I noticed this newly installed sign at the top of Pottery Road today, where it should clear up any confusion drivers may have about whether they’re driving in a bike lane when they see those sharrows. There’s another one close to the bottom of the hill. I hope this can be the end of the controversy over these sharrows.
I tried this yesterday for the first time. Was a little bit too exciting and then become crazy dangerous trying to make the left hand turn into Todmorden Mills. Brought the cars behind to a standstill as I waited for break in traffic to make the turn. Drivers really hated that.
Sadly the choice is either go bombing down the sidewalk (illegally) or brake, signal, brake, signal, stop, await tires screeching and inevitable crunch/death.
Hi Chris,
You actually can ride down the path on the side of the road: it’s a multi-use path, not a sidewalk. City staff told us at the time that they hoped to discourage cyclists from using it to go downhill because of the potential for cyclists to go too fast while mixing with pedestrians, but they also recognized that people would use it anyway. If you’re not comfortable riding down on the road, you absolutely can and should take the path. Just try to take it slowly.
Personally, I use either the path or the road when going downhill depending on where I’m heading at the bottom: if my destination is Todmorden Mills or the Lower Don trail, I’ll usually ride slowly down the path. If I’m turning north up the Don Valley or continuing to Bayview, I’ll ride down at speed with traffic. Either way is a perfectly legal choice.