This is a very thoughtful piece and one could only wish the "experts" at city hall would pay attention. But they won't. Victoria is cursed with what I call "Silo Planning" in all departments. No department makes an upgrade or improvement giving any thought whatsoever to how that might affect other departments. And the thought of seeking advice from front line people in any jurisdiction is entirely out of the question because, surely, no one can possibly know as much as the experts at City Hall. A notion which is clearly demonstrated to be untrue just about every day of the week.
A lot of those things, like a deluxe Douglas St. rapid transit lane, have been on BC Transit's wish list for years. The present lane-splitting bike path is awkward, yes, but a cyclist choosing the wisely hug the curb instead shouldn't impede buses who can pass like they do on any other street.
That is true Robert but the conflict exists because the bus will inevitably need to access the curb from the right. Following cyclists slows the bus down but is not any more unsafe than having a car follow a bike, but pulling in and out in a major conflict zone is an issue and it there are many cyclists who have posted videos from their helmet-cams of these sort of dangerous interactions. Regarding the width of the bus lane, the irony here is that the lane is widest north of Tolmie, on the Victoria side it narrows quite a bit (so do the other lanes) which bunches up traffic. There isn't much room for a bus to pass the large vehicles that use that route regularly, let alone get around a bike. Of course, where it is wider is where legally the bikes are not supposed to go. So if Victoria wanted them blended a wider lane would be wisest but probably hard given the infrastructure along the corridor.
It could be possible to have a bike lane running alongside the bus lane on these routes, the total width of the lane being for the bus and a portion for the bike so around a lane and a half. The entire lane could be protected with advanced lights at intersections that could be used by the bus and bikes. BC Transit has a tendency to put stops immediately following an intersection and perhaps this could be reviewed to make it safer for the bike to cross the intersection with the bus and not be worried about the conflict. I would also like to see all stops clearly marked with green paint indicating the conflict zone so it is clear to everyone the higher level of risk in those zones.
Thank you very much for your comment and kind words Linda. I am unsure what the per cent of cyclists to vehicle drivers is for our city but according to Statistics Canada approx. 5.3% of residents report biking to work regularly (roughly 1-in-20 residents). Victoria tops all other cities in Canada for the per centage of residents who reporting cycling regularly. This is an important fact, it goes without saying that because of the representation among out population for cyclists, that we would have one of the best networks in the country. And I hope that my piece is not taken as a pitting of cyclists against personal vehicle users or transit users. I was hoping to articulate the issue with solely focusing on cycling infrastructure and the impact poor planning and development can have on other aspects of transportation-- and I choose to focus on transit as a very good example. In 2017, StatsCan reported that Victoria ranked pretty low among Canadian cities for transit use with around 10% of residents reporting regular use (compared to over 20% in the GTA). I really do think that BC Transit is swimming against the tide in our region as the rollout of ill-planned cycling infrastructure continues to hinder efficient and effective transit. I am not sure exactly why this is the case, I doubt it is intentional or nefarious, but it is happening none the less.
This is a very thoughtful piece and one could only wish the "experts" at city hall would pay attention. But they won't. Victoria is cursed with what I call "Silo Planning" in all departments. No department makes an upgrade or improvement giving any thought whatsoever to how that might affect other departments. And the thought of seeking advice from front line people in any jurisdiction is entirely out of the question because, surely, no one can possibly know as much as the experts at City Hall. A notion which is clearly demonstrated to be untrue just about every day of the week.
A lot of those things, like a deluxe Douglas St. rapid transit lane, have been on BC Transit's wish list for years. The present lane-splitting bike path is awkward, yes, but a cyclist choosing the wisely hug the curb instead shouldn't impede buses who can pass like they do on any other street.
That is true Robert but the conflict exists because the bus will inevitably need to access the curb from the right. Following cyclists slows the bus down but is not any more unsafe than having a car follow a bike, but pulling in and out in a major conflict zone is an issue and it there are many cyclists who have posted videos from their helmet-cams of these sort of dangerous interactions. Regarding the width of the bus lane, the irony here is that the lane is widest north of Tolmie, on the Victoria side it narrows quite a bit (so do the other lanes) which bunches up traffic. There isn't much room for a bus to pass the large vehicles that use that route regularly, let alone get around a bike. Of course, where it is wider is where legally the bikes are not supposed to go. So if Victoria wanted them blended a wider lane would be wisest but probably hard given the infrastructure along the corridor.
It could be possible to have a bike lane running alongside the bus lane on these routes, the total width of the lane being for the bus and a portion for the bike so around a lane and a half. The entire lane could be protected with advanced lights at intersections that could be used by the bus and bikes. BC Transit has a tendency to put stops immediately following an intersection and perhaps this could be reviewed to make it safer for the bike to cross the intersection with the bus and not be worried about the conflict. I would also like to see all stops clearly marked with green paint indicating the conflict zone so it is clear to everyone the higher level of risk in those zones.
What an interesting thoughtful article. Well done.
Not everyone rides a bike. Not everyone wants to ride a bike.
I'd be interested to know the % of bike riders to vehicle drivers in the City of Victoria if such stats exist.
Thank you very much for your comment and kind words Linda. I am unsure what the per cent of cyclists to vehicle drivers is for our city but according to Statistics Canada approx. 5.3% of residents report biking to work regularly (roughly 1-in-20 residents). Victoria tops all other cities in Canada for the per centage of residents who reporting cycling regularly. This is an important fact, it goes without saying that because of the representation among out population for cyclists, that we would have one of the best networks in the country. And I hope that my piece is not taken as a pitting of cyclists against personal vehicle users or transit users. I was hoping to articulate the issue with solely focusing on cycling infrastructure and the impact poor planning and development can have on other aspects of transportation-- and I choose to focus on transit as a very good example. In 2017, StatsCan reported that Victoria ranked pretty low among Canadian cities for transit use with around 10% of residents reporting regular use (compared to over 20% in the GTA). I really do think that BC Transit is swimming against the tide in our region as the rollout of ill-planned cycling infrastructure continues to hinder efficient and effective transit. I am not sure exactly why this is the case, I doubt it is intentional or nefarious, but it is happening none the less.