SASKATOON – Protected bike lanes and the Bridge Park are on the Saskatoon city council agenda for Tuesday night.
A report to council is recommending the installation of protected bike lanes this summer on 24th Street East and 4th Avenue as a pilot project.
The proposed bike lanes would provide a dedicated lane for cyclists, which are “protected” from traffic by parked vehicles. This places bikers riding in one direction beside the sidewalk.
These lanes are intended to be safer for cyclists however it will impact the amount of parking spaces and travel lanes.
In the preferred option, 4th Avenue would lose 47 stalls and 54 parking spaces on 24th.
The project would be evaluated over 18 months and is intended to assess the feasibility of installing permanent protected bike lanes in Saskatoon’s downtown.
The city reserves the option of conducting the demonstration project in 2015.
Also on Tuesday, councillors will discuss whether to include the concept of Bridge Park to help complete the North Downtown Master Plan.
Bridge Park would include green space and a ‘land bridge’ that would allow people to cross the CP rail lines.
The steps to complete the plan include a community engagement event and technical feedback before heading back to council in June.
Implementation of the North Downtown Master Plan is anticipated to take place over a quarter century.
Also on the agenda, council will be asked to authorize the continued discussions to develop a new city centre recreation facility (CCRF).
In 2013, council identified a four-year priority to build a leisure centre located within the core neighbourhoods.
YMCA approached the city and preliminary discussions have already started on the groundwork for a potential partnership to develop a CCRF.
If approved, an agreement in principle will be drafted outlining a joint understanding of the proposed project.
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