

Chris Fox, CP24.com





City staff are recommending that bikes lanes along several downtown streets be made permanent after it was determined that the volume of cyclists travelling along the routes increased significantly with minimal impact on motor vehicle travel times.

In a report that will be considered by the infrastructure and environment committee next week, staff recommend that bike lanes that were installed along Richmond Street, Adelaide Street, Simcoe Street and Peter Street between 2014 and 2016 as part of pilot projects be made permanent.

The report says that the daily volume of cyclists travelling along the western portion of the Richmond and Adelaide street bike lanes between University Avenue and Bathurst streets has increased by a staggering 1,194 per cent to an estimated 4,776 riders over an eight-hour period that includes both the morning and afternoon rush hours. The volume of cyclists on the eastern portion of the Richmond and Adelaide bike lanes between University Avenue and Parliament Street, meanwhile, increased by 828 per cent to about 2,733 riders during that same eight-hour period. The increase in cyclist volumes on the Simcoe and Peter routes was less dramatic, though still significant at 213 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively.

As for the impact on motor vehicle traffic, the report says that “travel times were generally not impacted.”

The report also makes the case that the presence of the bike lanes have led to a reduction in collisions involving cyclists. It says that the number of collisions involving cyclists that have been reported to police along Richmond or Adelaide has fallen to 19.6 per 1,000 riders since the lanes were installed (a 73 per cent decrease).

“People riding bicycles are vulnerable road users and can be seriously injured in even minor collisions, so prioritizing their safety by making the pilot cycling facilities permanent is necessary to encourage people to choose to ride,” the report says.

As part of making the bicycle lanes permanent, staff are recommending adding “precast concrete barriers within the buffer of the existing cycle tracks, where possible.”

They are also recommending relocating the Adelaide bike lane from the south side of the street to the north side of the street to eliminate a situation, wherein cyclists are often forced to merge with traffic to avoid delivery trucks and couriers that are stopped in front of First Canadian Place or Scotia Plaza.

The cost of moving the bike lane is estimated at about $315,000.

“There are over 300 commercial vehicles per day required to access the truck elevators serving these properties. Moving the cycle track to the north side will eliminate potential conflicts between cyclists and turning trucks and remove the requirement for cyclists to merge with motor vehicle traffic,” the report states.