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Fixing Dundas and Sterling

The death of cyclist Jenna Morrison here on November 7 has prompted some serious discussion within the cycling community and transportation staff at City Hall about what can be done to make this accident-prone intersection safer.[briefbreak]

While there are no definite plans at this point, some consideration is being given to making the interesection a priority for a number of adjustments in the short-term as well as by spring. A few issues for the city to ponder.

1. Lane games

The bike markings here, near where Morrison’s body came to rest after police say she fell under the back wheels of a truck, were painted on the pavement by locals after Morrison’s death.

What makes their appearance more poignant, and tragic, is the fact that Sterling has been a route suggested for bike paths since 2006.

The solution: Local Councillor Ana Bailão says proper sharrows are being contemplated.


2. Stop-and-go hazard

Among the confusing features of this intersection is the position of the white line marking the spot where vehicles are supposed to stop. It’s five paces behind the stop sign. Where are bikes supposed to stop? For that matter, where are motorists supposed to stop?

From the alignment, on could assume at the stop sign and then roll forward to the white line once the coast is clear. Sounds logical given the bikes and pedestrians emerging from the nearby Railpath. But it’s unclear. Making this bit of road more hazardous for cyclists is the fact that the corner is on a steep incline, requiring cyclists to build up momentum to complete the turn, which makes stopping on a moment’s notice if you need to more difficult.

The solution: “Bike boxes” on the roadway showing clearly where cyclists are to wait for traffic. For what it’s worth the officer who investigated the Morrison accident, Constable Hugh Smith, suggests too many lines on the roadway may add to the confusion.


3. Right turns and wrongs

Cars and trucks turning right onto Dundas from Sterling have a nasty habit of cutting the corner – in the process cutting the Dundas bike lane. Streetcars whizzing by make the turn tighter, typically pushing motorists right up against, or into, the bike lane. Police speculate that a passing streetcar may have reuduced the turning space of the truck that killed Morrison. It’s not clear if the truck brushed the curb but at some point the wheel of the kiddie trailer Morrison’s bike was pulling got lodged in the space between the truck’s double right rear wheel.

The solution: The sharrows being considered on Sterling will help. Motorists seem to be paying attention to the makeshift one painted there now, making wider turns onto Dundas.


4. RailPath problem

Cyclists and e-bikes using the nearby West Toronto RailPath, then heading east toward downtown, are often confused about what to do when they emerge from the path on the northwest corner of Dundas and Sterling. This fellow on an -e-bike booted dangerously on the diagonal across the intersection to get to the eastbound bike lane.

The solution: A planned extension of the RailPath will go a long way toward cleaning up the confusion here, but that’s not happening for two or three years. In the meantime, some cycling activists are urging a clearly marked pedestrian crossing on Sterling, which would encourage cyclists trying to cross Dundas to dismount and walk their bikes to the crosswalk in the background in this picture to get to the other side. The cat with his bike at the crosswalk has the right idea.


5. Serious realignment

This half-moon shaped no-go zone marked on the roadway on the other side of Sterling, created after bridge construction a few years back, is taking up valuable roadway, not to mention messing with the alignment of the intersection.

The solution: Shrinking it or removing it altogether would allow the yellow centre line on Sterling to be moved toward the middle of the road giving bikes and motorists now being pinched at the deadly northwest juncture more space.


6. Speed demons

Speed limits are not posted on this stretch of Dundas West, which, by law, means vehicles can’t exceed 50 km/h, but here they typically go faster. Making the intersection trickier is the behavior of traffic, which comes in waves – nothing for a fews seconds, followed by extended rushes of vehicles and streetcars. One of Morrison’s neighbours, who posted a note on a poll near the spot where Morrison had fallen, said she’d stopped riding the bike lanes on Dundas “a few months ago because cars go too fast, and on a few occasions I thought I would die.”

The solution: Reduce the speed limit to 40 km/h – or installing traffic lights (see Crosswalk cross-up).


7. Crosswalk cross-up

Adding to the mayhem is the crosswalk on the east side marked by Xs (albeit fading ones) on the pavement some 20 metres in advance of the crossover, but which seems to confound motorists anyway. Many vehicles travelling east don’t seem to know where to stop when the crosswalk’s lights are activated. Some roll right up to the crosswalk, when the Xs mark the spot where they’re supposed to halt. Balling up the works further at that point is a streetcar stop.

The solution: Removing the crosswalk, pushing the streetcar stop further west and installing three-way traffic lights. I’m told the latter of these three may be on the drawing board. Happy riding.

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