1. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Sharrows, Bike Lanes and Shared Space on the Streets of Toronto

   I personally like sharrows and I believe they should be on most roads in the city. Sharrows inform cyclists that they are on a road with shared traffic. There are no exclusions to the rules and no segregation, to get along you have to go with the flow and you have to follow the rules. The chevrons point the way and even seem to demand that you notice them.

   But, unlike many of the cycling-related signs on Toronto streets, sharrows are for both cyclists and motorists.

   For motorists, sharrows ask that you give room to cyclists, that you must be aware of their presence and tell you to share the space you're driving in.

   Read this rest of this blog entry here

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

2. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Bike lanes win hands down for me. I do like sharrows, and the few I've used seem pretty effective. Problem is, in reality *all* roads need sharrows. I worry that the presence of sharrows in one place and not another sends as much of a message about where bikes *are* welcome as where they're not. I don't think that's the intent but I suspect that could be how it is interpreted by some.

3. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I really thought that sharrows would make an improvement, but on at least one street in Toronto, they don't.

   At about 5:30 pm the other night I was heading south along Landsdowne from Bloor to College. There are numerous sharrows here because of street parking on the west side of the street.

   Not one of the five drivers who passed me on this stretch gave me any sort of room. The final vehicle to pass me was a pick-up truck full of ladders, this guy rode my butt for a bit which was forcing me closer to the parked cars, I finally had to swerve in to a few open parking spots to get him off my tail.

   It still seems that the power of the yellow line rules the streets of Toronto as not one motorist dare cross that centre line and risked me being "doored" or worse to avoid so. Now, this was just on one trip, one I'll be repeating more often I believe, but first impressions certainly count.

   Have any regular users of Landsdowne noticed a difference along this stretch?

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

4. remi stevens
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I like the solid lines of the bike lanes. There is no gray area where cars can squeeze in closer.

   I travel from my house at davenport and dovercourt to the studio at dundas and bloor.

   I frequently go south around Landsdown, but I've been taking dupont to dundas and going down dundas lately. I love the new bike lanes that go under the train tracks. I've always found it pretty sketchy for cyclists to find a good route under those bridges. If they had a safe route to go west on Bloor I'd take Landsdowne, but i don't want to get creamed against a cement wall.

   Any good suggestions would be welcomed. I still don't like the dundas section where i travel south, its just a regular car lane and everyone drives very quickly down there because of the lack of stops.

5. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   The only sharrows I've used are on Dundas west of Broadview. They seem to work pretty well there but the street is wide and a bike lane starts soon after so drivers are likely expecting it and giving the space.

   I tend to be pretty ruthless about taking the lane these days when I need it. It doesn't always make me any friends but it does ensure that I get the space I need most of the time.

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