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Bike lane in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (video)
(social.notjustbikes.com)
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this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2024
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Up until 3 years ago, I lived in KW. I agree this is insane and completely avoid biking on these lanes. However, whenever this picture pops up on social media, I always question what would have been a better option?
Here's the location on Google Maps, if anyone wants to poke around.
I would love to see dedicated bike infrastructure to cross the expressway, but I don't see that happening in the short/medium-term. There aren't any other nearby crossing, though the next one south of here is okay~ish.
That adds a LOT of context, since this green strip is only used for a short distance after the off-ramp.
However, I wouldn't trust any vehicle to pay attention to cyclists during that transition, and I have no doubt there are a lot of conflicts there.
A solution would be to have a STOP SIGN at the off-ramp to protect cyclists. It's not ideal for motorists, but it's a far safer option, and there's more than enough distance coming off the highway to allow for it.
Sure, the yield sign could be turned into a Stop Sign (I honestly don't know why it isn't one now), but that's not what's in the picture, or where most of the conflicts happen. What's pictured is the an on-ramp and most of the conflicts are drivers drifting across the bike lane to get on to the expressway.
I was commenting on the location given in the map link (off ramp), but I've just had a look at the on-ramp section and I do see the concern. I would be worried about cars crossing, too, and I'm not sure how that could be addressed.
Where I live (another part of Ontario), we don't have any protections at all for cyclists near high on/off ramps, and it's terrifying.
Thanks for the map pin. It does a good job of showing how tight that space is but there does seem to be an island that starts south and moved north that would be a good dedicated bike path. Here's an example of a median turned into a walkway (for my example, it would be a dedicated bike lane) that would work well in this kind of location, and probably specific to here as well. It may not be pleasant to use but it will be MUCH safer.
That's basically what I envisioned as the centre-running bike lanes. However, the issue is how to transition on-to and off the median. And if the centre-running bike lanes extend further than the overpass, how do people get to destinations along the road?
I found in the replies, there was a proposal for a walking (potentially cycling too) bridge just south of here, but that was rejected by the province.
Maybe just remove the turning lane and add an intersection, with the turning lane becoming a protected bike lane.
It looks like a horrible stroad in any case and it would probably be a great improvement to make it only one lane in each direction and use the space for more productive purposes.
My idea for a quick fix would be