[Moncton] Active Transportation

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I appreciate road diets, and they have been accomplished successfully on a couple of streets in Moncton already (Shediac Road, Salisbury Road), but, they do not work well on all roads, and I think Mountain Road would be one of them. I think any politician who suggested such a thing would be run out of town on a rail.

Sorry, but politics is the science of the possible, and an astute politician will only attempt what he /she knows can be accomplished. This is not one of those things, at least at the time being.

I think a case could be made for giving Mountain Road east of Vaughan Harvey/MacBeath a bit of a haircut, but the west end of Mountain Road is probably untouchable.

What about a timed solution like the Halifax bridge. Three lanes with the center lane being to either northbound or southbound traffic based on time of day. Would allow for bike lanes without having to add a shared left/right turn lane

[MonctonRad]

Good thought, but I don't think that would work out very well with all the left turning traffic on Mountain Road trying to access all the businesses along there. I think it would be worse than the centre turning (suicide) lane idea.

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Good thought, but I don't think that would work out very well with all the left turning traffic on Mountain Road trying to access all the businesses along there. I think it would be worse than the centre turning (suicide) lane idea.

Just an idea of what I mean either way traffic would have to go across two lanes of traffic in the same direction as they do now though I do see the concern of it holding up traffic behind them.

[riverviewer]

Originally Posted by OliverD

. This extends to shared trails, where the only real expectation is that they keep to the right although even this is not always followed.

Probably because they are also told to walk on the left hand side facing traffic in other shared situations.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by riverviewer

Probably because they are also told to walk on the left hand side facing traffic in other shared situations.

I walked over the new bridge yesterday, and I must admit I walked on the left myself.

[MonctonRad]

Panacadie Trail - phase one (just north of the Main Street Superstore)


from Mayor Dawn Arnold's Facebook page

[MonctonRad]

Here is the map detailing the proposed active transportation network in Moncton, looking forward to 2035.



This is an ambitious document, and I bring to your attention the number of "physically separated bikeways" that are proposed. This includes the entire length of Mountain Road from Wheeler Blvd to King Street. Given the narrowness of this portion of Mountain Road, I can foresee that this will mean lane reductions.

They are also again looking at Physically separated bikeways on Mountain from Gorge Road out to Ensley Drive, almost certainly requiring lane reductions. They just finished reversing the previous lane reductions last year. I can't imagine how this would be a popular choice.

Other physically separated bikeways are proposed for Vaughan Harvey and for Killam/Connaught/Morton/Mill Roads. There is enough room on Vaughan Harvey this can be accomplished fairly easily. Similarly for Killam as well, but I can see lane reductions on Connaught/Morton/Mill Roads.

Also, they are proposing an active transportation only flyover crossing Wheeler Blvd, connecting the two portions of Ryan Street (a good idea). Curiously, they do not seem to be proposing a similar flyover of Berry Mills Road near Edinburgh.

A new pathway underneath the TCH connecting the Humphrey Brook Trail to the pathways within the Caledonia Industrial Park is proposed (also a good idea).

Anyway, there is an article outlining all this on the online edition of the T&T. They make another few points as well.

Big changes could be afoot.

[MonctonRad]

It should be noted that the above "plan" is still a draft document, and that the final version will not be presented to council until the second quarter of 2022.

Consultations are still going on. This plan could mean major changes to some arterial routes in the city, including significant lane reductions. So far, it has mostly been the biking lobby which has had input on this document. If others want to voice any concerns, they can do so at "Let's Chat Moncton." https://letschatmoncton.ca/

I personally am in favour of enhanced active transportation options in the city, but the choices that need to be made should be rational ones, and these decisions should only be made once everyone has had their say. Many of the proposed enhancements are good ones, but "road diets" to major arterials like Mountain Road, Morton or Elmwood should only be considered if there is no other viable option, and in full knowledge of the potential gridlock which will occur.........

[MonctonianSentinel01]

Everywhere I look on Mountain Road there seems to be enough room to put bike paths next to the sidewalk rather than lanes on the road. I'm talking about a paved pathway like the one on Dieppe Boulevard and the new one on Hennessy Road. Let's hope that is what they do as the is enough real estate next to the sidewalk on almost the entire length of Mountain Road. I can't see them reducing lanes, makes no sense at all!

[MonctonRad]

T&T photo

This portion of the Riverfront Trail will be closed for seven weeks (during the height of summer) to allow for rip-rap installation to protect the riverbank from erosion.

[MonctonRad]

The final report of the City of Dieppe active transportation plan can be found here:

https://www.dieppedialogue.ca/active...portation-plan

Click on the .pdf link under "documents" to view the plan.

[MonctonRad]

Panacadie Trail - phase 2:

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Panacadie Trail - phase 2:

Baby steps, but progress! I assume this will link up with the new boardwalk to the East end... eventually.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton staff recommend spending $1M on active transit next year
City plan calls for separated bike lane by 2027 on street where cyclist hit and killed last week

Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2022 7:00 AM AT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...list-1.6628577

A separated bike lane is recommended on the four-lane Mountain Road between Wheeler Boulevard and Killam Drive by 2027, while West Lane to St. George Street is recommended between 2028 and 2032.

"A street like Mountain Road is going to be more long term, because it needs to have some width added to it," Cohoon said.

"Probably 15 years ago we were painting bike lanes and many people see them throughout the city. Now, given some of the traffic volumes we're seeing on the streets and depending on the size of the street, we are recommending more physically separated bikeways."

Among the areas the plan recommends separated bike lanes in the short term are St. George Street, portions of Queen Street, Shediac Road, Elmwood Drive, Mapleton Road and Morton Avenue.

Adding physically separated bike lanes to Mountain Road is going to be extremely difficult IMHO. It will require widening of the roadway (traffic lanes cannot be sacrificed here), and most of the side streets off of Mountain Road (at least internal to Wheeler Blvd) meet Mountain Road at odd oblique angles. Good luck with that one...................

[Mud]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Moncton staff recommend spending $1M on active transit next year
City plan calls for separated bike lane by 2027 on street where cyclist hit and killed last week

Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2022 7:00 AM AT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...list-1.6628577



Adding physically separated bike lanes to Mountain Road is going to be extremely difficult IMHO. It will require widening of the roadway (traffic lanes cannot be sacrificed here), and most of the side streets off of Mountain Road (at least internal to Wheeler Blvd) meet Mountain Road at odd oblique angles. Good luck with that one...................

Something's got to give eventually though. Having a big stroad severing the top third of the city from the rest with little in the way of active/public transportation options isn't going to age well if we're trying to attract a younger, more urban demographic. At the very least they should get up to Vaughn Harvey done.

[adamuptownsj]

Does anyone ever do post-cycling infrastructure usage studies? I have yet to see a bicycle on University in Saint John (although I did see one cyclist on the sidewalk there last week) and the city's rolling out plans for more. I'm trying to picture a three lane Mountain and I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

Does anyone ever do post-cycling infrastructure usage studies?

Yes, there was one done for Main Street in SJ IIRC.

A lot of these are patchwork fixes. University Ave can have a bike lane but if it's not connected to other active infrastructure then it'll be difficult to reach for others seeking to use it - I can't imagine how dangerous biking along Millidge or Somerset to get there would be. If there aren't suitable connections throughout a network then ridership will understandably be low.

Mountain in Moncton would be the same. A separated bikelane can be built, and it would be useful, but if it's not connected in a wider transportation network then it'll be on an island on its own. A lot of active infrastructure creation, especially for cyclists, is about providing reasonable destinations and connectors so that cycling is safe for users and gets them where they need to go.

[mylesmalley]

As a pretty avid recreational cyclist, I have to say that the city has made a ton of progress in improving infrastructure over the past few years. I think the fact that you can go entirely from Charles Lutes Rd to the Rotary Park at St Anselm on groomed gravel (and sometimes paved) paths to be a real achievement. Greenfield routes like the Rabbit Brook and Humphrey Brook trails are great additions, too. As soon as you want to actually 'go somewhere', the lack of access becomes pretty glaring. Mountain Road goes without saying, but try biking from the Moncton Hospital to the university, or from a residence off Shediac Road to work on Frennette. In the former case, biking on the sidewalk is hardly safe because of the number of cross streets and driveways. For the latter, there's barely a shoulder.

The park / recreational routes are circuitous and, while great for long distances, don't do anything to improve safety and connectivity. No question that some of the proposed routes are going to take years to improve. We'll see a lot of disjointed segments. If an overall vision and 'end state' is kept in mind and a bit of the to-do list is chipped away every year though, the city can make a lot of progress.

[Mud]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Yes, there was one done for Main Street in SJ IIRC.

A lot of these are patchwork fixes. University Ave can have a bike lane but if it's not connected to other active infrastructure then it'll be difficult to reach for others seeking to use it - I can't imagine how dangerous biking along Millidge or Somerset to get there would be. If there aren't suitable connections throughout a network then ridership will understandably be low.

Mountain in Moncton would be the same. A separated bikelane can be built, and it would be useful, but if it's not connected in a wider transportation network then it'll be on an island on its own. A lot of active infrastructure creation, especially for cyclists, is about providing reasonable destinations and connectors so that cycling is safe for users and gets them where they need to go.

Same issue when they made Main in Moncton one-way during the pandemic. Other than the novelty factor it was an incredibly silly decision. It was just an island of safe bike travel amidst commercial buildings. No connection to residential areas whatsoever. If you measured the usage of that one you'd not get an accurate representation of the people willing to use their bikes for everyday travel.

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Yes, there was one done for Main Street in SJ IIRC.

A lot of these are patchwork fixes. University Ave can have a bike lane but if it's not connected to other active infrastructure then it'll be difficult to reach for others seeking to use it - I can't imagine how dangerous biking along Millidge or Somerset to get there would be. If there aren't suitable connections throughout a network then ridership will understandably be low.

Mountain in Moncton would be the same. A separated bikelane can be built, and it would be useful, but if it's not connected in a wider transportation network then it'll be on an island on its own. A lot of active infrastructure creation, especially for cyclists, is about providing reasonable destinations and connectors so that cycling is safe for users and gets them where they need to go.

The previous/temporary Main Street bike lanes had a usage study done? They couldn't have done a study on usage of the proposed lanes because they don't exist yet. They could PROJECT usage but they certainly can't tell us how many actual users it will have.

I would be extremely interested in doing this for University, which, despite being an island, connects the quieter residential parts of Millidgeville towards the RKYC to the hospital, and has bike lanes extending down quite a bit of Millidge beforehand towards town.