cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/30050658
“They are not safe. They are anything but for safety,” said a woman who added vehicles in the two-block section sometimes drive in the middle of Springbrook to avoid the bollards.
Oh, so drivers behind of the wheel of an automobile are the danger. Why remove the bike lanes rather than the car lanes?
I heard that Etobicoke’s NIMBYs are insane, but this is a new level of stupidity from Richmond Hill.
How about we have this changed to “‘They are not safe’: Richmond Hill residents at traffic meeting want car lanes installed this year removed immediately” because ‘Fuck Cars’.
In Ottawa, bike lanes mean nothing when cyclists keep on using the road instead of the fully segregated, paved, beautiful bike lane that runs right along the road… I still cannot understand what, presumably logical reason, they have for doing this
There are bike lanes in my city that are designed in an unsafe manner. Prior to their installation, I would always take the full lane in these locations to avoid “right hooks”. They are known to occur on certain stroads with horrifying regularity. So the city installed a bike lane with a small curb. Now I can no longer swing out and take the lane, and so I am left vulnerable every time I cross a driveway. Rather than have to slow down and look over my shoulder to make sure no one is going to kill me while I bike in the bike lane, I use the right motor lane.
They must have a good reason because driving with entitled cars trying to murder you suuuucks.
Where I live, drivers continue to use the bike lane to turn right and for parking despite having a dedicated roadway. It kills and injures multiple people every year. The point being there are people who incorrectly use the existing infrastructure regardless of their mode of transport.
The difference is that bike routes in cities are incomplete and often have unsafe, pothole-riddled gutters with a painted line next to it as an excuse for infrastructure. People prioritise their safety even if that means not using a poorly designed bike lane.
There are two sections on my commute where I take the road over the bike path. The first section is because the bike lane is so bumpy that I’d have to be on a mountain bike. It’s actually insane and saves a ton of time and comfort to take the road. There’s actually another benefit to taking the road at this spot though; there is almost no visibility for cars of the crosswalks over the bike lane due to a lot of trees so I’m way less likely to be ran over in the road than the bike lane crosswalks at this section.
The second section is on a quiet street with 3 lights in a row that are almost always green. And the cross walk sign is always red (button has to be pressed to get a walk sign). So three times in a row you have to wait a full light cycle while barely traveling any distance. It saves sooooo much time to just take the road (which has a painted bike lane) here.
Sometimes bikes also just need to turn left. Or the bike path is just on one side of the road and a persons destination isn’t on that side
But no I’m sure the bikes around you just do it to annoy cars, or because they don’t even want the bike infrastructure to begin with, or to feel less safe. Get out of here lol.
None of what you claim takes place in the area I am referring to. And I do my best to give as much space and look after cyclist even though they seem to want to share the road but never respect road rules (like stop signs or red lights)
But sure, pointing out a reason why people who do not bike may not want to support bike lanes that even cyclists do not want to use, makes me the bad guy and I am immediately hit with a strawman accurately highlighting you just had no other way to turn this bad cyclist behaviour on me
Imagine if anyone came here claiming they ride the shoulder regularly because it’s less bumpy and saves some time… then insult anyone asking why are people driving on the shoulder
None of what you claim takes place in the area I am referring to
Ah yes, I’m sure no bikes have to take a left around you. I’m sure you even spoke with the cyclists and found out first hand that they do in fact not want bike paths and prefer to share the road with cars… Like how am I supposed to believe this? Of course there’s a reason they chose to ride in the road. Maybe it is to piss off cars, but you would probably be surprised to learn that cyclists don’t hate cars the way drivers hate bikes. Most of us cyclists actually own and use a car. We just prefer not to when possible.
…even though they seem to want to share the road but never respect road rules (like stop signs or red lights)
I like how the connotation of this is that you have some sort of valid excuse to endanger their lives. Anyway, I believe bikes should have to obey all laws. I’m positive that most of the bikes around you do obey laws and that your opinion is the result of observational bias. I’m sure you also see cars break laws all the time (I sure do), but i don’t pretend all drivers are anarchist-suicidal-menaces lol.
… strawman
I like how I gave real reasons that I personally occasionally don’t use a bike lane and pointed out that you don’t know why a cyclist might chose to be in the road instead but you’re just like, “not ah, strawman!” Like I for real don’t know what part of my response you think was a strawman, except maybe my sarcastic final paragraph, but you seem to agree with the sentiment, so then I don’t see how I could be misrepresenting you… But here, I’ll give you another chance; what nefarious reason might bikes chose the road over the bike path?
…accurately highlighting you just had no other way to turn this bad cyclist behaviour on me
Where I live a cyclist may take the lane for any reason. They don’t have to prove a need or anything like that. So how is this bad behavior? Just because you don’t like it? The bike infrastructure simply doesn’t always meet the needs of a commuter on a bike.
Imagine if anyone came here claiming they ride the shoulder regularly because it’s less bumpy and saves some time… then insult anyone asking why are people driving on the shoulder
Yes imagine if busy roads caused cars to choose routes through neighborhoods instead of larger throughput roads; or if cars went into the other lane to avoid potholes; or went around speed bumps; or even went off road to avoid large bumps (common where I live on dirt roads). Like all those things really happen and I’m not criticizing it. But you pretend to be criticizing it to say a bike shouldn’t be allowed in the road to avoid a bumpy bike lane. Sorry, but bikes simply are allowed in the road. No matter how unjust you feel it is, it’s allowed. Meanwhile plenty of those car examples probably would result in a citation.
Some of what I’ve said comes off as hot headed, I don’t mean to be insulting. At least not overly insulting. But I think you lack perspective. I think if you got on a bike for a while you’d realize how much bike infrastructure is missing. How often you have to get in the road to get to your destination. And how scary it is to share the road with cars. Ain’t no one sharing the road for no reason.
How often do you see drivers roll stop signs or rush amber lights? When’s the last time you drove at or below the speed limit for an entire trip? I constantly hear drivers complaining about cyclists who pose no danger to drivers, meanwhile the drivers continue to exceed the speed limit, roll stop signs, and be one of the leading causes of death in this country despite having fully dedicated infrastructure everywhere.
Car brained entitlement
“They are not safe”: pedestrians who enjoy bike lanes added this year want Richmond Hill residents at traffic meeting removed immediately
Protected by plastic bollards sounds like a false term/advertising. The folding plastic bollards wouldn’t even stop a wheelbarrow, let alone a car. The bollards are about as effective at protecting as paint is. These bollards do however make the lane more visible. A better term might be something like “a bike lane designated by plastic bollards.”
