Cycling modifications at Holland/Sherwood

In response to my request for a review of the Holland/Sherwood intersection following the bike/car collision this fall, staff are moving ahead with two modifications to hopefully reduce the risk of the "gapping"-type incident that occured there. The painted measure may move ahead soon if the weather cooperates, but the delineator will have to wait until spring; delineators have been removed from the roads for the winter to facilitate plowing. Here is staff's response.

The left-turn lane on Holland Avenue at Sherwood Drive was installed in 2017 under the Cyclist Safety Improvement Program (CSIP). It was implemented in order to facilitate left-turns due to the high volume of cyclists making that eastbound turn onto Sherwood Drive as it links to the Experimental Farm pathway.

The cycling facilities that are currently in place at the intersection of Holland and Sherwood are as per the Ontario Traffic Manual (Book 18).

The 2018 collision data is not currently available. For a three year period prior to 2018,  there was only one collision at this intersection and it was due to a westbound driver on Sherwood Drive turning left on Holland Avenue and not yielding the right of way to a northbound vehicle.

The City Cycling and Pedestrian Safety Coordinator did review this intersection for feasibility of implementing modifications in order to improve its operation.

The two recommendations would be to:

-       Install a cyclo-zone delineator on the bike lane at the bulb-out directly south of Sherwood Drive – this could slow right-turning vehicles and also delineate the space between the bike lane and the travel lane. It will assist in slowing northbound drivers making the eastbound turn onto Sherwood. The cyclo-zone delineator would also emphasize the northbound cyclist and the northbound cycle lane.

-       Add northbound painted bicycle stencils or sharrows in the bike lane through the intersection. This would remind southbound left-turning vehicles to watch for northbound cyclists before making a left turn and it would highlight the bike lane. The sharrows are not normally carried across an intersection, however, in response to the temporary Holland detour and concerns from the cycling community, the sharrows would draw attention to cyclists and emphasize their movement northbound on Holland across Sherwood.