[Northern Light]

Hamilton is wrapping up some beautiful segregated bike infrastructure along York St this spring- the road is essentially the grand entrance to the city off the freeway that also links into Burlington, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Dundurn Castle, and many busy road cycling routes on the Flamborough/Dundas escarpment. It's also the finishing section of the annual Around The Bay 30K race and ties directly into the Cannon St bike lanes that cross the lower city. I was a hater last year with the construction and traffic hell it caused, but they're quite beautifully designed with a wide concrete barrier with a flower bed to oppose traffic and a sloped low-barrier curb on the pedestrian side in the modern style. The Northern Toronto-bound side of the street finished in the fall and they should start digging up the Southern Hamilton-bound side in a few weeks (hopefully after Around The Bay!).

A picture of this work from November '24:

Source: https://www.threads.net/@jasonthorne_rpp/post/DCai53FOV5m/media

***

Since we're off in Urban Hamilton for a Moment...........here's the 2025 Cycling Project List for that City:'

 

[generalcanada]

Judge reserves decision on Doug Ford’s bid to remove Toronto bike lanes

Cycling advocates have asked for a temporary injunction on the Ford government’s plan to rip out Toronto bike lanes.

www.thestar.com

UUH theres apperently no urgency at all? WTF

One document, released by the province’s attorneys, showed a Ministry of Transportation email that estimated bike lane removals wouldn’t begin until April 2026, and into 2027. A reply to that email by MTO staff showed they expected a push from the government to speed up removals into 2025.

actually on second thought, doing it all together would mean university takes a long time to plan right?

The additional documents also showed that the government commissioned a study from construction firm SEMA, which showed that removing the bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge and University Streets would increase collisions by 56 per cent, lead to an increase of cyclists on sidewalks and that the idea of putting cyclists on secondary roads was not feasible.

To be clear this is only an injunction, if this is true, then we wait for late-April for the full ruling

 

[nfitz]

Judge reserves decision on Doug Ford’s bid to remove Toronto bike lanes

Cycling advocates have asked for a temporary injunction on the Ford government’s plan to rip out Toronto bike lanes.

www.thestar.com

UUH theres apperently no urgency at all? WTF

There's still over a week before construction might start. What's the concern about him not ruling today, and instead ruling later? Perhaps he wants to look something up.

 

[generalcanada]

There's still over a week before construction might start. What's the concern about him not ruling today, and instead ruling later? Perhaps he wants to look something up.

Thats not what I meant, Hes delaying the ruling rightfully so because apperently the government aint going to start removals for almost another year. Therefore no need for the injunction

 

[Admiral Beez]

The days of the winter cyclist are coming to a seasonal close.

 

[UntitledCyclist]

Thats not what I meant, Hes delaying the ruling rightfully so because apperently the government aint going to start removals for almost another year. Therefore no need for the injunction

The story doesn't say the reason for the judge reserving judgement other than he wanted to consider the eligibility of several documents from the government. It is not at all clear he is denying the injunction, but simply taking a bit more time to rule on it. That's all.

 

[ownthesky]

A picture of this work from November '24:

View attachment 635942
Source: https://www.threads.net/@jasonthorne_rpp/post/DCai53FOV5m/media

***

Since we're off in Urban Hamilton for a Moment...........here's the 2025 Cycling Project List for that City:'


View attachment 635943

View attachment 635946

I’m not sure if you’re from Hamilton, but the one thing the city

A picture of this work from November '24:

View attachment 635942
Source: https://www.threads.net/@jasonthorne_rpp/post/DCai53FOV5m/media

***

Since we're off in Urban Hamilton for a Moment...........here's the 2025 Cycling Project List for that City:'


View attachment 635943

View attachment 635946

Thanks for that! Hamilton doesn't get enough praise for how rapidly we're building our bike infrastructure in my opinion and it doesn't get bogged down in the politics that Toronto is victim to. The Cannon Street cycling track, The Keddy Access Trail, and our Mountain Climber bus program are three hallmark programs that the city got done quickly without a lot of controversy and make cycling all over the city pretty easy.

Deep Hamilton nerding: One scheme that I really wish the city would explore is to get rid of these useless suicidal lanes on the Jolly Cut: and to expand the multiuse path further down down the bridge to the Keddy Access Trail. It would only require 100m of changes to the bridge's sidewalk, which is currently an awful experience for pedestrians as you're inches away from 70 km/h traffic. The lanes are overbuilt and have a ton of room for modification. That small multiuse path would tie the last remaining gaps in the lower city and upper city together, allowing cyclists to bike from the downtown to the entire length of the urban escarpment without using any fast-moving arterials.

The other very easy win that the city could do is to open this "private" right-of-way to bikers by creating a model filter on Alpine Avenue. It would allow cyclists to stay off Concession entirely and stick to the beautiful escarpment infrastructure the city is developing, some of which is on that chart you posted.

 

[Northern Light]

I’m not sure if you’re from Hamilton, but the one thing the city

Seems like you didn't quite finish that thought..........

***

But I'm not from Hamilton to answer that question. I've been more than a few times, hiked the Bruce Trail through as well........amazingly, I found my way out again! (Hamilton and cardinal directions.....sigh, LOL....plus the way the lower streets meet the upper, and the obstacles of the 403 and Burlington Bay. Not a city for the directionally challenged!

Thanks for that!

You're Welcome.

Hamilton doesn't get enough praise for how rapidly we're building our bike infrastructure in my opinion and it doesn't get bogged down in the politics that Toronto is victim to. The Cannon Street cycling track, The Keddy Access Trail, and our Mountain Climber bus program are three hallmark programs that the city got done quickly without a lot of controversy and make cycling all over the city pretty easy.

Agreed.

Deep Hamilton nerding: One scheme that I really wish the city would explore is to get rid of these useless suicidal lanes on the Jolly Cut:

I agree, this:

Is not desirable.

and to expand the multiuse path further down down the bridge to the Keddy Access Trail. It would only require 100m of changes to the bridge's sidewalk, which is currently an awful experience for pedestrians as you're inches away from 70 km/h traffic. The lanes are overbuilt and have a ton of room for modification. That small multiuse path would tie the last remaining gaps in the lower city and upper city together, allowing cyclists to bike from the downtown to the entire length of the urban escarpment without using any fast-moving arterials.

There's a bit less room than you think, but it looks do-able to me:

On a curve, with those speeds, you need ~13M for the travel lanes, some would argue for a fraction more, particularly near the turns.

That leaves you ~3M for the MUP, which is just wide enough, but with no barrier. A barrier requires ~0.8M give or take.

Looking at where the existing barrier is on the upbound side, I think it can be squeezed in w/o any enormous engineering or expense. They might require the barrier to be higher on the upbound side with less room to potential falling rock.

 

[DSCToronto]

March 10, 2025

Watermain Replacement, Sanitary and Storm Sewer Replacement on The Esplanade, George Street South, and other Local Roads; Bikeway and Road Safety Improvements on The Esplanade

The contractor will:•

• Complete electrical and traffic signal work at the intersection of The Esplanade at Church Street.
• Complete bike lane civil work and pavement markings on the Esplanade from Market Street to Scott Street
• .Complete bikeway restoration on The Esplanade between Lower Jarvis and Berkeley Street including dividers and the bus platform at Lower Sherbourne Street.

This work is expected to be completed in early Spring 2025

 

[ownthesky]

Seems like you didn't quite finish that thought..........

***

But I'm not from Hamilton to answer that question. I've been more than a few times, hiked the Bruce Trail through as well........amazingly, I found my way out again! (Hamilton and cardinal directions.....sigh, LOL....plus the way the lower streets meet the upper, and the obstacles of the 403 and Burlington Bay. Not a city for the directionally challenged!



You're Welcome.



Agreed.



I agree, this:

View attachment 636350

Is not desirable.



There's a bit less room than you think, but it looks do-able to me:

View attachment 636349

On a curve, with those speeds, you need ~13M for the travel lanes, some would argue for a fraction more, particularly near the turns.

That leaves you ~3M for the MUP, which is just wide enough, but with no barrier. A barrier requires ~0.8M give or take.

Looking at where the existing barrier is on the upbound side, I think it can be squeezed in w/o any enormous engineering or expense. They might require the barrier to be higher on the upbound side with less room to potential falling rock.

Haha that's funny, the quote system sent the first sentence of my post on vacation and I clearly lost track of it!

Re: road width at the cut - what I'm actually suggesting is to completely remove the road infrastructure from that turn. It's dangerous and we shouldn't encourage cyclists to use it at all, if anything it opens the city up to liability with how irresponsibly it's built. City buses routinely intrude into the lanes making the blind turn and eventually it will result in a massive lawsuit. Instead, the multiuse path at 12 o'clock in this image should be the preferred route pushed by the city and signage. In fact, the city just repaved that trail in December as part of a multi-million dollar plan to develop Sam Lawrence Park (think Mont Royal Park tourist trap) and the two short stair sections have built-in bike gutters to get bikes up and down easily!

 

[Northern Light]

Haha that's funny, the quote system sent the first sentence of my post on vacation and I clearly lost track of it!

Re: road width at the cut - what I'm actually suggesting is to completely remove the road infrastructure from that turn. It's dangerous and we shouldn't encourage cyclists to use it at all, if anything it opens the city up to liability with how irresponsibly it's built. City buses routinely intrude into the lanes making the blind turn and eventually it will result in a massive lawsuit. Instead, the multiuse path at 12 o'clock in this image should be the preferred route pushed by the city and signage. In fact, the city just repaved that trail in December as part of a multi-million dollar plan to develop Sam Lawrence Park (think Mont Royal Park tourist trap) and the two short stair sections have built-in bike gutters to get bikes up and down easily!

This is what I was looking at:

Is that what you had in mind?

The measurements I gave presume the removal of the existing bike lane.

 

[ownthesky]

This is what I was looking at:

View attachment 636357

Is that what you had in mind?

The measurements I gave presume the removal of the existing bike lane.

That's it exactly- I think the key issue is whether the city can actually modify anything (ex sidewalk removal and conversion into wide path to match the upper section) on that roughly 100m of bridge deck for a reasonable price or without cutting off the second-busiest access for months of repaving. The city also wants to put a multiuse path all along Concession from the bottom left of your image to past where the trail you've highlighted intersects it, so it just seems like such a no-brainer if it can be done for a reasonable price.

The city also wants to turn that area you've highlighted into an important Bruce trailhead with infographics and maps It's funny, I've done most of the Pacific Crest Trail and Arizona Trail, but despite living and working a few meters away from the Bruce, I've only done a few km of it!

 

[Northern Light]

That's it exactly- I think the key issue is whether the city can actually modify anything (ex sidewalk removal and conversion into wide path to match the supper section) on that roughly 100m of bridge deck for a reasonable price or without cutting off the second-busiest access for months of repaving. The city also wants to put a multiuse path all along Concession from the bottom left of your image to past where the trail you've highlighted intersects it, so it just seems like such a no-brainer if it can be done for a reasonable price.

Ok, so you're asking about the bridge part specifically, got'cha.

The curb lane is ~4.9M which should allow 1.4M of space to be repurposed. The existing sidewalk is ~1.5M. That gives you' 2.9M

The inner lane is ~3.4M, you can probably shave another 0.2 off that.

That gives enough for a trail/sidewalk, but without a barrier.

It would be a very tight squeeze to add one.

The bridge has a seam down the middle, two discrete decks, so, unfortunately, you can't shift space from the up direction to the down without a very big project.

But a raised, 3M path should be viable w/o ripping everything up. I say that w/o knowing where they've run the utilities or the exact engineering.....but I think is a solid....'guess'.

It's funny, I've done most of the Pacific Crest Trail and Arizona Trail, but despite living and working a few meters away from the Bruce, I've only done a few km of it!

Parts of the Bruce are gorgeous.

This one (below) is from Hamilton:

 

[generalcanada]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/court-injunction-ontario-bike-lanes-court-challenge-1.7483871

not much analysis of it yet

 

[Northern Light]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/court-injunction-ontario-bike-lanes-court-challenge-1.7483871

not much analysis of it yet

From the linked article:

What's curious to me is that the judge had openly hinted he might grant the injunction.