Bernhard Isopp

The bench tried to warn us

@relsoo @Customds @mindoverdata So, for the last time: a transportation system built overwhelmingly around driving has much greater costs than one that encourages active transportation and transit. The GTA is a case in point of the inefficiency of a car-centric system.

@relsoo @Customds @mindoverdata You seem to want to say: "this particular bike lane isn't worth it." But by that logic, a huge portion of roads in Toronto aren't worth it (and even the least used bike lane would be more cost effective than them). That's why we talk about transportation *systems.*

The fact that the 401, 400, DVP, QEW, Gardiner (and many more) are regularly a bump-to-bumper standstill, and that none of them have bike lanes, should make it clear that bike lanes and bicycles are not the problem. #TOpoli #ONpoli #BikeTO

@ztisdale @CBCNews Sweden is also an arctic country. The bicycle mode share in Malmö is 25%. (over 90% of Canadians live within 150km of the southern border, by the way).

@CBCNews Canada is an arctic country. Bike lanes are insane.

Studies from around the world show bike lanes ease congestion, reduce emissions and are a boon to businesses. cbc.ca/news/science/b…

@OhUrbanity It was a big deal! But I was so naive.

@BernhardIsopp 2016 with the Bloor Street lanes is basically how we started getting comfortable with urban cycling for transportation.

I remember when the Bloor bike lanes went in in 2016. It was such a small change, yet somehow momentous, as if a sign of a better city to come. It's so disheartening to see how regressive and hostile the politics of the GTA actually are.

@DerekJrSr17 @relsoo @Customds @mindoverdata Bike lanes are built so people can get around safely by bicycle. The lanes Ford is explicitly targeting get lots of use. I agree Toronto is broken, but because of its regressive and shortsighted politics, the kind championed by Ford.

@relsoo @BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata There are so many km of bike lanes in Toronto that get almost no use. Bike lanes are built to make food delivery by slave labour on e-bikes more efficient. Toronto is broken beyond belief.

@g_meslin Yes, but that is a defense mechanism from the abusive relationships people have with their cars, where they convince themselves that driving everywhere is convenient and enjoyable when they are confronted with the opposite every single day as they sit stuck on the DVP.

If we’re being honest, this is all their argument really comes down to.

@relsoo @Customds @mindoverdata Cars are by far the most expensive form of daily transportation to subsidize per person-km. The cost per user (or person-km) is not even "relatively equal," it's far cheaper for someone biking. As the cycling mode share goes up, total transportation costs go down.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata It is, however only when the cost per user is relatively equal. Funding for a far fewer user base disproportionate to the use is not good stewardship of funds.

@relsoo @Customds @mindoverdata Don't be sorry! Again, this is about mode share of *trips*. If you look at any city with a more balanced mode share, road traffic is still "serviced," but the infrastructure make up is different. Cycling doesn't need to be primary; a 20% mode share is better than 5%.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata Sorry, I think you misunderstand the concept. If the primary mode of transport isn't to become biking, then you need to still service the road traffic, thereby nullifying the value of trying to switch towards it.

@noelle_dave @Customds @mindoverdata You are fixated on the average distance. But trips is more useful for policy, because the aim is to identify which trips are more suited to alternative modes. Not all trips need to be exclusively made with a single transportation mode.

@noelle_dave @Customds @mindoverdata The most recent available data says that the average Canadian drives about 41km/day. But that's for all of Canada. We shouldn't base transportation policy in T.O. on that figure (nor on Ontario wide averages). That's why there's a T.O. specific survey.

@noelle_dave @Customds @mindoverdata I posted a link to the survey in a reply to my original comment. The methodology is there. 5.5km is the median car trip. It's likely that those who work from home travel less in a day, but that's not what the survey measures. Working from home doesn't count as a trip.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata I'd love to see the means by which such an average was created? They must count people who take transit and work at home.

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata I never said that it would help with congestion on the highways. My original comment was about trips in the city in response to someone else.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata I dont think youre wrong. I think there's probably a better way to get your message out than trying to say it will help the 400 series highways gridlock. Kind of misinformation if you ask me and we already have enough of an issue with that.

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata The bike lanes in the core are very busy. I push for bike infrastructure because once I started biking my quality of life increased enormously, and I think T.O. would be a much better city with better transportation options. But it can be risky, so safe infrastructure is needed.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata Fair. Curious, why pushing so hard for more bike infrastructure? I don't live in the gta but I work there often. I at times drive where there are bike lanes and I find them either empty or cyclists that domt bother with the rules of the road.

@pawprints1986 @LittleMissYYZ @Customds @mindoverdata They don't have to! No one is forcing people in Amsterdam to bike in the rain. If you don't want to ride in the rain, fine. But rain isn't some insurmountable barrier. Lots of people do it. It's not about making people feel better, it's about giving people transportation options.

@BernhardIsopp @LittleMissYYZ @Customds @mindoverdata More like why should they have to. Why should people have to deal with biking in the rain or cold just to make some feel better I can imagine few things less fun than biking to work, cold rain been hitting my face, just to have to put on customer service face immediately after

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata But that's not what I said. I said 50% of car trips under 2km could be replaced by cycling trips. No one has to drive for 100% of trips or bike for 100% of trips. The point is to choose the mode that makes sense for the trip.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata There is a 0% chance that 50% of drivers would use bikes ever. I can appreciate your optimism but realistically it would never happen with our winters. In theory is sounds great.. realistically we would spend for bike infrastructure and it would do almost nothing to help

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata In cities like Toronto roads are paid for through property taxes. Everyone pays property tax. But car transportation requires far more subsidization per person-km than cycling. All else being equal, the person who mainly bikes is subsidizing drivers.

@BernhardIsopp @Customds @mindoverdata I have nothing against bike lanes anywhere. But since you brought it up, drivers pay for infrastructure with gas tax. Who pays for bike infrastructure?

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata But there are other reasons to build bike lanes. In many neighbourhoods, cycling rates are very high. Even if congestion doesn't improve, people should have access to safe infrastructure. It's also extremely cost-effective per person-km (and cars are the least cost-effective).

@RoughnitJay @Customds @mindoverdata Roughly 1/2 of the 6 mil. daily car trips in T.O. start in the city. The median trip is 5.5km; that means that millions of trips are within the city. 20% of car trips are 2km or less. If even 1/2 of those are replaced by bike, that's a significant reduction in cars on the road.