Richmond, Adelaide bike lanes see tripling of cyclist traffic

The overall cycling volume on Richmond, Adelaide and Simcoe Streets hastripled since bike lanes were installed last year, city officials say.

And, newly released documents showthat growth in cycling didn't slow down vehicles.

The Pilot Cycle Tracks Evaluation Reports, available online, provide detailed information about how many people are using the bike lanes and when. Among the highlighted numbers:

• Richmond and Adelaide Streets average more than 4,200 trips every weekday.
• Simcoe Street gets more than 1,100 trips each week day.

The report also provides a look at the results of an online survey that asked 9,750 cyclists and drivers about their feelings about the lanes a survey that was overwhelmingly filled out by cyclists.

Unsurprisingly, 94 per cent of the 8,442 cyclists surveyed said they think the cycle tracks should become permanent fixtures on the downtown streets.

Of the 1,424 drivers who filled out the survey, 52 per cent were in favour of keeping the cycle track while 25 per cent were strongly against the lanes.