Bikes on our sidewalks? Markham takes idea for a spin

"Sidewalks designed for pedestrians"

Yorkregion.com
April 21, 2016
By Amanda Persico

Move over, pedestrians. It might be time to share the sidewalk.

Instead of building new bike lanes adjacent to busy streets, Markham wants to look at allowing cyclists on underused sidewalks that run along major roads.

This was an issue Markham’s Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee proposed last year, but there was no movement on it.

That is until this month when Mayor Frank Scarpitti urged city staff to look at the issue again.

“The sidewalk system is one of the most underutilized pieces of infrastructure we have,” he said during a recent development services committee meeting.

“Warden (Avenue) is a busy street. But you don’t see volumes of people on the sidewalk. We have kilometres upon kilometres of sidewalks sitting empty.”

Currently, Markham has a bylaw prohibiting bikes with wheels larger than 24 inches on sidewalks. That’s about the size of a junior mountain bike wheel.

Other municipalities such as Aurora, King, Richmond Hill and Vaughan all allow cycling on sidewalks to some degree.

The move would help boost cycling culture and create an added layer of safety, argued Peter Miasek of the city’s cycling committee.

“Not a lot of cyclists feel comfortable on busy streets riding with traffic,” said the Unionville resident.

According to York Regional Police, 23 people were killed in  fatal motor vehicle collisions in 2015, of which three were cyclists.

Cycling on sidewalks would be a way to get more residents out of their cars, he added, especially for those short trips to buy groceries or even to a bus stop or GO Train station.

There are several options on the table, using the sidewalk along major roads as is or adding a multi-use path strip adjacent to the sidewalk.

Adding a strip of pathway along the boulevard is the preferred option, Miasek said, but he’s aware there aren’t infinite funds to retro-fit sidewalks.

There is also a push to include this concept as part of new road designs and road widening projects.

But permitting cyclists on sidewalks is about more than changing a city bylaw, warned Ontario Safety League president Brian Patterson. It’s a culture shift.

Ongoing communication, cycling and pedestrian education and proper and frequent signage could help mitigate issues between cyclists and pedestrians.

“You can’t just do it once or put up a sign and think the community is vaccinated,” Patterson said of Markham’s plan. “There will be confusion and it will be awkward. “Do you ride on this side or that side of the sidewalk? Sidewalks keep people where they need to be.”

A key issue is right of way between a cyclist, a mother pushing a stroller and a person with mobility issues, he added.

“Sidewalks were designed for pedestrians,” said Patterson. “You have discourteous drivers on the road and now you’re inviting discourteous cyclists on sidewalks.”

Speed is another concern, especially when it comes to cyclist-pedestrian collisions.

Other issues include driveway entrances along a route that could pose potential sightline issues for turning cars and sidewalk patios such as those along Main Street Markham and Main Street Unionville.

Those are they types of issues expected from a city staff report, Miasek added.

So far, the only allowance for cycling on sidewalks would be along roads where the speed is more than 50 km/hr.

Top-speed cyclists - those that cycle for sport or those who commute via bike – would most likely prefer to cycle on the road, Miasek said.

The issue becomes more complicated with the region in the mix. While the region may own the road, such as Warden Avenue or Kennedy Road, municipalities are responsible for the sidewalk, said the region’s director of infrastructure management in transportation services Stephen Collins.

The challenge, from the region’s perspective, is how cyclists would approach and cross the intersection, Collins said.

“Crosswalks are designed with walking in mind,” he said. “Adding a cyclist on the sidewalk would change the dynamic.”

Another obstacle could be cycling on sidewalks where there is a large number of transit stops, such as Yonge or Leslie streets.

The region is taking a similar approach along the new stretch of Hwy. 7 east of Town Centre Boulevard in Markham, where there will be a cycle track behind the curb, buffered by planters and up on the boulevard. Then, beyond the cycle track, there is a sidewalk.

There is a dedicated, on-road cycle lane along Hwy. 7 west of Town Centre Boulevard,

While there is a market for on-road bike lanes for those experienced cyclists, that is not the majority, Collins added.

“We heard loud and clear, general cyclists – those who buy their groceries or who bike to work occasionally - prefer to ride on a boulevard than on a street,” he said. “What’s important is it is a different space than the sidewalk space.”