steveintoronto
Superstar
It's close to being brilliant. There may be some downsides, but so many upsides that it would take a huge downside to override them. Something you hadn't mentioned is that by pairing opposing lanes together, it allows overtaking , as well as a sense of not 'riding a tightrope' like you get on Bloor (albeit Bloor has many downsides, but that's another matter).Thoughts?
One 'inconvenience' is having to stop to cross the tracks to get to your destination if it's on the street (presuming the tracks are in a cobblestoned RoW and/or there's a barrier). I think that's better to delineate the cycling RoW from pedestrian. It shouldn't happen, but it does, that cyclists and pedestrians really don't mix well with few exceptions.
The clash is inevitable unless segregated.In most transit mall configurations I've seen, the bike lane is right next to the sidewalk, which greatly increases the potential for cyclist-pedestrian collisions.
Something I immediately like, and this can also be taken over to one of the cycling strings, is the sense of the central reserve as being a 'bike highway'. You don't have to be a 'road warrior' (as Shon Tron correctly calls them) to wish to make good time. Doing that safely on almost all of the present Toronto paths is oxymoronic. One can be the most conscientious and accomplished of cyclists, following every rule to the 't', and still be in great danger from other cyclist's whim to do crazy things. With this arrangement, and I can't fully explain it, it's mostly sixth sense and trained perception, that danger is minimized. For every danger I do see, it would be the same or worse in an orthodox arrangement. What I can state in an even orthodox arrangement is that a two-way paired bike lane one side is vastly better than one way each side. The pedestrian mall should be the other side. It will be much easier to keep pedestrians and cyclists separated, albeit there's always the danger of pedestrians crossing willy-nilly unless barriers are erected. The latter, again, is much easier with a centre reservation for cyclists. Crossing points on the tracks should be made at all stops, and cyclists must dismount to cross at same.
Something that might complicate using a centre reservation is a concept of local and express streetcar service. The streetcar track junctions (Bathurst, Spadina, etc) are complex and present a real challenge to alter, as Gweed has noted. If it is proposed that a four track system is instituted, the express use the present RoW position, and the locals are looped off and on as sidings between those track junctions, such that the locals re-attain the express tracks (present tracks) to go across the junction or turn off at that point. Express would only run during peak, and off-peak, the locals would use the express/present RoW, and parking would be permitted as at present. Not my idea of perfection, by any means, but it would satisfy the inevitable outcry from merchants. In this plan, cycle paths, unfortunately, would have to be accommodated as they are now. I propose this because as much as Gweed's idea has many merits, Toronto just isn't ready for something so logical and progressive.
Great idea Gweed! This deserves a lot more discussion, as even if this can't be done as presented, it still evokes a lot of useful ideas.