General Construction Updates

[RyLucky]

Are you implying that the weather is too cold or that it's too hot and sweaty?

Seriously though, I believe every second downtown road should have bike lanes. Not cycletracks, just 3 feet of paint. And you're right, it should mainly be built with women in mind.

 

[Just build it]

View from the +15

 

[JonnyCanuck]

Speaking of car free lifestyles...
This parking lot (lot 106) was being fenced off with a "parking lot closed" sign when I got off the train at the end of the day:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.0474599,-114.0870492,43m/data=!3m1!1e3

I think Cidex is planning to start construction on their zero parking Hat 7th Ave project:

http://cidexgroup.com/hat-7-ave

Confirmed. This project is a go and should get started before yearend. Without a parkade, it will go up pretty fast.

 

[AJX]

Confirmed. This project is a go and should get started before yearend. Without a parkade, it will go up pretty fast.

I think it's a good fit. They're maximizing the space on that small parcel.

 

[dazzlingdave88]

Bike lanes on every avenue would be overkill in creating a balance between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Some streets will always need to favour one mode over another to keep the things moving. Bike lanes are popular among political circles and I've seen them hastily installed on heavy traffic supply routes throughout the country where they have no business being. It just creates traffic chaos and cyclists almost always have better options and will avoid the street anyways. It's similar to transit planning. You can add rapid transit on every street too. There will still be routes that are heavily used and routes that are ghost towns.

Our weather is also not conducive to cycling like the places used as examples for pushing the cycling agenda. It'll grow as a means of transportation for sure but, I don't think it will ever become the preferred mode for a downtown population that is decidedly business class and feminine. My wife's hair is frightening after cycling. A quick shower at the office isn't going to make her presentable.

I agree with massive overkill lanes on streets that are not in heavy use, but that doesn't mean we can't have lanes on every street. We could just do them like Munich does. Here is an example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.141...4!1sgES7TA9fUX-QhjoZnsMaKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Or this:

They just have a different coloured pavement on the sidewalk on each side. The sidewalks on some streets might need some widening, but our lane widths are insanely overbuilt.

The two weeks I spent there this summer were great. Every kind of mobility choice had their FAIR share of space.

 

[Spudski]

They just have a different coloured pavement on the sidewalk on each side

I was in Hamburg last year and didn't even realize I was walking in a bike lane until some stern bell rings caught my attention. Same deal, there are red pavers that designate a cycle track (at least where I was staying).

https://www.google.ca/maps/@53.5786371,10.0940134,44m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Golfing guy]

I agree with massive overkill lanes on streets that are not in heavy use, but that doesn't mean we can't have lanes on every street. We could just do them like Munich does. Here is an example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.141...4!1sgES7TA9fUX-QhjoZnsMaKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Or this:

They just have a different coloured pavement on the sidewalk on each side. The sidewalks on some streets might need some widening, but our lane widths are insanely overbuilt.

The two weeks I spent there this summer were great. Every kind of mobility choice had their FAIR share of space.

I’m interested in what you consider massively over built lanes? What lane widths would you find more appropriate?

 

[dazzlingdave88]

I’m interested in what you consider massively over built lanes? What lane widths would you find more appropriate?

In general, wider lanes are associated with a reduction in crashes,[7] but in urban settings both narrow (less than 2.8 m) and wide (over 3.1~3.2 m) lanes increase crash risks.[8] Wider lanes (over 3.3~3.4m) are associated with 33% higher impact speeds, as well as higher crash rates. Carrying capacity is also maximal at a width of 3 to 3.1 metres (9.8 to 10.2 ft), both for motor traffic and for bicycles. Pedestrian volume declines as lanes widen, and intersections with narrower lanes provide the highest capacity for bicycles.[8] As lane width decreases, traffic speed diminishes.[9]

From what I could find from the City of Calgary our lane width generally seems to be 3.5m.

If you have a 3 lane street with two parking lanes on each side, like many of the streets downtown, reducing each lane to 3.1m would generate an extra 60 cm in width on each sidewalk. In Munich many of the bike lanes on the sidewalks were around 1m in width. If you start looking at grabbing a bit of space from parking on each side, you will have essentially created bike lanes in each direction without removing any traffic lanes and reducing very little of the sidewalk for pedestrians. Not to mention the future cost savings for resurfacing a bike lane/sidewalk as opposed to a vehicle lane.

 

[Golfing guy]

While some lanes in Calgary on lower speed roads(50km/h or less) are 3.5m or less. Roads that have higher speed limits require wider lanes. Most new roads are built with a minimum of 3.7m to 4.3m. With the right lane being the widest

 

[dazzlingdave88]

While some lanes in Calgary on lower speed roads(50km/h or less) are 3.5m or less. Roads that have higher speed limits require wider lanes. Most new roads are built with a minimum of 3.7m to 4.3m. With the right lane being the widest

I'm definitely not talking about freeways or major roads. They don't have sidewalks anyway. Nor would I ever want to bike on Deerfoot. The lower speed roads that you refer to could be narrower. This would provide the space to have on sidewalk bike lanes as I mentioned in my post. Especially in the space crunched areas such as downtown. Not to mention the safety benefit that arises.

 

[darwink]

Caveat: this is really old, from 2006

 

[Surrealplaces]

New Horizon Mall. It's been open during the day, but closes at 5:00pm. It sounds like Monday it will be open later for the first time.

 

[AJX]

How many stalls are occupied in the mall?

 

[maestro]

I agree with massive overkill lanes on streets that are not in heavy use, but that doesn't mean we can't have lanes on every street. We could just do them like Munich does. Here is an example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.141...4!1sgES7TA9fUX-QhjoZnsMaKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Or this:

They just have a different coloured pavement on the sidewalk on each side. The sidewalks on some streets might need some widening, but our lane widths are insanely overbuilt.

The two weeks I spent there this summer were great. Every kind of mobility choice had their FAIR share of space.

I don't find this realistic on a large scale anywhere in Canada. That has nothing to do with implementation. It has everything to do with convincing the curmudgeons to narrow lanes and to segregate modes of travel by different paving. We don't build entire communities of woonerfs either here.

 

[Nimbus]

How many stalls are occupied in the mall?

I've already heard rumours of creditor protection for the owners of this place...