CORNWALL – A city councillor is suggesting the municipality take a serious look at making a complete east-west bike path and improving the patchwork of lanes in the city.
It may not necessarily on Second Street, Coun. Mark MacDonald suggested, as the city’s budget committee reviewed capital projects for 2016 which includes two more sets of bike lanes.
The proposed bike lane construction would happen on Twelfth Street from Paul Street to McConnell Avenue and completing the so-called “urban loop” from Optimist Park to Virginia Drive.
The proposed cost this year is $402,000 with $162,000 coming from the provincial government through the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program.
Coun. Mark MacDonald said the Second Street bike lanes have been a “disaster” with a patchwork of paths. There are portions of Second Street – around the east-end Tim Hortons and KFC – where there are no bike lanes.
MacDonald wondered why the path couldn’t have been created on First Street.
“To me we didn’t think it through properly,” Coun. MacDonald said.
“I would agree it’s a disaster. You have a city bus there, there’s no road to share. Bike paths are a pretty good idea. Stopping at Augustus, leading people down there (and no bike path) is dangerous,” Coun. Claude McIntosh said.
A passionate Infrastructure Division Manager Stephen Wintle said there are two different types of cyclists – the recreational cyclist and the bike commuters.
“This plan was fairly well thought out. The bike lanes this year are off-road,” he said.