Union Station Cycling Connection

In engineering, effective communication is one of the most important skills to learn and value. Effective communication requires not only the ability to communicate, but also the abilities to identify, define, and back up an argument with supporting evidence. Within civil engineering, these arguments may be about a needed infrastructure project, a change in design for an energy project, or even proper management of waste. Within my CIV282 Engineering Communication course these topics were what was focused on, with one of my reports being the implementation of cycling lanes connecting the busy Union Station to the rest of the cycling network with a safe and separated quick build bike lanes.

When determining an optimal route for the safe and separated bike lanes to union the largest two considerations were the space required and the amounts of traffic along the route. Given these two main concerns two alternatives were proposed. The first option, continue the University Avenue bike lanes that end just south of king street an extra ~200 meters into a busy intersection, with a lack of space, and a left turn lane making complete separation of cars and bikes almost impossible. The second option considered was to put a completely new bike lane in along York Street from Front Street to Queen Street. The York Street option put the cyclists onto a less busy side street, with much less traffic than University Avenue would have, still allowed easy connection to the rest of the cycling network, provided a safe, completely separated route, maintained vehicle access, and allowed for easy access to the Union Station bike shed on the east side of York Street.