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Cyclists complain the paths are now too narrow and several have reported getting injured when their handlebars snagged on the posts. Pedestrians have also said they feel unsafe in tight quarters.

“I completely understand the concerns,” said Mayor Don Iveson, who said after trying it once, he’s no longer willing to ride on the east side.

The west side clearance is slightly better at 2.8 metres. The city’s standard for new paths is 4.2 metres.

On Thursday, transportation infrastructure general supervisor Allan Bartman said the west path will be closed for construction until the third week of July, but both sides will be open temporarily for the Canada Day long weekend.

Photo by Ian Kucerak / Postmedia Network

Officials realize the path is narrow. They’ll look at further options when the bridge is scheduled for rehabilitation work in five to 10 years, he said. No cyclists were consulted during the suicide barrier design stage but designers did consider putting the barriers outside the existing fence, he said. It was more expensive. The set budget was $3 million.

The hazard to cyclists is unfortunate, he said, “but it was just the best design to meet the focus of this project, which was essentially stay on budget but get the railings up and functional.”

Council approved the suicide barriers in 2014, after police responded to 41 suicide attempts from the High Level Bridge in a two-year period and family members begged them to take action.

They reviewed several conceptual designs and eventually picked one with a price tag in the middle.