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The arrival of spring has brought with it something else worthy of jubilation: separated bicycle lanes. The City of Edmonton has begun painting lines and installing physical barriers on 107 Street between 99 and 100 Avenue, representing the first palpable signs of progress on a network of bicycle lanes in the downtown core.
Construction is also beginning along 106 Street, with plans for lanes on 100, 102 and 104 Avenues and 106, 103, and 99 Streets to be put to the pavement by July. Concrete dividers and planters will create a barrier between motorists and cyclists, a visible measure of safety that a single painted line can't afford. Traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction along 107 Street to accommodate crews during the construction process.
The $7.5 million project will also include bicycle parking at designated locations, an added perk that the City expects will spark an explosion in the number of riders. Council voted unanimously last fall in favour of the segregated network, which would amount to a length of 7.1 kilometres if stretched out on a single road.
The City also has a major bike route outside the core currently in the works and scheduled for construction this year. A new separated track along 83 Avenue will connect the communities of Strathcona, Garneau, and the University area, between the Mill Creek Ravine and 111 Street. The project will include full reconstruction of the roadway and streetscape elements such as benches, plantings, and landscaping. The route will connect to a shared-use path on 95A Street between 82 Avenue and 83 Avenue. Construction of the project will coincide with construction of a one-block portion of the 106 Street bike route between 82 Avenue and 83 Avenue, which will be extended northwards to Saskatchewan Drive in 2018.
The City of Edmonton approved a Bicycle Transportation Plan in 2009, which sets out a vision for a 500-kilometre network of bike routes connecting destinations and neighbourhoods. Council refined the implementation of this plan in 2014 to focus on building all-season routes in central Edmonton, where cycling is already a common mode of transportation.
What do you think of Edmonton's burgeoning bike network? You can get involved in the discussion by leaving a comment below or by visiting the designated Forum thread.
