Sherbourne cycle tracks completed, go try them

Tried Sherbourne bike track yeterday going north and south. Eight parked vehicles blocked the track going north and about six were blocking southbound. A good number of pedestrians were also using it as a sidewalk. I ended up riding on the road for much of the way so i wasn't very impressed. If collisions with pedestrians increases on this road i would not be surprised.

I thought it was great. Much safer than Jarvis Street - and nicer too.

Drew
The number of vehicles you observed parked inside the bicycle lanes is unchanged from what it was before they separated the lanes except now everyone is going to notice the illegal parking because the lanes are supposed to be separated.
I still think the lanes are, and will prove to be, a big improvement on what we had before.
The fine for blocking an unseparated lane is $60 for blocking a cycle track $150.
The increased fine may not be in place until the spring but it will make a difference even with a minor level of enforcement.
Taxis are not allowed to park or stop in cycle tracks they were allowed to legally stop in unseparated lanes.
In addition the elevated section of the Cycle Track is at the same level as the sidewalk so what cars are now doing is parking on both the sidewalk and the bicycle lane.
This will result in more rigorous enforcement as illegal parking in sidewalks gets more attention.
As to pedestrians in the cycle track they are there because it is safer for pedestrians than it was before the separated lanes were installed.
This may mean the cycle tracks are working to reduce remove car traffic in the lanes.
Pedestrians in Toronto are not used to the idea of exclusive bicycle lanes just like motorists didnt understand the Spadina LRT when it was first installed.
In Holland pedestrians walking in cycle tracks get charged by the police.
this will eventually happen here but not until we have a critical mass of cycle tracks that is 2 years off.
There is not enough separation because emergency services determined the design of the separation to make sure it would be easy for the police and EMS to park/stop in the bicycle lane. EMS doesnt want separation so we dont have it. In Europe cyclist safety gets more attention but that will come.
The Sherbourne cycle tracks may not work without bollards but this will prove it one way or another.
The good news is people are noticing the bicycle lane blockages when it was largely unremarked before. This will lead to change eventually if regular folks who are not cyclists start trying to bicycle in the the lanes and find out it is still not safe because of police cars, EMS and illegally parked vehicles.
We can work to get better separation on the Wellesley Harbord and Richmond Adelaide
cycle tracks with the clear evidence these lanes are going to provide. I still think the Sherbourne cycle tracks if they receive snow removal as promised and if there is enforcement are going to be light years ahead of anything the city has ever seen for on road cycling infrastructure
We had to start somewhere in Toronto and in spite of the obvious flaws this is a start and it is long past due
The ultimate irony is we had to wait for the most avowedly pro car administration at city hall in many years to see it done.
Separated Harbord Wellesley and Richmond Adelaide cycle tracks are not going to happen until 2014 but amazingly the Ford administration is in full support and moving ahead with it.
This is the start of a better city for cycling we just have to keep pushing.

Separatist. I hear you and agree. Just sharing my first impressions.

As for he politics, appearances can be deceiving. Our previous "bike friendly" Mayor was anything but good for cyclists.

Anybody been over there since the snow? Is it still navigable?

Every year we go through this issue. Are the snowplows clearing the bike lanes. If they aren't, call 311.
The snowplow operators are paid to clear the entire street. My experience has been they don't at first but once complaints are made to 311 and the councillor they start clearing them. Next is getting them cleared properly. Parts of the lane are cleared, the rest not. It takes work, but eventually they do it right.

To be fair I was on the Lakeshore bike lane yesterday and it was cleared. Maybe the message is getting through.

I road Sherbourne southbound from Bloor to Richmond on the 28th.

The good news, It was plowed (as mentioned above), and there was a ton of salt down.

The bad news, in every single place where cars enter a driveway, or where they had parked over the lane previously, there were big snow ruts covering the lane. Also, in one long stretch the snow bank left by the plow collapsed under its own weight and refilled the lane.

I passed two other cyclists on the way south. In each case I called out to indicate I was coming up, slowed down until I was noticed, and proceeded by in a clear spot while warning them that I was overtaking. Nonetheless both riders were completely freaked out, both felt they needed to slow down further as I passed. Neither had the confidence to pull right a little, which would have made the process much less dramatic for all involved. Except for the fact that they were uncomfortable being passed, both men seemed to be experienced cyclists.