BIKE ROUTE PROPOSAL

SPEEDS AHEAD

A new proposal to create enhanced summer bike routes this year, which would reduce speed limits from 50 km/h to 30 km/h on the selected streets, is pedalling forward.

Council’s public works committee voted in favour of the 2022 version of “open streets” on Wednesday, which aims to create easier access for cyclists.

If council gives the program final approval, it will be the latest version of “open streets,” which began in 2020 to offer more room for pedestrians and cyclists on select roads. In 2021, the city learned that inviting pedestrians to use the routes broke traffic laws, so it began promoting them solely to cyclists instead.

The public works committee is calling to create additional enhanced bike routes on Ruby Street (from Wolseley Avenue to Portage Avenue) and Banning Street (from Portage Avenue to Notre Dame Avenue). It also directed city staff to install a bike lane with poly-posts along Wellington Avenue while the program is underway.