Juan_Lennon416
Senior Member
...and stop posting what we already know. My word!
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- Thread starter rp07
- Start date
...and stop posting what we already know. My word!
West End Boy
Active Member
News flash! Some people who support bike lanes don't actually ride bikes themselves. Just like some people who support gay marriage are not actually gay. They're just very nice and real smart.
LNahid2000
Senior Member
You don't even have to ride a bike to reap the benefit of bike lanes. The Adelaide/Richmond bike lanes actually sped up travel times for motorized vehicles, and resulted in decreased collisions. That's good for everyone.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Some may want to use bikes but are currently afraid. Some very afraid to ride sharing lanes with motor vehicles. May change when, not if, they build bike lanes.
the lemur
Senior Member
Yep. I notice this on my way to work. I ride a stretch of Dundas every day, but the length of that stretch depends on the traffic, which also influences the number of other cyclists. Some people are more comfortable riding when traffic is light (but fast) and/or there are gaps in the waves of cars due to traffic signals. Others have no problem with traffic that is heavier (and sometimes slower, but you still need to be alert!). By contrast, Adelaide and Richmond draw cyclists of all speeds because being separated from cars (however incompletely) makes for a more forgiving environment.
UserNameToronto
Active Member
Agree completely. The Richmond/Adelaide lanes seem to have a Male/Female 50/50 split, with many non-performance bikes and seemingly new cyclists. A number of people in my building have taken up cycling to work because of these lanes...they've literally created new cycle commuters.
I wouldn't say it may change, rather it WILL change. Look at the example above -- numbers are up on Richmond/Adelaide. Numbers are up on Queen's Quay. Build it and they will come.
Napoleon
Active Member
Exactly. Looking forward to seeing the numbers on Bloor!
andrewpmk
Senior Member
I think that if the downtown relief line gets built, the number of bicyclists will go down. I think many people downtown bicycle because the streetcar system is so unreliable.
Bloor has a subway line so I can't see many people wanting to bike there.
Bloor has a subway line so I can't see many people wanting to bike there.
LNahid2000
Senior Member
Bloor already has a ton of cyclists. I was in a train of 8 cyclists yesterday on Bloor. And even though Bloor has a subway, as soon as you have to make a transfer it's faster to bike. I got from Bloor-Yonge to Roncesvalles and Queen in 22 minutes yesterday. Taking the TTC would have taken me 30 minutes on a standing room only train followed by a slow streetcar, and I'd have to pay for it. Most people riding the Bloor-Danforth subway don't have origins or destinations on Bloor and in these cases it's still faster to bike.
the lemur
Senior Member
Or maybe it's because buses and streetcars don't go everywhere?
If Bloor has a subway line, why do people drive on it?
West End Boy
Active Member
"think" = "want to think" (i.e. "no matter what the facts are, I really just want to think")
"I can't see" = "I refuse to see" (i.e. "my eyes are shut tight")
Just need to translate the message this way, and then it makes more sense.
In fact, same message repeatedly: "I don't want more bike lanes". We get it, we get it, enough already.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Streetcars may seem to be unreliable because of the motor vehicles. Give the streetcars and bicycles their proper priority they deserve.
Look at this image showing how the bridges in New York City were given over to the motor vehicles, and how the daily capacity went down.
andrewpmk
Senior Member
If the downtown relief line (including the western extension) gets built then that will replace a large portion of the streetcar system making it much easier to get around the east and west parts of downtown.
I strongly suspect that the only reason that bicycling is as popular as it is downtown is because the streetcar system is slow/unreliable. It is not really possible to make the streetcar system reliable without ROWs like Spadina which there is no room for. The only long term solution is the downtown relief line and GO electrification. There are far fewer bicyclists north of downtown (e.g. around Yonge and Eglinton) than east and west of downtown. It seems like the vast majority of bicyclists in Toronto live in neighbourhoods near downtown in areas served by the streetcar system.
I do not understand what the attraction of bicycling along Bloor or any other road with a subway is. Riding the subway is far far safer. Is it because riding a bike is cheaper than a TTC pass?
I strongly suspect that the only reason that bicycling is as popular as it is downtown is because the streetcar system is slow/unreliable. It is not really possible to make the streetcar system reliable without ROWs like Spadina which there is no room for. The only long term solution is the downtown relief line and GO electrification. There are far fewer bicyclists north of downtown (e.g. around Yonge and Eglinton) than east and west of downtown. It seems like the vast majority of bicyclists in Toronto live in neighbourhoods near downtown in areas served by the streetcar system.
I do not understand what the attraction of bicycling along Bloor or any other road with a subway is. Riding the subway is far far safer. Is it because riding a bike is cheaper than a TTC pass?
The attraction is that you're not down in a tunnel below the ground. You get some Vitamin D. You are getting some exercise. People smile more above ground than they do below. You are free to come and go where and when you want, you are not restricted to a pre-determined route. You can easily run some errands. Plenty of attractions.