Thunder Bay is becoming a cycling friendly city with the addition of bike lanes on Court Street.
While symbols are still being painted, Court Street is now equipped, from right to left, a parking lane, a cycling lane, two driving lanes and another cycling lane and the city’s active transportation coordinator Adam Krupper said the pilot project is just the beginning.
"The long-term goal is to get cycling routes so we can get from the north side to the south side a number of ways safely and also east to west," he said. "We want to make it so anybody who is walking, biking, rollerblading, they can get from where they live to where they want to go, anywhere in the city, on an active transportation network."
Court Street was chosen as the pilot road because it was a major route –from Boulevard Lake stretching to the Intercity area – and it was the appropriate width, meaning few parking issues.
Krupper said there has been a lot of public demand for safe cycling lanes in Thunder Bay.
"Bike lanes really help in terms of increasing the number of cyclists because they feel safer," he said. "They also feel like they’re legitimized on the road."
He added it also helps drivers who no longer have to worry about cyclists weaving around obstacles now that they have a dedicated lane.
"The other thing is it makes Thunder Bay a more attractive city," he said. "It helps with tourism. It helps with the economy. It helps bring in a younger population and it also helps create a healthier population."
It will take the rest of the week to finish painting the symbols in the lanes and posting new signage along the street and until it’s finished, Krupper is urging everyone to take extra caution when travelling on Court Street.
There are also new parking restrictions on the road. From May 1 to Nov. 14, parking is not allowed in bike lanes and only in the designated parking lane. The Thunder Bay Police Service will be enforcing the new restrictions.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the bike lanes on May 27 and there will be a celebration with a mass cyclist ride starting in the Bay Street area May 29.
