June update: City hall staffers have not yet OK'd the interchange designs brought to them by MTO.The purveyor of Lets Make it Better for Cars, our Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) has lifted the kimono on its cunning plans to add a new QEW ramp access for motorists traveling west on Fairview St.
A new channel lane will be added to Fairview allowing westbound motorists to access the QEW, magically eliminating purported back ups on Fairview.
However, this design is extremely dangerous for cyclists. Burlington will provided a curb cut so cyclists can travel on the sidewalk & cross the new ramp at the jug handles.
This underpass breaks the beautiful long stretch of bike lanes that run from Brant St. to the RGB in Hamilton. According to city hall engineering, MTO will not allow bike lanes on Fairview in the area of the overpass. Neither will they allow sharrows or wide traffic strips. However, the new lane will be 4.5m versus the standard 3.5m.
I'm an experienced but intrepid cyclist. When I get to these interchanges (there are many in Burlington) I get nervous. Image how the motorist feels. I must decide, do I hug the curb & cycle in the channellized access lane or do I ride on the traffic stripe?
Its dangerous! Two lives have already been lost at this interchange. Why risk any more lives?
MTO is not listening.
I'm fairly new to biking in Burligton and just come to raelized the dangers of getting from the north end of hte qew to teh south end. Would love to see some suggested routes, if any. FYI - I am in the walkers/upper middle area and looking to get to the core.
ReplyDeleteFYI - love the site.
To avoid vehicle traffic completely, use the Headon trail. Its north of Upper Middle, starts just east of Walkers & runs to the Costco store at Brant. You can then cycle down Brant but be careful at the QEW interchanges.
ReplyDeleteUpper Middle has bike lanes and will be OK to Brant.
Unfortunately, in Burlington, there is no safe way to cycle from north of the QEW to south.
Thanks
Hey RGenie,
ReplyDeleteHopefully you get notifications for comments on old posts.
I've recently moved to the south side of the QEW, and have been trying for weeks to find a safe way to get to the north side. I'm a very, very experienced cyclist, but Brant street, Guelph Line and Appleby all scare the hell out of me. It doesn't mean I DON'T do it, but there is no way 99% of the population would ever consider cycling those roads.
It was sad to find this post, from over 4 years ago, and know that nothing has changed. I kept hoping there was some trail/path/bridge I just didn't know about.
I won't give up cycling, but I cringe whenever I get to the QEW. More than any other city I've been in (and I've cycled all across Canada, and in many European cities), I feel like motorists on Brant/Guelph/Appleby absolutely hate me on their roads. If only they knew how badly I didn't want to be there!
Is there anything I can do to get involved in trying to develop a safe way for cyclists to reach an entire half of their city?
Thank you Joseph for your great email.
ReplyDeleteYes, after over 4 years, more should have been done to make cycling safer. Check out the Nov. 15 blog post and join the Cycling Committee for one of its monthly meetings on Tues Nov. 19, at 7pm, room 307. Also, email your great letter to the councillors. They need to hear from more citizens.