In the "infrastructure" section that the as-planned North Hill improvements didn't actually include bike lanes anywhere south of Confederation...?

I always feel somewhat exposed on the northbound section of 14st after the intersection with Northmount.  I continue north on 14st to pick up the bike path near the Winterclub, and the on-road section can be a bit sketchy as I'm making my way up the hill.

As someone who has never dared bike to work before, it was the addition of the bike lanes in the NW inspired me to give it a shot at the beginning of May. I am now biking to work daily and enjoy every minute of my commute. The bike lanes have their issues, but I am fortunate enough to live just east of 14th St. and one block south of Northmount, so I don't encounter the 14th St. issues. I see more and more bikers in the lanes daily, and I think that they are a huge step towards making Calgary more cycle-friendly. Keep them!

Totally agree with NB door zone - it's downhill, I pick up significant speed there and doors could do a lot more damage than when I'm heading SB in the uphill direction, usually at a much slower speed... maybe make the NB side parking-free and converting SB side to angle parking (lose fewer parking spots this way, eliminate door zone completely) might be a solution? I know that space is really busy on weekends w/confed park right there. 

I haven't done the Northmount/14th St intersection frequently, but something about it is very uncomfortable. I think you've captured it in the description though. 

@asiawalker - awesome and congrats!! 

These bike lanes are awesome, I use them almost every day on my way to and from work.

A bike box is desperately needed at the intersection of Cambrian Dr. and Northmount, however.

• Most of the right-hand-lane traffic that backs up here will turn right onto 14th Street.
• The little stretch of road between Cambrian Dr. and 14th street is the crucial section. A cyclist is most safely positioned if they are right in the middle of the second-from-right-hand through lane.
• This lane is very rarely used by cars, because it ends shortly after 14th street with a lane obstacle, meaning this is also the most convenient positioning for a cyclists to be in consideration of most motorists.
• As a result, giving cyclists the go-ahead by having a blue box painted on the NW-bound right-hand lane, at the intersection of Cambrian Dr. would allow cyclists to proceed ahead into the second-from-right-hand through lane in the above stretch, allowing cars turning right on 14th street to easily move into the right-hand-lane and cars moving through to use 14th street.

This is a significant safety issue as there is essentially cross traffic where the bike lane terminates; Cyclists typically want to cross left, and motorists want to cross right. It would be perfectly resolved with a bike box. There probably needs to be signage for both cyclists and motorists; for cyclists, ideally paint lane markings on the second-from-right-hand through lane lane, between Cambrian Dr. and 14th street. Less experienced cyclists will intuitively want to be in or close to the right-hand turning lane which is not the best place to be. For motorists you likely just need a sign indicating not to advance into the bike box, at least when it's first painted. My hunch is that motorists will see the lane markings for cyclists and understand, as well.

The door zone is also an issue.

I am confused as to why folks are saying it's the NW-bound door zone that is the problem. In my mind it's the SE-bound door zone that is bigger issue, i.e. heading into downtown, from after cambrian drive all the way to confederation park. Unfortunately this is the most used side of the street for parking.

The grade is definitely uphill away from downtown from confederation park to 14th street, and with fewer cars here I don't generally find much to be worried about with respect to parked cars. There are also fewer side streets and visibility is better.

On the other hand, SE-bound there are two side streets here that are dangerous for cyclists in terms of visibility (speaking from personal experience) and where the road curves to the right, just before confederation park, I generally always pull into the vehicle lane as visibility is too poor to safely travel very fast in the bike lane, there.

A compromise might be to remove street parking just for this stretch that starts to bend to the right. As well, some signage for motorists entering from the two side streets to watch for cyclists might be very worthwhile. For instance: "Crossing Bicycle Lane Watch for cyclists" with a diagram.

Removing the street parking entirely between 14th street and confederation park is the ideal solution for cyclists but I can definitely see the position of people who live along this street who may not have anywhere to park their cars, and would hate to invite backlash.

Alternately, it might be possible to remove street parking on both sides, for this entire stretch, and have enough room for 3 full vehicle lanes as well as 2 bike lanes. This might actually be the best solution all-around and serve the largest segment of the public, both motorist and cyclist, best.

I still think it's a big mistake to put cars and bikes together on the same busy road.  Let's face it, there's still a ton more cars than bikes.  The main arteries should be for cars and trucks and busses and exhaust fumes.  There's always going to be big issues trying to blend bikes that are vulnerable and travel at different speeds with rush hour traffic.  Car doors, bus stops, snow removal, frustrated motorists are problems that aren't going to go away. What we need are designated bike routes that are NOT on the main roads.  10th street is not a direct route for me, but 19th street is.  Why go to all that trouble to try to integrate bikes on 19th street, when you can instead take the Memorial pedestrian overpass at 21st and wind up through Briar Hill and use the overpass over 16th Ave.  Or use 18th street.  These are far better options for cyclists than squeezing us on to 19th street.  There must be similar routes that could be developed on either side of 10th street that could be really bike friendly.  Most bike paths are kept clear of snow in the winter than the roads are and are much safer.  Think outside the box.  Help get the cyclists off the main roads - better for us and better for the motorists.

I'm not a regular user of 10 Street, but I do have a couple of observations based on a quick ride down the hill on Sunday. I arrived at 10 Street from 13 Avenue. An older fellow (likely younger than I) road down the wrong side of 13 Ave and onto the the up hill biccycle lane. I would not have appreciated meeting him if I were in the uphill lane. Perhaps the signage is not clear for southbound traffic that the pathway is a shared bicyle/pedestrian pathway. I don't think the gentleman wanted to use a commuter lane, but needed some guidance.

I used the bike box at 5 Ave. I knew it was there from using it last year. I don't recall any signs indicating that it was there or how to use it. Perhaps I was going too fast and missed the sign if there was one.