With the final phase of construction of bike lanes in downtown Lethbridge now underway, cyclists are happy the network is expanding. The phase includes connecting the existing network to the 7th Avenue bike boulevard, creating and connecting a city-wide cycling network.
Allen Gibson was on his first ride of the season Monday and believes that the final phase will really help his routine.
“I’m just appreciating the new infrastructure downtown,” Gibson explained. “I used to use 7th Avenue but there was always a lack of a safe way to get over to the downtown core. I think it’s a great addition to the city.”
Cyclists Global News spoke with said the lanes are an improvement to the downtown, offering another safe way to get where they need to go.
Dominika Wojcik, the senior director of communication for Tourism Lethbridge, says the lanes are a great addition and do exactly what they were built for.
“Allowing those bikers to also go to the downtown core, do some walking around down there, do some biking around there, actually going into the shops, going into the cafes, checking out the restaurants. That’s going to bring significant economic impact into our city.”
The bike paths have been getting some pushback from business operators further north in the downtown core, who believe the lanes are keeping customers away.
Construction is expected to take about four weeks, meaning they should be done by Canada Day.