Advocacy & Safety - Interesting Article

Good day. This is my first post. Here's an interesting article I saw the other day re. municipal safety responsibility. http://www.thecoast.ca/citymatters.html
By the way, the bike lanes here in Halifax are a joke, but at least it's a start.

Good day. This is my first post. Here's an interesting article I saw the other day re. municipal safety responsibility. http://www.thecoast.ca/citymatters.html
By the way, the bike lanes here in Halifax are a joke, but at least it's a start.


Chrisholm! How ya doin? I also live in Nova Scotia. I sat on a few of the meetings when this Bike Plan was in the works. I still find it encouraging, even though it was dwindled a bit, but it's still there, so that's a good thing.

Something else you might be interested in is the safety pamphlets by Service NS at http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/rmv/safe/Bicycle_Safety_hl.pdf

This safety pamphlet came about after the death of Cory Mock (as mentioned in the article you posted). I had approached them (EAC, TIC, Service NS) before Cory Mock was killed, just after Mr. Mock was killed the city was pressured into doing 'something'. It's sad that someone has to die before action takes place.

Right now, they are planning on repaving a section of a road I live on (about 6km). I am working on our MLA and city Councillour to add a paved shoulder to the right of the white fog line. This article you posted will help with my dealings. Thanks!

Digger

Good to hear from ya Digger. I figured that article might interest somebody here. I don't know whats worse when riding in the city - cars or pedestrians. Either way I find that you take your life in your hands when riding around here. What road is it that you mention? Hope you are sucessful in getting the addition to the lane. I don't imagine anyone's out riding today in this monsoon!

I meant successful.

Good to hear from ya Digger. I figured that article might interest somebody here. I don't know whats worse when riding in the city - cars or pedestrians. Either way I find that you take your life in your hands when riding around here. What road is it that you mention? Hope you are sucessful in getting the addition to the lane. I don't imagine anyone's out riding today in this monsoon!


Cars I think. Pedestrians don't hurt as much. :D I have since moved out of town to Chezzetcook. Many reasons why, but too much to get into here. So I don't ride in town anymore. I don't find motorists too bad. Just the inattention and everyone is in such a hurry, so they take chances. What I fear is getting hit by someone who is in a rush or has the cell phone screwed to their ear.

The road I talk about is the #7 highway. They have survey stakes from Porters Lake just past Gaetz Brook. Rough road and a tad busy, but not too bad considering Waverly Road - I DO NOT like riding on that one.

IN one of the monthly Eastern SHore community newspapers the MLA (Bill Dooks) talks of how he is working with the feds and provincial govt on into auto insurance and rising gas prices. I asked in my last email what solution is there? Gas is going to keep getting more expensive and soon we will be paying the same amount as most European countries as evident to a few weeks ago. Auto insurance is on the rise because people drive fast and cause accidents. Slow 'em down! The only way I see is to offer a way to get people on their bikes. Many people on the eastern shore have mentioned to me that they would like to ride but are fearfull of traffic. Understandable to a newbie rider. So, what about an extra wide lane? Maybe get more people out?

Anyway, it's been 3 days and I have not received a response. I doubt I will. But I will send him the link on that article.

Digger

Greetings, The Chisholm. I am a clan member, myself -- note my avatar. My grandfather's father, Kenneth Chisholm, was born in Nova Scotia.

By the way, the bike lanes here in Halifax are a joke, but at least it's a start.
Bike lanes do not necessarily translate into an improved cycling environment. Here in Portland, where the local transportation agency has more or less gone crazy for bike lanes over the last 10 years, IMO the results are decidedly mixed.

My primary concerns regard overuse of American-style bike lanes as a way of "improving conditions for cyclists", and relate to the typical substandard engineering design and execution of said bike lanes, to wit:

1. narrow bike lanes installed in the 'door zone', so that you are more likely to be doored if you are in the bike lane than out of it,
2. hazardous drainage grates, manhole covers, poorly paved utility repair cuts and other pavement flaws in the bike lanes,
3. conflicts between through cyclists and motorists making right turns across the bike lane,
4. conflicts between busses picking up and discharging passengers and cyclists in the bike lane,
5. accumulation of road debris in the bike lanes.

IMO, most bike lanes are really an improvement for motorists, as they segregate (in the worst meaning of that word) the bicyclists from the rest of traffic, so the motorists can go on behaving as if the cyclists weren't present or of any concern to them from a safety perspective.

Different design standards might improve my outlook on bike lanes, but of the bike lanes I am seeing installed in Portland today, I think I'd be generous in saying that probably only half of them actually improve conditions for cyclists, the rest create more new potential hazards for cyclists than they mitigate.

Good points Randy. Actually here they are in good condition, but are very sparse (only 3 or 4 so far) and only run for about a block and then just end. Most motorists just drive on them anyway.

Digger, funny you should mention Waverley Rd., I just bought a house off Braemar and may start commuting to work (Fall River area). That's about a 15 km one way ride along the dreaded Wav. It's a shame that it's such a nice ride along the lakes, but the road is so narrow. At least there's no jaywalkers every 20 feet! That was my biggest peeve, they seem to think it's their right to just walk out into traffic anytime they feel and get pissed at you when there's a close call (especially by the malls in the west end, where I currently live).

John, good to hear from a family member! Actually, tell me some details about him (let me guess...born in Antigonish??), my sister is big into geneology and probably has info on him. I see you're from California, I heard that a bunch of relatives moved out that way many years ago. By the way, nice avatar!

Bike lanes do not necessarily translate into an improved cycling environment. Here in Portland, where the local transportation agency has more or less gone crazy for bike lanes over the last 10 years, IMO the results are decidedly mixed.

My primary concerns regard overuse of American-style bike lanes as a way of "improving conditions for cyclists", and relate to the typical substandard engineering design and execution of said bike lanes, to wit:

1. narrow bike lanes installed in the 'door zone', so that you are more likely to be doored if you are in the bike lane than out of it,
2. hazardous drainage grates, manhole covers, poorly paved utility repair cuts and other pavement flaws in the bike lanes,
3. conflicts between through cyclists and motorists making right turns across the bike lane,
4. conflicts between busses picking up and discharging passengers and cyclists in the bike lane,
5. accumulation of road debris in the bike lanes.

IMO, most bike lanes are really an improvement for motorists, as they segregate (in the worst meaning of that word) the bicyclists from the rest of traffic, so the motorists can go on behaving as if the cyclists weren't present or of any concern to them from a safety perspective.

Different design standards might improve my outlook on bike lanes, but of the bike lanes I am seeing installed in Portland today, I think I'd be generous in saying that probably only half of them actually improve conditions for cyclists, the rest create more new potential hazards for cyclists than they mitigate.

Hi Randya,

I am not talking of bike lanes, although I see some instances where they work. I would like to see wider roads. But in general I agree with you - I see no advantage to bike lanes of all the things you mention I have to add one more. They increase the complexity if the road. Now the motorist, at an intersection for example, has to not only watch the other three roads (front and left/right) but now they would also have to watch a bike lane for some cyclst blowing the red or stop sign.

A bike lane woudl work in my neck of the woods I think, as we don;t have intersections like town. Oh sure, roads from subdivisions turn onto the main road, but we do not have lights or stop signs on the main road.

Which leads me to another point, now I want to make it clear that I am not pointing the finger at anyone here, but typically I see cyclists disobeying the road rules, in many cases it is because they are fearfull to ride as they where a vehicle - understandable. But this causes the motorist to fear cyclists as they are unpredictable. My point is that education is needed for both motorist and cyclsit to learn how to share the road together. Biek lanes will only solve a very small portion of the problem, and like you said Randya, they are for motorists convienence.

Chrisholm,

Since you will be working in Fall River you will be heading out Waverly Road against the morning traffic...? Same in the evenings I guess? So that would mean that you won't have to deal with as much traffic...right? If so, that would be a good advantage to have - moving in opposite directions to the rush hour traffic.

Digger

Which leads me to another point, now I want to make it clear that I am not pointing the finger at anyone here, but typically I see cyclists disobeying the road rules, in many cases it is because they are fearfull to ride as they where a vehicle - understandable. But this causes the motorist to fear cyclists as they are unpredictable. My point is that education is needed for both motorist and cyclsit to learn how to share the road together. Biek lanes will only solve a very small portion of the problem, and like you said Randya, they are for motorists convienence.

I think the problem here is that most of the education around at the moment is the wrong education. Many supposed "bicycle safety officers" (whom have never ridden further than their driveway) seem to recommend things like riding the wrong way down the road ("so you can see the cars coming and get out of their way"), or using the footpath/sidewalk. The funny thing is that such instructions actually decrease the safety of the cyclist concerned due to encouraging dangerous practices.

This is then compounded by the fact that when you get an experienced cyclist who knows what they are doing, the drivers on that particular road have a hard time coping with that. Of course, the motorist is probably the parent of a kid who's just been instructed to ride on the footpath or whatever, and already thinks that cyclists "aren't allowed on this road" or some other crock.

If we're going to talk about education, let's ensure that the right things are being taught first and foremost. Otherwise it just does more harm than good.