Hot take: The city's new bike lane on 124 Street took me 40 minutes longer than it should have

Everyone seems thrilled about the bike lane they added on 124 Street near the shops. But I tried riding it last Tuesday around 4pm and it was a total mess. The lane just ends at a busy intersection with no warning, and I had to merge into car traffic with no space. Then there is this one section where the concrete barrier sticks out so far I nearly clipped my handlebars on it. I timed my whole trip from Jasper Ave up to 118 Ave and it took me 55 minutes when it used to take me 15 on the regular road. Maybe I missed something but has anyone else found this lane more frustrating than helpful?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant7282mo ago

That 2 foot gap @finley_bennett28 measured sounds pretty bad. I actually read a city report online that mentioned the bike lane was designed by the same team that did the one on 102 Ave, but they had to rush this one because of some funding deadline. The report said they planned to fix the merge at 118 Ave next summer but it wasn't in the current budget. So basically we're stuck with a lane that just drops you off at a bus route with no warning. I timed my ride there last week too and it added 30 minutes to my usual commute.

finley_bennett282mo ago

The concrete barrier sticking out near 106 Ave is actually part of a loading zone for the bakery there. The city put that barrier up to stop cars from blocking the delivery trucks but they forgot to leave enough room for bike handlebars. I measured it with my arm last week and the gap is only about 2 feet wide. So you basically have to slow down to walking speed or risk hitting the concrete. Plus the lane ends at 118 Ave because that whole stretch is a bus route and the city decided not to deal with the bus stops.

wren8261mo ago

Got a buddy who tried this lane a couple weeks ago and he almost got himself killed. He was hauling his kid in one of those bike trailers behind him and came up on that concrete barrier with the 2 foot gap. He had to slam on his brakes, the trailer nearly tipped over, and a car behind him had to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting him. He said he sat on the curb for like 10 minutes shaking before he turned around and took the regular road back. He's not touching that lane again until they fix it, which sounds like it could be never with the city dragging their feet on the budget.