Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Public meeting: Thurs. Dec. 5. 7-9pm Burlington Seniors’ Centre – Auditorium, 2285 New Street

Feedback due: Jan. 6

bike lane - king road Burlington

New Street from Martha Street to Guelph Line is scheduled for resurfacing in 2015. This section of New Street is also identified in the City’s Cycling Master Plan as having “future bike lanes”.

City staff will be reviewing this section of New Street to determine whether on-road bike lanes are possible. As part of the review, City Transportation staff and I will be hosting a community workshop to get feedback on several options, including:

Option 1: Do nothing; road remains as is

Option 2: Existing lane configuration remains with enhanced sharrows painted onstreet

Option 3: Bike lane Westbound only; Existing lane configuration remains with enhanced sharrows Eastbound

Option 4: Removal of the centre turn lane; Bike lanes on both sides (not recommended)

Option 5: Widen New Street and add on-road bike lanes on both sides

Option 6: Widen New Street and add raised bike lanes on both sides

More information is available here

If you can’t attend the workshop, you can still provide feedback by Jan. 6 directly to me at [email protected] or [email protected].

Staff will report back to City Council in Spring 2014 with a preferred option based on the research and resident input. I will advise you of additional opportunities for input at that time.

My Take: I’m open to looking at options to support cycling, so long as the centre turn lane on New Street is not removed. (Staff have advised they do not recommend removing the centre turn lane on New St either).

Ideally, cycling infrastructure would be separated from cars entirely, for maximum safety. Along New, cyclists have that option via the Centennial Bike Path.

Widening New St to accommodate onroad or raised bike lanes is the most expensive option and would be more economical to explore when the road is slated for a major reconstruction, rather than resurfacing.

Repainting the road (adding “sharrows” for example) is economical during a resurfacing. Early reports indicate that the painted sharrows on Lakeshore Rd. have improved road safety for cyclists, causing drivers to move further to the left around cyclists.

Your Take: What options for cycling do you support for New St (if any)? Join the online conversation and see what residents are saying by viewing and leaving comments below.

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