I think I understand the logic: That a shared bus/bike lane is not perfect, therefore, it is unacceptable.
I spent years cycling along Baseline Road IN MIXED TRAFFIC. I would have loved to only have to deal with the professional drivers in buses.
Ask yourself: “Would I rather ride my bike along Baseline in the TRAFFIC AS IT EXISTS NOW?” That is; vehicles zipping by (with less than a metre buffer distance) at between 60 KPH and 80 KPH. Vehicles including buses (operated by professional drivers), yahoos piloting cars, and any truck that happens by, sometimes driven by renters who don’t have a good idea of how wide their vehicle is.
Or, would you prefer to ride in a lane that you share with a bus every 10-15 minutes?
Honestly, if I start about 10 minutes behind a bus, I will likely make it the whole length of Baseline without getting passed, because the bus and I are going the same direction. Yes, the bus has to stop (at every stop along Baseline, it seems), but it travels faster between stops. That said, I have played ‘Leap-Frog’ with buses along Baseline, and it wasn’t the end of the world – and that was while dodging the rest of the traffic, since I was in FULL MIXED TRAFFIC. Remember, those buses had to go around me, also in mixed traffic.
I fully agree; that if I was taking a child cycling, I would want fully segregated bike paths. (Even MUPs have potential conflicts.) But since getting fully segregated bike paths everywhere is very unlikely. Personally, I would be good with a major improvement in cycling safety for commuter cyclists who use roads like Baseline and Carling.
Just for your information, Montreal has some designated Bus-Bike lanes, and they seem to be fine.
https://montreal.ca/en/articles/cycling-reserved-bus-and-taxi-lanes-18535
And Velo Quebec endorses them:
https://www.velo.qc.ca/en/issues-and-positions/bus-bike-lanes-pros-and-cons/
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