronto's Cycling Infra site)? Is that just repainting the lanes or are they working on improving safety?

 

[Northern Light]

Are there any planned capital repairs of the trails along the west highland creek (roughly Finch southeast to Birchmount?) and north branch to Lamoureux park (I thought they were improving but not visible on INview)?

I don't see anything showing in the most recent plans for those areas.

I mentioned how terrible Sheppard E between Morningside/Port Union was in a post some time ago; notice there is planned bikeway (on INview but nothing on Toronto's Cycling Infra site)? Is that just repainting the lanes or are they working on improving safety?

Improvements are contemplated with the project pencilled in for later this year. I haven't seen the proposed changes though, so I can't speak to their scope.

 

[Northern Light]

@H4F33Z is getting some media attention for his activism on Lawrence:

Student is taking it upon himself to improve a major Toronto street

One student in Toronto is embarking on a new campaign to create a safer and better Lawrence Avenue East. The project, developed by University of W...

www.blogto.com