International Bike to Work Day: Safety still an issue on P.E.I.

Cycling PEI says the province continues to make progress in making biking safe on the Island, but it is not there yet.

Cycling PEI is marking International Bike to Work Day Friday. Executive director Mike Connolly said there are a number of good reasons to bike to work.

• Save on gas.
• Alleviate parking problems downtown.
• Improved health and fitness.

On the down side, P.E.I. still has some work to do to make roads safe for cyclists, he said.

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Work underway

The City of Charlottetown and the province are making improvements, Connolly said, but neither has the money to do all the work at once.

The city, he said, is getting close to connecting cycle routes. It has been widening streets for cycle routes as streets were being repaved for the last eight years.

"We're almost all connected, but it really takes about 10 years before it really comes together," said Connolly.

The situation is similar with the province, which is working to add paved shoulders to highways. Many highways in busy tourism areas around Stanley Bridge and Cavendish have shoulders now, but many in other parts of the province still don't.

P.E.I. recently passed a law requiring a driver to keep a distance of one metre between their vehicle and a cyclist when driving on a roadway.

Hillsborough Bridge biggest issue

Connolly said the Hillsborough Bridge, connecting Charlottetown and Stratford, is the area his office gets the most complaints about.

An engineering study last spring found the bridge could support a new cycling lane and pedestrian walkway, but there are no current plans to build one.

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