Victoria staff hope to secure another $1 million in provincial funding to offset costs of the city’s separated bike-lane network.
City staff are recommending the city apply for the maximum grant available under the Bike B.C. program for the Wharf Street leg of the network.
If successful, the $1-million grant would reduce the estimated cost of a protected bike lane along Wharf between Pandora Avenue and Government Street to $1.265 million, freeing up $1 million to be used elsewhere in the cycling network, staff say.
Mayor Lisa Helps said the grant money is “very important” and the cycling network is “a perfect fit” for the grant.
The province also contributed $1 million to the Pandora leg of the project, a two-way lane between Wharf and Cook streets. It was completed in April at a cost of $3.42 million.
City council has weathered criticism over the cost and design (including loss of parking and narrowing of lanes for motor vehicles) of the cycling network, which is meant to improve safety for cyclists of all ages and abilities.
City staff say Bike B.C. grant applications are evaluated on how they improve safety for cyclists, with separated bike lanes and multi-use paths the preferred projects. Separated or protected bike lanes physically separate cyclists from motor vehicle traffic using barriers such as bollards or parking spaces.
“One of the things that has been lost in the conversation about bike lanes in Victoria is the issue of safety,” Helps said. “With separated bike lanes, the province obviously knows the No. 1 criteria is that they create a safe environment for riders.”
The report going to council today says the “emerging concept” for the 700-metre Wharf Street stretch is for a two-way separated bike lane on the west or water side of the street.
Phase one of the city’s planned 32-kilometre cycling network is for 5.4 kilometres of bike tracks along downtown streets.
The downtown network consists of:
• Protected two-way bike lanes on Pandora Avenue and Fort Street between Cook and Wharf streets. The Pandora lane was completed last April, while the Fort lane is under construction at a budgeted cost of $3.27 million.
• Protected two-way bike lanes on the west side of Wharf between the Johnson Street Bridge and Government Street.
• Protected two-way bike lanes on the south side of Humboldt Street between Government and Douglas streets, and shared road use between Douglas and Cook.
• One-way protected bike lanes on both sides of Cook Street between Pandora and Pakington Street.
