City to Install More Bike Lanes - Daily Gleaner

The City of Fredericton will install another 23 kilometres of bicycle lanes in the capital city this year and 29 km of bike routes by October, says city traffic engineer Darren Charters.

That means by 2012, the focus will be to complete the remaining bits of street network available to cyclists in the city as recommended by a consultant who wrote a master plan for trails and bikeways.

"We are really developing our on-street network in the city. We get a lot of great support from council, the public and even the press on this," Charters said.

"I know some other cities in the province are getting tortured over what they're doing with bike lanes. We really appreciate the support we do get from everybody, especially the public. We get really good input from the public."

Still, he told the city's transportation committee Thursday there continues to be confusion in Fredericton about the different types of bicycle lanes the city is installing.

More public education is needed, he said.

The city will erect signs identifying streets as bicycle routes, but there won't be any pavement markings designating special lanes or prohibited parking areas.

Regent Street, which is a main artery from the south to north sides of the St. John River, is a signed-only bicycle route.

That means cyclists can use it but won't get any special treatment from a traffic standpoint.

Both drivers and cyclists have to share the road, and cyclists have to obey the rules of road, Charters said.

The city has two categories of bike lanes - designated and marked-only bicycle lanes.

A marked bicycle lane is one where a striped white border marks the width out from the curb area where a bicyclist may ride, but parking may still be permitted in those areas, so it's bicyclists beware as they use those.

The city has a third type of bicycle lane that it calls a reserved bicycle lane.

The signs for those lanes bear a diamond, which signifies no parking is permitted in those lanes.

"It's the 3-D: diamond, dedicated, don't park," Charters said of the rule of thumb on reserved bicycle lanes.

The rule citywide is to share the road with cyclists.

Transportation committee chairman Coun. Bruce Grandy said the public continues to be confused about how bicycle lanes work.

He suggested painting the no-parking signs on the ground in the bicycle lanes with the diamonds to avoid public confusion.

Traffic engineers in communities across the country follow International Transportation Association of Canada guidelines to have consistent signing countrywide, Charters said.

Coun. Steven Hicks said he's also had calls from people because the don't-park logo on the reserved bike lanes has arrows pointing outward each way, so some drivers are under the impression that there's no parking permitted at all on either side of the street.

When a bike lane is installed on a street, it may be that parking is removed from both sides or only from the side where the reserved bike lane is.

Check the signs, Charters said.

He said parking wouldn't be permitted in bicycle lanes in high-traffic areas or on truck routes.

The following is a list of where bicycle lanes will be installed this year and where parking is restricted:

* Brookside Drive. Parking is restricted on both sides of the street from Main Street to Route 105.

* Forest Hill Road. Parking is restricted on both sides of the street from Canterbury to Kimble drives.

* Irvine Street. Parking is restricted on the south side of the street from Nobel to Gibson streets.

* Kimble Drive. Parking is restricted on the south side of the street from Stoneybrook Crescent to Barrett Court.

* McEvoy Street. Parking is restricted on both sides of the street from Noble Street to MacLaren Avenue.

* MacLaren Avenue. Parking is restricted on the south side of the street from Cliffe to Gibson streets.

* Noble Street. Parking is restricted on the east side of the street from Gulliver Drive to Irvine Street.

* Royal Road. Parking is restricted on the east side of the street from Sunset Drive to the Royal Road School.

* Rookwood Avenue. Parking is restricted on the west side of the street from Saunders Street to Woodstock Road.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/search/article/1425731

Bicycle Infrastructure Ain't Cheap

     Good news everyone! I have found a map, outlined in the Active Transportation Trailway Master Plan and Brookside, Royal, MacLaren, Hanwell and Rookwood are all outlined for a planned bicycle route. If only I can get definite answers from a reputable source, but judging by what I found on the map, they are most likely going to be bike lanes.

     It's funny- these bike lanes have only been around for a month, but cyclists have already adapted to using them, yet they are not even official. It just goes to show, if you paint a few lines on the street that look like a bike lane, cyclists will use them.  I have also noticed the increase of bicycles on the trails and bike lanes this year. Either it is because of the nice weather, a green dream come true or even due to the Princess Margaret Bridge closure. I hope when the bridge re-opens on September 5th, that we don't fall into old habits, but keep up this new habit.

(Bike lane with bicycle marker)

     You may think it is relatively cheap to build and sustain a bicycle culture, but it is actually quite expensive! Cities like Copenhagen or Montréal must invest millions, just to keep current infrastructure up to par. Here are some facts about the bicycle revolution here in Fredericton:

• For every kilometre of bike lane, it costs roughly $20, 000 to paint both sides of the road. 
• To erect signs costs $150 per sign and there are eight signs needed per kilometre.
• To construct a brand new trail costs $150, 000 per kilometre with a paved surface.
• A steel pedestrian bridge over Route 8 from Skyline Acres to UNB would cost almost $1.3 million.
• Asphalt trails are needed for high traffic areas such as The Green, Lincoln, Valley and Northside Trails. The asphalt will last roughly 15 years with yearly maintenance. It costs $45, 000 to pave each kilometre.
• A bridge over the Carleton Street piers would cost almost $3.8 million plus pier refurbishments!
• Almost 2, 200 people cross the Bill Thorpe Bridge each day! Impressive, considering the size of the city.
• 70 kilometres of the city trail system lays on old railway bed, saving us millions in construction costs.

(Crushed gravel surface trail | Bridge over the Little Nashwaak)

The Sidewalk Bicycle Plague in Fredericton

     It seems to be a plague this year with the amount of bicycles on sidewalks. I have been hearing reports left, right and centre about it! Obviously this is an issue that needs to be addressed. You may have noticed that I haven’t blogged for almost two weeks. The first week, I was visiting family and friends. The second week? I was hit by a cyclist on a sidewalk. This resulted in multiple injuries of twisting my knee cap and dislocating my elbow and shoulder. You should see the other guy... As much as I love seeing so many cyclists out and about in Fredericton, I do not want to see them on the sidewalks! City Police are “cracking down” on sidewalk cyclists, handing out warnings and $50 tickets. I think they need to up their game and advertise a little more. Maybe one solution would be to add turn stiles on the sidewalk?

     The other day (before my injury) I was cycling on the Douglas Avenue bike lane and saw a man cycling on the sidewalk instead of the perfectly useable bike lane. The city spends thousands of dollars building bike lanes for us, the least we could do is use them and prove that we need them.

     An exception to bicycles on the sidewalk are children. Under the age of 12, they should be allowed to use the sidewalk for safety reasons. For one, they are still probably learning to use their bike properly and second, they are no match for keeping up with traffic and being seen on the road. There is absolutely no excuse for an adult cyclist to be using the sidewalk.

     It doesn’t help when motorists don’t respect cyclists. In the past few months, respect has grown by a massive percentage. 85% of motorists take care of cyclists on the road! The 15% that could give a s--t what happens to you are the ones with massive trucks with tires that raise the body two metres off the ground and accelerate so hard they leave a cloud of fumes that choke you to death. They’re probably just trying to make up for something they lack in the pants? I am grateful for the motorists that respect me and my fellow cyclists and pedestrians. Please consider that it is a several tonne vehicle against a few hundred pound cyclist.

     Also, there has not been any news (at least that I’ve heard) about the white lines popping up on the streets. I’m still guessing they’re going to be bike lanes, just not officially announced yet. If you have any information, feel free to comment!

     Don't forget to check out my new facebook page. On the go photos will be posted there!

It's Hot in Fredericton!

     Wait! Stop right there before you turn on the A/C. Did you know there are better and cheaper (that’s right, cheaper) ways of keeping cool, rather than jacking up the AC? Growing up, I never had air conditioning. We always found inventive ways to keep cool during those hot summer days. My personal favourite was wearing a wet t-shirt and sit in front of a fan! It’s a great way to show off muscles I suppose...

1.   If you’re fortunate enough to have a basement, hang out down there for the afternoon!
2.   Go to a mall that is already air conditioned. Plus, you don’t have to pay for it!
3.   Go to a beach or pool to cool off!
4.   Sit in front of a fan, wearing a wet t-shirt. Evaporating water cools you off.
5.   Put your feet in a bucket of ice cubes.
6.   Wear an ice pack as a hat.
7.   Go to a park with lots of trees. Did you know, a park full of trees is 3-4 degrees cooler compared to         the rest of the city?
8.   Take a short, cold shower.
9.   Eat a popsicle. Maybe it’s all mental, but you feel cooler when you eat one!
10. Close all the curtains. Leaving them open makes your house act like a green house.
11. Don’t use the oven or stove top during the hottest point of the day. Use the BBQ, cook early in the morning or wait until the evening.

     Cycling when it’s hot outside, it’s hard not to sweat. It’s a known fact that we all sweat to cool ourselves. What do I do to keep cool as possible when cycling and after?

1.  I wear a white cotton shirt and cycling shorts. Don’t wear black, because it absorbs the sun and makes you feel warm.
2.  I wear a well ventilated helmet. Most of your body heat is expelled through your head. Trapping it all in with a solid helmet makes you hot and not to mention you could get heat stroke!
3.  If you usually wear a backpack, strap it onto a rack. Heat is also expelled through your back and the added ventilation keeps you cool.
4.  Not everyone has showers at work, so I suggest you buy a pack of travel baby wipes to wipe yourself down. Nothing is worse than feeling dirty and sticky during work!

Can you think of any other tips to keep cool?