Category Archives: bike path

Counting cyclists — err, path users

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may 31, 2013 188

 

Regular users of Ottawa’s pathway network soon notice the tell-tale under-asphalt loops that connect to counters. We saw pictures of the newest ones under the new OTrain path just a few weeks ago. For the first time there will be counts on a pathway from day one. But only for cyclists. The counters don’t count pedestrians, dog walkers, strollers, and other users.

Our counters are also buried flush with the ground, in a miniature traffic man-hole.

So the one above intrigued me when |I came across it in London, On. There’s the tell-tale cut in the asphalt sure, but look closer and there appears to be an electronic eye at the upper level, which could include an optical counter.

may 31, 2013 186

One path opens, another closes

The new OTrain multi-user path runs from the Ottawa River thru Bayview Station to Young Street at the Queensway, in the heart of Little Italy.

South of Young it resumes as the circa 1964 path constructed by the NCC, which is now pretty much a cow path (pictures were in post a few days ago). As we get nearer to the Carling OTrain Station, we pass Pamilla Street which is opposite to Hickory Street, site of the new Hickory Street pedestrian overpass, which is supposed to be constructed while the OTrain is down for the summer.

hickory bridge rendering

Perhaps it is in this regard that this spray-painted giant frame was painted on the slope at Pamilla:

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The spray painted text says: OK to Drill…

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…inside the box…

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I am hoping this designation shows the immanent start of construction of the new ped-cyclist link over the OTrain.

Or it could be some other utility installing something that will bugger everything else right up.

 

OTrain bike path nears completion

OK, it is multi-user path, not just a bike path, but it still feels silly calling it a MUP.

I was walking down the path on Saturday doing my best impression of a sidewalk  MUP superintendent  I had to walk since the path is still officially closed. The ribbon cutting is Tuesday 7 May at 2pm. It will be held on Young Street by the Queensway, since that is closest point limos can drive very important people to track. And if it rains, they can cut the ribbon under the Queensway overpass, err, graffiti art installation site. Presumably the path will be open to all users at that point, although there is still work to be done…

It would be an interesting challenge to see how many councillors and dept heads can actually ride a bike, since doing so would give me more confidence they understand what a facility should include.

Back to Saturday. Hot and sunny. And lo, in the distance, a worker. Working on a Saturday:
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As I got closer, I realized it was Zlakko Krstulich, of our hardworking cycling facilities dept at City Hall.

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He was getting the bike counter in place, so we will know how many users there are from day 1 when the new brownfield MUP opens. It doesn’t count pedestrians, unless you are wearing steel shoes.

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Eric Darwin commemorative gate CLOSES soon

Intrepid follows of this blog may recall the brou-ha-ha over the gate at the north end of Preston (aka the Preston Extension) where for decades residents have accessed the Ottawa River parklands. We even had a legal crossing of the Transitway ! Then one day — shock:

… a popular cycling and walking route closed unexpectedly …

Several times the NCC has tried to close the gate, but we beat them back. Some kind soul even put up a sign naming the gate after Qui- Moi?

That sign is long gone, and today the NCC announced our gate and access to the Flats, the River, the bike paths … is coming to a demise. Closure. Pathway prorogation.

As part of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP), the NCC will be proceeding with the second phase of soil remediation work on the northern portion of LeBreton Flats. Remediation work will occur on the land north of the open aqueduct, south of Wellington street, between Booth and Preston streets, from November 2012 to December 2013.Work will occur between 7 am and 6 pm, as per City of Ottawa by-laws. All trucks will reach the highway via the designated truck route on Preston street.

The site will be fenced off for the duration of the project, which includes the closure of unofficial trails between Wellington and the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway (formerly the Ottawa River Parkway).

The text isn’t exactly crystal clear. What unofficial trails exist between Wellington and the parkway? Isn’t all that area freshly landscaped as part of the War Museum? Wouldn’t they be “official”? Or do they mean the old, but still-in-use bike path along the north side of the aqueduct? So I asked the NCC for clarification.

The “Preston Extension” – both the current paved one and the future Preston extension are shown on the map below. Squint at the bottom left corner:

 

the area being closed is the bottom left, ie west of Booth, north of the aqueduct

Not all is lost, however, as the new OTrain corridor  bike and ped path, aka the MUP,  should be open shortly. This will give people access to the River. It will be less convenient for some; more convenient for others.

At the last Public Advisory Committee session on the OTrain MUP, I asked the city planners what would happen to the MUP and people who use it during the construction of the new Bayview LRT station, which straddles the path, and which will be a major construction project lasting for several years.

Their reply was that parts of the path might be shifted, detoured, or relocated during construction, but that the contractors would just have to deal with the path remaining open. I am much encouraged by those words, BUT the governing words will be those in the contract issued for the construction of the LRT.

The clarification I received from the NCC regarding the closing of the Preston Extension and the fate of the pathways on the Flats is as follows:

1.  yes, the pathway that is parallel to the aqueduct (north of the aqueduct) will be closed and eventually removed from Booth street to approximately the end of the aqueduct as the land beneath this section of the pathway will be remediated. It will not be immediately rebuilt as part of the forthcoming works.

2.   the pathway along the river will not be affected and users will see no change.

3.  The path within 30 meters of the aqueduct will have to be closed starting next week, to prevent accidents….  The pathway within 30 meters of the aqueduct will be closed on the week of November 19th, likely on Monday.

 Preston Street extension will be used by heavy trucks as part of the works and will have to be closed to protect the public. Although plans may have to be changed, we’re not planning to have to close it before a few months. The community will be informed as early as possible if it becomes the case.

4. lands south of the aqueduct will not be affected aside from the former Preston Street extension which might require closure. The contractor does not expect to use the former Preston Street for the next months as a trucking route for the site. Therefore, at the moment, the NCC does not plan to close the access at Albert/Preston streets. Nevertheless, for a project of this magnitude there are always unknowns and it is possible that the former Preston Street might become a trucking route at some point within the project. If that were to occur, the pathway would be closed to ensure public’s safety.

So, we gain a new OTrain path, and lose the old Preston Extension and the aqueduct path. Note that the LRT plans do not include a crossing of the OTrain at Preston at this time.

 

Cycle tracks, beginning and end of

In a previous post on cycle tracks (segregated cycling lanes set back from the general motor vehicular traffic, sometimes protected by parked vehicles)  –illustrated with pictures from the Cambridge MA cycle track installed a number of years ago — a reader inquired for more details on how the track segments begin and end.

Ever mindful of faithful readers, here are two ends, alpha and omega:

And just for completeness, the middle:

the lane configuation is the same on the other side of the street, which in addition has curbside parking

Update on OTrain bike path (MUP)

A lot has happened on the new multi-user path (aka bike path) being constructed along the east side of the OTrain from the Ottawa River to Young Street, which then joins the existing path that runs further south to Carling Avenue.

Someday, I might get to put up all the in-progress pictures, but here are some showing the state of the new path as of yesterday. We start at Young Street / the Queensway, and work north to end up at the Ottawa River near Bayview Station. Path is due for completion just when the snow flies.

This phase of construction begins at Young Street turning circle, where the connection west is via this narrow overpass over the OTrain cut. A new bridge is planned a bit further south, at Hickory, but alas the City thus far is presenting us with a narrow bridge there too.

Looking further south, along the NCC section of path going to Carling Avenue. This section also will be rebuilt and paved in the next few years.

From Young Street, looking north, under the Queensway, the path uses the underpass originally built to accommodate the Champagne Freeway. The drainage in the area has been repaired, and the landscaping will be constructed to make this a less dark and unfriendly area, with protection from people who sometimes lurk on the slopes on the Qway.

on the north side of the Qway, the informal parking lot used by St Anthony Club has been levelled and given topsoil in preparation for seeding. Large boulders are used throughout the project to keep cars at bay.

View from Gladstone Avenue, looking south (back towards the Qway). A city works yard is on the left. The shrubs along the fence has been cut back, but not dug out, so this fence line might be quite green again by summer. On the insistence of the PAC (public advisory committee) clusters of rocks are installed as rest benches for peds and cyclists.

The view north from Gladstone, where the path goes behind the large “Oak Street” government warehouse complex. With the dense undergrowth cleared out, and pathway lighting, the area is transformed.

Looking south from the Somerset Street viaduct where it goes over the OTrain tracks, the new path is obscured by the piles of dirt from the trench opened up to accommodate the ductwork for the pathway lighting. On the left is a gentle slope up to the level of the Somerset viaduct, where it will join the existing eastbound bike lane on Somerset.

The new slope down from Somerset viaduct to the new pathway. There may be a pedestrian shortcut installed to the right to get to the path for people walking northbound to Bayview Station.

Looking north from the Somerset viaduct towards Albert Street and Bayview Station. The area behind City Centre has been transformed by cleaning up, and shouldn’t be intimidating anymore.

The north side of the viaduct is a concrete retaining wall. It has been much patched and spalled and graphittied. These workers are “roughing up” the wall in preparation for spraying it in gunite (concrete the consistency of porridge).

The new bike underpass is in the foreground. It is being given additional coats of waterproofing. The OTrain underpass is in the background. It’s walls were sprayed in gunite a number of years ago.

Looking south from Bayview OTrain station. The path will come up to the station just by the ticket vending machine. It will run very close to the fence along the track. The bottom of the slope has been excavated in preparation for installing a precast retaining wall, the pieces of which lie scattered on the ground just to the left outside the picture.

The view north from Bayview Station, towards the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway, now known as the Sir John A McDonald Parkway.

Cyclists along the current River bike path see the new path start near the Prince of Wales railway bridge. The backhoe in the pic is digging holes for new trees being planted along the new path.

California Dreamin’: Palo Alto bike boulevards

The City of Palo Alto is not far from San Francisco, in Silicon Valley. It is a university and hi tech town, with lots of cycling and cyclists. There are a number of factors that make it attractive to cycle: short-ish distances, a dappled shade on the streets from the overhead tree canopy [to be contrasted in a few posts with the San Jose non-canopy], and their bike boulevards.

Bike boulevards or neighborhood greenways are rather different from Ottawa designated bike routes. In Ottawa, the green sign goes up, and most of the time, nothing else changes. It’s merely a recommended route. As a result they are often frustrating to cyclists and don’t get much bang for the few bucks spent.

Palo Alto has got a 7% modal share for trips to work by a number of simple measures that create bike boulevards. And they are cheap! They expand their network of boulevards at a grand cost of merely $1 million  per year. Although, to be fair, there are a number of more expensive “missing links” like bridges and underpasses, that are on the horizon now that much of the low hanging fruit has been picked and cyclists are looking for completion of the network.

The story is best told with pictures:

simple signs mark the routes, which appear deceptively normal …

 

bike boulevards are usually on well-treed streets to shelter cyclists from hot California sun. Where shade is skimpy, more trees are planted. Some hi-tech firms give hi-tech bikes to new employees on their first day of work,as part of transportation demand management (TDM) practices

 

many boulevards do not need painted bike lanes or sharrows, since motor traffic is calmed. This busier street does have painted bike lanes on each side. About 7-8% of all work trips are made by bicycle in Palo Alto.

 

bike boulevards have fewer stop signs, cross streets have more. To prevent motorists from crashing in on the thru streets, diverters keep the streets just for local traffic and cyclists. Note that traffic signal heads are painted green, to blend in and be unobtrusive, a marked contrast to Ottawa’s insane desire that they be bright yellow and dominate the streetscape. Did I mention cars go slower there?

 

Boulevards can be constructed relatively cheaply, meaning more bang for the buck. The City spends around $1million a year building and maintaining bike boulevards. On the horizon: bike only bridges and underpasses.

 

cyclists and motorists can coexist harmoniously, if speeds are low. Parking permitted one side, other side is painted bike lane. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

 

The grid pattern of streets makes for abundant parallel routes, so it is easy to locate a bike boulevard

 

Houses on the bike boulevards are often premium priced compared to adjacent streets, because there is less motorized traffic and the street is “friendlier”. The street sign shown makes it easy to find this area on google maps.