Northland Drive buffered bike lanes

[speedog]

Was driving SB on Northland Drive last night and noticed bold signs up saying the CoC was going to be starting the construction of the buffered bike lanes project on Northland Drive by Northland mall. Did some snooping and found project details here (http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TP/Documents/cycling/Northland_Drive_Buffered_Bike_Lane_2014.pdf) - not great but probably better than the mishmash of painted lanes going all over the place that they tried in the past 1-2 years.

[D. Dub]

Why there? I think someone goofed on the traffic study. :dunno:

[speedog]

Originally posted by D. Dub
Why there? I think someone goofed on the traffic study. :dunno:
All part of the city's greater plan to have bike lanes all the way out of downtown up 10th Street NW, Cambrian Drive, Northmount Drive and Northland Drive.

For this area (Northland Mall), I think they really need to focus on getting that pedestrian overpass completed on the west side of Northland Mall and forget about this proposed/soon-to-be-constructed mess on Northland Drive.

[rage2]

I like how they can't even get the fucking road names right, so I'm expecting the new version of the bike lanes to be as wonderful as the existing gong show. Crowfoot Trail. :rofl:

[jwslam]

Hahaha

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/360572/if-you-live-in-the-n-w-can-you-do-me-a-favour/

[rx7_turbo2]

Given the last two attempts at this I have zero confidence they will get it right a third time. Looks to me like they fucked up the painted lines so bad that motorists just drove wherever they wanted so instead of looking internally at the issue they're just throwing up concrete to force compliance :rolleyes:

I drive this twice a day, sometimes more. Grand total of bicyclists I've seen since making that initial thread? Zero.

[rage2]

Ya I drive that road quite often too, and everyone just drives on the bike lanes. There are 0 bikes there because there are better bike paths to downtown and U of C than Northland Drive.

[faiz999]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2
Given the last two attempts at this I have zero confidence they will get it right a third time. Looks to me like they fucked up the painted lines so bad that motorists just drove wherever they wanted so instead of looking internally at the issue they're just throwing up concrete to force compliance :rolleyes:

I drive this twice a day, sometimes more. Grand total of bicyclists I've seen since making that initial thread? Zero.

never seen a bike there in my life. no one rides that damn street when there are better paths around the area, which rage mentioned.

the only thing it was successful with, was confusing the hell out of drivers.

[Xtrema]

Count me as one that never seen bikes there.

At least it was carpool/bike before, now it's just bike lane?

Still puzzle at why they think they need bike lane there. Charleswood Dr and 32 ave all the way to Market Mall makes way more sense.

[schocker]

I think I only knew about them because of beyond. Everyone always drives in the bike lanes and they are very poorly marker. This seems like a kind of decent way to make it work while allowing traffic to pass through the bike lanes. Still don't understand the need for these no northland drive though?

[ExtremeSi]

While I don't bike over in that area, having these concrete barriers makes me a lot more likely to use a bike lane. As most people have mentioned in this thread, cars just drive over bike lanes that are painted on the street. I don't trust them. Concrete separations or off-street bike paths for me.

I still think they should just paint a yellow line down the middle of sidewalks everywhere and allow bikes to bike on them.

[MalibuStacy]

I do not use the bike lanes on northland. They are confusing and I don't feel safe using them. I do however really like the one on tenth, even though initially I didn't approve of it.

[Stealth22]

Where do they think the bikes are going to go when NB Northland Dr is stacked up with transit buses and minivans picking up kids from Churchill?

The right lane will get clogged with parents trying to turn right into the SWC parking lot, or onto 52nd Street, and they'll have to deal with the buses, plus the hypothetical cyclists.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-2s6nPHgls/UG19Eutn40I/AAAAAAAAAfg/FAtkHLXGfPE/s1600/nothing-to-see-here.jpg

[clem24]

I have a feeling they picked this stretch of road as a test bed. It's wide, it's got a small peak hour traffic after school with buses and what not, but not as busy as many other roadways and most people bypass it anyway after the CTrain went in (remember when everyone ALWAYS took this route to head up Shag instead of going straight to Shag?).

Yeah I swear I was the only who obeyed the random bus/bike lanes. Everyone else ignored it LOL.

Crowfoot Trail is pretty funny. :rofl:

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by clem24
I have a feeling they picked this stretch of road as a test bed. That's kind of what I was thinking as well. It's the only thing that makes any sense.
Crowfoot Trail is pretty funny. :rofl: It's a symptom of a bigger disease. I've heard from a number of people that the planning department is full of people not from here, by here I mean Calgary. That's a problem. If you came to any one of us and proposed these lanes we could each come up with a dozen reasons it won't work and how under utilized it will be. Instead you have an office full of people who only know "Crowfoot Trail" from a map. :rolleyes:

[Zero102]

As an occasional bicycle commuter (Royal Oak --> Downtown and back) this is idiotic. I dodge that stretch of road because it's not very useful and it's a total shitshow during the times I would be on it.

Maybe they can make some improvements to 53rd Street NW by Dalhousie Station instead? :D
That actually IS a road that cyclists use to connect other bike friendly roads.

[ExtremeSi]

Do they even consult with bikers on where to build these lanes? They should hold a public vote on proposed lanes and let cyclists choose where they really want them.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Zero102
As an occasional bicycle commuter (Royal Oak --> Downtown and back) this is idiotic. I dodge that stretch of road because it's not very useful and it's a total shitshow during the times I would be on it.

Maybe they can make some improvements to 53rd Street NW by Dalhousie Station instead? :D
That actually IS a road that cyclists use to connect other bike friendly roads.

53rd is used by cyclists all the time. You are absolutely right.

This is what I mean, if they had even a remote idea about this area of the city they'd know just how stupid the lanes on Northland are. It's beyond frustrating.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Zero102
As an occasional bicycle commuter (Royal Oak --> Downtown and back) this is idiotic. I dodge that stretch of road because it's not very useful and it's a total shitshow during the times I would be on it.

Maybe they can make some improvements to 53rd Street NW by Dalhousie Station instead? :D
That actually IS a road that cyclists use to connect other bike friendly roads.
:werd:

Everyone bikes to U of C/DT via 53rd Street. I don't even think it needs improvements, there's a bike path that cuts in through the condos, across a ped bridge, through the gulley, and onto 53rd Street dedicated bike lanes. That was my daily route for a couple of years.