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Kitimat could get bicycle lanes in the future

This project will allow for cyclists no different than any other sidewalk in the community.
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The days of avid Kitimat cyclists having to dodge traffic and pedestrians might be a thing of the past should the District of Kitimat install bicycle lanes.

DoK leisure services director Martin Gould said the idea for the bike lanes stem from a February 6 meeting of the Leisure Services Advisory Commission.

One of the recommendations tabled at the meeting was for the DoK to include cost estimates for the addition of bike lanes to future road construction projects.

At the March 5 council meeting the councillors unanimously supported the recommendation.

Gould said existing pathways are already shared by pedestrians and cyclists.

However, the prospect of designating a bike lane on the district’s existing roads is limited by their width, Gould continued.

“Currently there are no bike lanes on the existing roadways as the roadways are not wide enough to support a bike lane and the required width of the roadway,” Gould said.

There’s also the possibility that as Kitimat builds new roads or resurfaces existing ones, bike lanes be part of those projects.

“I cannot confirm that there has been federal or provincial funding available for road reconstruction for the inclusion of bike lanes, but if there was such a program offered the district would investigate to determine if it was eligible to apply and would then likely make an application,” said Gould.

For 2018, the district is about to embark on an extensive sidewalk project in the Lahakhas Boulevard/Nechako area to construct sidewalks that will be used by both pedestrians and cyclists.

“This project will allow for cyclists no different than any other sidewalk in the community.

“When the cycling program is looked at in detail by administration it will include all sidewalks that have been rebuilt to District of Kitimat standards,” said Gould.

Older sidewalks are between 1.5 metres and 1.175 metres wide, with rebuilt ones at 2.4 metres wide - a typical bike lane is between 1.5 and 1.75 metres wide.

This year’s roads program’s operational budget is earmarked for fixing existing roads and parking lots - any capital expenditures for road improvements will be considered by council later this year as part of the 2019 budget deliberations.

With the prospect of bike lanes not likely to happen for some time, the DoK also directed Leisure Services in the short term to look at the Commission’s other recommendations to increase cycling awareness. The Commission recommended developing a community bike program to include, but not be limited to, putting up signage and distributing promotional material aimed at bike riding safety and riding etiquette, the latter involving promoting a shared sidewalk program for pedestrians and bicycles.

Specific suggestions included promoting an annual bicycle event in conjunction with the RCMP and cycling enthusiasts which could take the form of an annual mountain bike event or community bicycle race.