Burnaby considers reducing car speeds on bike routes

[Jeremy617]

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/B...813/story.html

Burnaby is considering following Vancouver's lead in making roads safer for cyclists by imposing a 30-km/h speed limit on streets with designated bike paths in north Burnaby.

Stuart Ramsey, an engineer and planner with the City of Burnaby, said council will consider in January whether to approve a year-long pilot project for a 30-km/h limit on bike lanes in the Burnaby Heights and Capitol Hill neighbourhoods.

The lower speeds would be mainly along the Sea-to-River Bikeway on Carleton Avenue and the on-street portion of the Trans-Canada Trail on Fell Avenue.

The proposal is part of a public consultation process on a series of traffic-calming measures that also includes a 40-km/h hour limit on all neighbourhood streets. The current speed limit is 50 km/h.

Ramsey said the move is intended to make it safer for cyclists and encourage more people to ride their bikes. If council approves the proposal, and it works, it will consider imposing the lower speed limits on all Burnaby street bikeways. Otherwise the old limits will be reinstated.

According to the Burnaby Transportation Plan, up to 3,000 vehicles per day can be expected on local residential roads, and up to 5,000 vehicles per day on local collector roads.

The proposed lower speeds would be restricted to neighbourhood streets and will not apply to major commuter roads with bike lanes such as Lougheed Highway. "We're not planning on slowing down arterial roads," Ramsey said.

Meanwhile, Vancouver city crews are in the midst of installing the lower speed limits signs on streets designated as bike paths and greenways, said spokesman Dale Bracewell.

The lower speeds, he said, would lead to a more consistent speed limit on streets where bikes often travel.

"It's about encouraging more cycling," he said. "If vehicles still need to be driving in those local streets, it's about driving on streets compatible with bike users."

Vancouver estimates an average of 60,000 bike trips a day now take place in Vancouver.

LAME

[gdoh]

Vancouver estimates an average of 60,000 bike trips a day now take place in Vancouver.

LOL

[Vinny G]

Originally Posted by gdoh

LOL

I think they'd be lucky to get that figure in one year, lulz.

[ilvtofu]

I want to know how many accidents they think they'd be preventing by reducing the speed limit to 30. I understand school zones, kids run out in to the roads all the time, but I've personally seen more bikers hit parked cars than ever being hit by one.

[taylor192]

When I lived in Ottawa an entire neighbourhood did the same: lowered speed from 50 to 40 kmph at a cost of $100K for new signage.

I wrote an article that was published in the local paper stating that this would not work, it is just an expensive measure to make people feel better. Most cars travel at ~60kmph and will continue to regardless of the sign posted, since most people adjust their speed relative to the conditions.

The first month I slowed down cause there was extra enforcement, yet by 6 months when the extra enforcement was long gone I was back to the same speed, ~60 kmph, regardless of the new signs.

Stupid measures like this will not work. It'll just push more traffic from the 30 kmph streets to the normal 40 kmph streets, and no-one will slow down for the new 40 kmph law unless enforcement is increased.

[tiger_handheld]

Originally Posted by gdoh

LOL

what is their sauce?

Originally Posted by taylor192

When I lived in Ottawa an entire neighbourhood did the same: lowered speed from 50 to 40 kmph at a cost of $100K for new signage.

I wrote an article that was published in the local paper stating that this would not work, it is just an expensive measure to make people feel better. Most cars travel at ~60kmph and will continue to regardless of the sign posted, since most people adjust their speed relative to the conditions.

The first month I slowed down cause there was extra enforcement, yet by 6 months when the extra enforcement was long gone I was back to the same speed, ~60 kmph, regardless of the new signs.

Stupid measures like this will not work. It'll just push more traffic from the 30 kmph streets to the normal 40 kmph streets, and no-one will slow down for the new 40 kmph law unless enforcement is increased.

+1. just like talking on cellphones

[tool001]

for fuck sakes, seems like vancouver and area puts extra effort in creating more traffic jams and making life harder for commuters.

[Phat_R]

Stupid fucking politicians

[CP.AR]

FUCK YOU ILL STILL BE DOING 50km/h

[CharlieH]

fucking hippies

[Mr.C]

Because people will be riding their bikes up and down Kensington or whatever in freezing rain. Riiight.

[Matlock]

What a waste of money. I blame this all on Mayor McChicken Robertson.

May as well put a bike lane going up and down Willingdon St from Metrotown to BCIT. Damn hippies ruining my good city of Burnaby, too.

[!LittleDragon]

Originally Posted by tool001

for fuck sakes, seems like vancouver and area puts extra effort in creating more traffic jams and making life harder for commuters.

My friend's wife works for city hall and that's exactly what they're doing... everything possible to discourage you from driving. They want people to take transit, car pool, etc... They made it expensive to park downtown so you think twice about driving... I say fuck it, I just won't go downtown. Haven't been there for over a year during the day.

[hchang]

Originally Posted by !LittleDragon

My friend's wife works for city hall and that's exactly what they're doing... everything possible to discourage you from driving. They want people to take transit, car pool, etc... They made it expensive to park downtown so you think twice about driving... I say fuck it, I just won't go downtown. Haven't been there for over a year during the day.

I would love to interview all the staff at city hall to see how they got to work that morning.

[MindBomber]

I'd really like to see the data that shows 60,000 bike trips a day take place in Vancouver, I support road improvements for cyclists and even I think that numbers impossible.

[1exotic]

Originally Posted by Captain Picard

FUCK YOU ILL STILL BE DOING 80km/h

fixt

Originally Posted by CharlieH

fucking hippies

ok little story.

Some lady called the cops on me 2 days ago in downtown because I revved my engine at her. She purposely slowed down on the street and a car was coming towards me while I was stuck in the middle of an intersection, so that's why I did. So at the next intersection she comes out of nowhere and stops in front of my car. I get out my car and say what the fuck are you doing bitch. She and her boyfriend were like "well that was kind of unnecessary you tried to run us over". At this point I'm just like are you fucking kidding me... then I tell them to move you're blocking traffic. Then I drove my car forward a bit and crushed her leg between her bike and my bumper because she refused to move. She started screaming and punching my cars bumper/hood. Then some guy in a Porsche behind me tells her to move also because she was blocking traffic. While this whole thing was going down, I was revving my engine and honking at her trying to get her to move, and me being pissed off I was just about to run the bitch over. She was also on the phone with the police saying I'm trying to run her over and shit, actually was pretty funny. So finally she moved and then I laid a big burnout in her face. FUCK I HATE HIPPIES. Lucky for her she was a woman, if it was a guy I'd probably murder him in the street.

the temptation was so strong to run her over... but I wasn't gonna let some 35yo welfare hippie lady trying to cause drama get to me.

[CharlieH]

^

LOL WIN

[Marioo1991]

If cars need to go slower when driving through bike routes, i think bikes need to go faster when they arent using bike routes.

I've got a another idea - bikers should be ticketed for not using the bike lanes when its reasonable to do. For example biking down broadway when 8th ave has a bike lane.

[Jayhall]

did I miss something? I didnt even know Gregor ran for mayor of the whole lower mainland, let alone that he won

[spyker]

Originally Posted by 1exotic

Some lady called the cops on me 2 days ago in downtown because I revved my engine at her. She purposely slowed down on the street and a car was coming towards me while I was stuck in the middle of an intersection, so that's why I did. So at the next intersection she comes out of nowhere and stops in front of my car. I get out my car and say what the fuck are you doing bitch. She and her boyfriend were like "well that was kind of unnecessary you tried to run us over". At this point I'm just like are you fucking kidding me... then I tell them to move you're blocking traffic. Then I drove my car forward a bit and crushed her leg between her bike and my bumper because she refused to move. She started screaming and punching my cars bumper/hood. Then some guy in a Porsche behind me tells her to move also because she was blocking traffic. While this whole thing was going down, I was revving my engine and honking at her trying to get her to move, and me being pissed off I was just about to run the bitch over. She was also on the phone with the police saying I'm trying to run her over and shit, actually was pretty funny. So finally she moved and then I laid a big burnout in her face. FUCK I HATE HIPPIES. Lucky for her she was a woman, if it was a guy I'd probably murder him in the street.

the temptation was so strong to run her over... but I wasn't gonna let some 35yo welfare hippie lady trying to cause drama get to me.

Next time,just carry a can of bear mace in the car,don't even argue with them,just spray them in the face as you drive by and watch them drop to the ground,twitching and screaming in extreme pain.Since you drive a RHD vehicle,it would be alot easier to hit them with the bear mace too.

I always have a can in my car,used it a few times too on some crackheads and wannabe gangsters.

[flagella]

rofl the city's street aren't even wide enough to take all the increasing number of cars due to immigrants, and now they add more bicycle lanes and slow the speed down. Fucking pathetic.

[TOPEC]

Originally Posted by !LittleDragon

My friend's wife works for city hall and that's exactly what they're doing... everything possible to discourage you from driving. They want people to take transit, car pool, etc... They made it expensive to park downtown so you think twice about driving... I say fuck it, I just won't go downtown. Haven't been there for over a year during the day.

well if this is true, then go fucking fix the unreliable POS transit system we have now before trying to convince us to take more public transit.

oh another note, if they think its us drivers that are unsafe near bikers, maybe they should start ticketing bikers for every little infraction because they r the ones that think they're the king of the roads and do what ever they want and cause US DRIVERS to look unsafe.

[tool001]

Originally Posted by !LittleDragon

My friend's wife works for city hall and that's exactly what they're doing... everything possible to discourage you from driving. They want people to take transit, car pool, etc... They made it expensive to park downtown so you think twice about driving... I say fuck it, I just won't go downtown. Haven't been there for over a year during the day.

u know, people will still drive down, and sit through traffic jams, burining gas and releasing more green house gases. thats what i do.

FUCK VANC government.

[!LittleDragon]

Originally Posted by tool001

u know, people will still drive down, and sit through traffic jams, burining gas and releasing more green house gases. thats what i do.

FUCK VANC government.

Yup... costs almost $1k to park in NYC each month... and there's still traffic jams. The one thing I noticed while I was in NY was that this actually separated the poor from the rich. I didn't feel safe taking their subway at all.

[Qmx323]

I HATE HIPPIES