Traffic delays up to 20% alongside downtown cycle lanes, city predicts

[The Ditch]

I think it's a little bit disingenuous to claim that spots only cars2go can park in mean they've increased the available parking spots, when in fact actual car parking spots is down about 70.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

I think it's a little bit disingenuous to claim that spots only cars2go can park in mean they've increased the available parking spots, when in fact actual car parking spots is down about 70.

Why? Judging from there being very few in the core available after 5:00 it appears most of these spots are used by commuters.

Doesn't help short term parking but does provide more overall spots for comuters.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

I think it's a little bit disingenuous to claim that spots only cars2go can park in mean they've increased the available parking spots, when in fact actual car parking spots is down about 70.

Does help free up other spots for other car users. I don't think they are being disingenuous, because they are identifying them as different.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Dan02

You drastically overestimate the amount of time biking is uncomfortable in Calgary, as someone who works outside I'd be suprised if there are more then 30 work days a year in winter where biking is unfeasible for the average commuter.

When going over the numbers I'm usually pleasantly surprised with the amount of Viking Biking (i.e. Winter Cycling). One of the things you have to consider is that cycling in the winter is not a passive activity like driving and due the constant activity the cyclist will generate heat.

I'm not sure what work you complete outside but the base I'm using is walking to the train station in winter. On most days in winter, I can break a sweat if I'm walking briskly and wearing appropriate attire. When I start to consider this, cycling doesn't look as out of the question.

Originally Posted by GaiJin

Do you know that we don't build soccer fields and soccer pitches on major roadways?

Aside from the Subway Soccer Centre, we don't tend to build these pitches in the middle of industrial areas either.

Originally Posted by GaiJin

The question is, out of all the commuters, how many are capable or riding a bike, or really have the flexibility of scheduling other parts of life to accomodate it.

Cycle lanes try to accommodate these very people. When you take a look at the surveys, there are loads of people who would be open to cycling but are fearful of mixing with vehicular traffic. Cycle lanes are not about accommodating the Spandex Brigade but rather about supplying the aforementioned hidden demand.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

I think it's a little bit disingenuous to claim that spots only cars2go can park in mean they've increased the available parking spots, when in fact actual car parking spots is down about 70.

Wasn't the city looking into the problems of car2go cars cluster park not too long ago?

[Frequitude]

Took Macleod -> 10th Ave-> 2nd St -> Elbow home from work last night and Elbow -> 2nd St -> 10th Ave -> 1st St in this morning. Much better routes. Thought biking on Macleod last night would have been a little sketchy but it wasn't at all. I could pretty easily keep up with traffic at 5:00pm.

Now my sit bones hurt though...

[Fuzz]

Sore ass is common for the first week. If I taker to much time off in the winter the second ride is always suffering. It does go away though.

[Coach]

I will say, that the talk in here about the ease of the lanes has made me want to time how long itll take me to get DT using bike paths.

I normally train so it won't take a car out of the core, but riding down on a nice summer morning and showering/changing at the gym sounds decent.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I will say, that the talk in hear about the ease of the lanes has made me want to time how long itll take me to get DT using bike paths.

I normally train so it won't take a car out of the core, but riding down on a nice summer morning and showering/changing at the gym sounds decent.

I was blown away by how quick it is. I'm clocking in at about 15 minutes door to door. That's faster by a few minutes than driving with moderate traffic. 30 minutes door to desk with a shower. It used to take me 30 minutes alone door to desk with a bus ride and that's on top of showering at home.

[Fuzz]

Bus takes me 30 minutes door to door on the way in, at least 45 going home. Biking is under 20 with a few minutes to get changed.
MattyC, where are you coming from?

[darklord700]

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/19...l-hurt-profits

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/20...-pilot-project

The sidewalk on west end of 8th Ave near Mewata is wide and is rarely used by pedestrians. The city could've easily put a bike lane on the sidewalk instead of taking up all these essential parking space.

This seems to be Nenshi making a statement declaring war on cars rather than facilitating bikers.

[chemgear]

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/20...-pilot-project

Based on the city’s own cordon counts, which record the number of bikes commuting to downtown, the ratio of citizens cycling downtown hasn’t changed much since 2006, despite the cycling improvements already made.

In 2006, with a total city population of 988,812, the city recorded 9,081 bicycle trips in and out of the core on a pleasant day in May, meaning 0.45% of Calgarians chose to ride to work when the weather was ideal.
In 2014, with a total city population of 1,195,194, the city recorded 12,566 both-way bicycle trips on a similar nice day — meaning 0.52% of the population chose to ride.

Using the same numbers in comparison with total downtown workers — 112,000 in 2006; 140,000 in ‘14 — and you get 4% and 4.48% respectively.

That’s not a significant increase, given new bike lanes and cycle-friendly infrastructure like the Peace Bridge.

For example, on Monday, Feb. 23, when the high was 12C, there were roughly 215 cyclists using 7 St. and 1,500 on the Peace Bridge. In summer, 7th averages nearly 500 riders daily and the bridge more than 5,000.

Those numbers speak to die-hards who will cycle no matter what, and to the majority of cyclists, who ride only in the pleasant months.

[Fuzz]

So with the only improved cycle infrastructure being one cycle track, and oh! The Peace Bridge! numbers are supposed to drastically improve? Maybe people aren't riding becuase the infrastructure sucks. Why don't we look at numbers after the trial?

The moaning is deafening. Other cities do it. Montreal has an extensive cycle track network right through their commercial districts and they also suffer from this thing Calgary thinks is unique to them called winter.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by darklord700

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/19...l-hurt-profits

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/20...-pilot-project

The sidewalk on west end of 8th Ave near Mewata is wide and is rarely used by pedestrians. The city could've easily put a bike lane on the sidewalk instead of taking up all these essential parking space.

This seems to be Nenshi making a statement declaring war on cars rather than facilitating bikers.

Haha oh boy!

[Tinordi]

If there was ever a war for our roads then cars won it decades ago.

[Frequitude]

^^^

Chemgear, I think it speaks to network effects. The phone was a pretty cool invention, but useless to the first guy who had one.

At least from my perspective, one or two bike lanes isn't going to change my habits very much. But now that I am seeing a more interconnected network that gets me into (and even around) downtown quickly and safely I suddenly see value in it.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by darklord700

The city could've easily put a bike lane on the sidewalk instead of taking up all these essential parking space.

Parking spaces deemed essential by local businessmen rather than countless studies.

Originally Posted by darklord700

This seems to be Nenshi making a statement declaring war on cars rather than facilitating bikers.

Today at Council Nenshi seemed hell bent against an interchange redesign project that has a contingency fund nearly seven time greater than the entire Cycle Lane Trial budget. Oh wait...

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by chemgear

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/20...-pilot-project

Based on the city’s own cordon counts, which record the number of bikes commuting to downtown, the ratio of citizens cycling downtown hasn’t changed much since 2006, despite the cycling improvements already made.

In 2006, with a total city population of 988,812, the city recorded 9,081 bicycle trips in and out of the core on a pleasant day in May, meaning 0.45% of Calgarians chose to ride to work when the weather was ideal.
In 2014, with a total city population of 1,195,194, the city recorded 12,566 both-way bicycle trips on a similar nice day — meaning 0.52% of the population chose to ride.

Using the same numbers in comparison with total downtown workers — 112,000 in 2006; 140,000 in ‘14 — and you get 4% and 4.48% respectively.

That’s not a significant increase, given new bike lanes and cycle-friendly infrastructure like the Peace Bridge.

For example, on Monday, Feb. 23, when the high was 12C, there were roughly 215 cyclists using 7 St. and 1,500 on the Peace Bridge. In summer, 7th averages nearly 500 riders daily and the bridge more than 5,000.

Those numbers speak to die-hards who will cycle no matter what, and to the majority of cyclists, who ride only in the pleasant months.

Huh, that seems like some really odd statistical analysis. Why would you (not you, but the Sun) expect that there would be any strong correlation in terms of growth of overall population of the city and number of people biking into the core, especially since a lot of the population growth occurs on the outer edges of the city, where biking into the core is the least likely option?
Honestly, the raw percentage of increase (25%) is more significant than as a percentage of total population, since the cycling-to-core radius doesn't increase as the city grows. Are the number of bike commuters from, say, north-of-river or south-of-beltline inner city communities increasing, thus decreasing the traffic burden on those commuting from further distances?

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Bus takes me 30 minutes door to door on the way in, at least 45 going home. Biking is under 20 with a few minutes to get changed.
MattyC, where are you coming from?

Dalhousie, pretty much by the train station, but going there to the path and down through Varsity is a backtrack for me so I was looking at other routes a while ago but ended up not really looking at it that hard. Any route advice?

[gasman]

Originally Posted by chemgear

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/05/20...-pilot-project

Based on the city’s own cordon counts, which record the number of bikes commuting to downtown, the ratio of citizens cycling downtown hasn’t changed much since 2006, despite the cycling improvements already made.

In 2006, with a total city population of 988,812, the city recorded 9,081 bicycle trips in and out of the core on a pleasant day in May, meaning 0.45% of Calgarians chose to ride to work when the weather was ideal.
In 2014, with a total city population of 1,195,194, the city recorded 12,566 both-way bicycle trips on a similar nice day — meaning 0.52% of the population chose to ride.

Using the same numbers in comparison with total downtown workers — 112,000 in 2006; 140,000 in ‘14 — and you get 4% and 4.48% respectively.

That’s not a significant increase, given new bike lanes and cycle-friendly infrastructure like the Peace Bridge.

For example, on Monday, Feb. 23, when the high was 12C, there were roughly 215 cyclists using 7 St. and 1,500 on the Peace Bridge. In summer, 7th averages nearly 500 riders daily and the bridge more than 5,000.

Those numbers speak to die-hards who will cycle no matter what, and to the majority of cyclists, who ride only in the pleasant months.

There are a couple of ways to look differently at those numbers. When I look at those numbers I see bike ridership into downtown increasing 40% while the number of workers down town increased by only 25%, seems to me that something is causing more people to commute via bike.