Raise the Hammer

The Bike Share data -- alone -- just seals the deal!

That said: I can certainly concede that the useful Herkimer/Charlton bike lanes could be improved (the way the configuration changes somewhat inconsistently, albiet understandably due to the legacy disjointedness of the street) -- but the changes are useful.

To make parking-protected bike lanes more balanced, let's paint them green. Including through intersections. The bike lanes look too much like parking lanes, maybe that's what people are complaining about. New York City already does this.

That's New York City's "better version" of the parking protected bike lane found on Herkimer and Charlton. Let's "finish" the job and paint the lanes green -- and also delineate parking spots better.

Road users thinking the lanes are crazy, need to realize it's often just a simple fix like the above, when they realize what New York City has done. Red Herring, My Ass! Excuse diversion, excuse diversion -- by the truckful.

Hamilton's street parking spots have been very poorly labelled, with no tickmarks (even Toronto has them), and creates confusion with poorly marked bike lanes. We need a new Road Paint Standard. Cement this better. Make this less confusing for ALL users (pedestrians, cars, bikes) -- just like New York City.

New York City has cars parked "in the middle of the road" too, in some parts --

And it's working there.

Perhaps, related to this, this needs to be a #YesWeCannon style movement, to fix the flaws in our local bike infrastructure -- complete the Hunter cycle track all the way to Stinson -- figure out the Cannon cycle track gap near Sherman Ave -- properly paint the bike lanes -- etc.

90% of the Herkimer-Charlton layout is fine. A major part of the last 10% will be more difficult/expensive (whether it be the cost of green paint or a bike-friendly bumpout), but we should at least expedite the green paint as being a Requirement for parking-protected bike lanes and through intersections.

Yes, it'll even make me happier as a car driver -- I will immediately notice the green paint through intersections and watch much more carefully for bikes when turning, for example. And I'll be less nervous driving not being confused between a bike lane and a parking lane, when the differences between the two are clear. But that's simple details that are easily fixable.

It just needs relatively minor refinements -- and these traffic excuses are diversion bullshit when the Herkimer-Charlton lanes are being falsely framed as being more disruptive to traffic than LRT. (huh? Even this pro-LRTer acknowledges LRT will be nominally disruptive to traffic...but _this_? Litterbox material.)

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2016-09-09 15:13:32