Separated bike lanes pilot project coming to Waterloo region

Waterloo region is looking at implementing separated bike lanes through a pilot project they hope to launch next spring and they want to know what the public thinks of the idea.

The region said it will testthe pilot project in the areas arounduptown Waterloo and the universities, but will determine what specific streets to add separated bike lanes during thetwo consultations sessions next week.

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"Part of the consultation is to ask people what roads [separated bike lanes] should be on," Geoffrey Keyworth, manager of transportation planning at the region told CBC'sCraig Norris onThe Morning Edition.

"Obvious candidates forthat study area are University Avenue, which has a lot of traffic and does currently have bike lanes, Columbia Street is another example of that. But the public may tell us other streets that might be good candidates."

Feeling safe

Keyworthsaid there is a large population of people in the community that wantto ride their bikesmore often but are discouraged because they don't feel safe on the road.

"One of the main reasons is because they are afraid of being hit by a car," he said.

Currently parts of Kitchener and Waterloo have painted bike lanes and "sharrows" which indicate to cars that cyclists are allowed to ride in the centre of the street, but thispilotproject will take things to the next level.

Staff is looking at installing different methods ofseparated bike laneslike curbs or plastic bollards on different streets to see what method works best and to create a network of streets to help cyclists with their commute.

"We may have different types of separation on different roads and interview the public during the study about which ones they prefer," Keyworthsaid.

He adds that they hope to fully launch the pilot projectinspring 2018 and end it in the fall of 2019 to get a good grasp of what the community wants and proper maintenance of the lanes.

Road space a challenge

However, there are a few challenges ahead of implementing separated bike lanes in Waterloo, space being one of the main issues.

"Because it's a pilot project we're not reconstructing the road and so the biggest challenge is going to be using the available space," he said, adding that one solutioncould be to narrow vehicle lanes or take lanes away.

"For the consultation, that's going to be potentially controversial for drivers as well as cyclists, so that's something we want to ask people aboout."

Consultationsessions will be on Dec.12 at theAlbert Mccormick Community Centre and on Dec.14 at the main branch of Waterloo Public Library from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.