The city could soon be a little easy to get around if you're using crank-and-chain-propelled transportation.
Efforts to make Barrie more friendly to cyclists have taken a big push forward after general committee gave initial approval to have multi-use lanes built into the reconstructed Essa Road interchange. If it receives final approval by council, the city could add bike lanes into the design for its portion of the Essa Road work, as the province prepares for a complete overhaul on the bridge and underpass.
With Highway 400 essentially running like a ribbon through the heart of the city, that makes it a little difficult sometimes for cyclists to get around Barrie and from one side of the highway to the other.
A proposal to have multi-use lanes, mainly used for bicycles, added to a couple of the soon-to-be-built interchanges saw Essa Road likely moving forward with the other, at Dunlop Street, will not.
Robb Meier, chair of the city's active transportation and sustainability committee, told BarrieToday that placing bike lanes at Dunlop Street and the highway was not financially feasible.
“We advocated for the lanes to be added to both Essa and Dunlop, and were told that the Dunlop interchange would be massively expensive,” said Meier.
“In order to add lanes there, it would mean cutting off a significant portion of property of some of the Cedar Pointe businesses," he added. "Understandably, the cost just can’t be met.”
It was decided that lanes at the Anne Street highway crossing and in the Edgehill Drive area are a more direct cycling route from residential areas in the northwest portions of the city to downtown and the waterfront.
As well, the Tiffin Street underpass offers a safer route for cyclists south of Dunlop Street in that area of the city.
Meier says he believes the Essa Road area is crucial, so the committee chose to focus there.
Constructions on the Essa Road interchange is expected to begin in 2022. Along with multi-use lanes, the widening will see Essa Road grow from four lanes to six.
“The plans for Essa Road are big in that stretch of roadway and it is going to look completely different in a decade or so, with many residents moving in to the proposed condos or apartments going in farther down Bradford Street,” he said.
“Essa is going to turn into a main artery for residential transportation and having bike lanes, or multi-use lanes, is key to helping the community move away from single-use vehicles," Meier added.
Morgan Lemen, who has owned Bikeland on Dyment Road for 42 years, says he's glad to hear Essa Road will have some multi-use lanes,
"The Essa Road underpass has been a bottleneck for years, north to south, so that area certainly needs some relief," he said.
The inability to get bike lanes on the Dunlop Street interchange shows there are often valid reasons why they can't be included in a project. But Meier says as long as key areas are dealt with and addressed, the roads can be safer and more environmentally friendly.
“Essa is so treacherous in that stretch, with turns and fast-moving vehicles. It really is a danger spot,” said Meier. “It likely won’t be possible to get multi-use lanes added to every bit of roadway, but if we can do so with some of the more dangerous areas and have them connect to other spots, we can be doing well by those who choose to use them.”
Lemen says anyone using bike lanes also needs to make sure they learn the rule of the road.
“Bike paths on roads can be problematic and need to be engineered well,” he said. “Riders need to adapt and be well educated as to traffic flow. We all need to get along together.
“Separate bike paths are generally recreational use and where most people feel safest, but if we’re looking for alternatives for transportation, then integrating those bike lanes on the road is the best way to do that," he added.
In a staff report from the city's senior infrastructure planning engineer, Ralph Scheunemann outlined some of the 'challenges' that come with installing bike lanes.
"Efforts to make Barrie more bicycling friendly are often challenged by limited space within right-of-way, high volumes of vehicular traffic and overall congestion," Scheunemann said in his report. "Separated cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is typically safer, but there are exceptions depending on the type of cyclist, roadway speed, traffic volumes and the number of intersection/driveway conflicts."
Scheunemann says there are generally two types of cyclists: the commuter cyclists and the recreational bike riders.
"Commuter cyclists generally prefer higher speeds with fewer conflicts particularly with pedestrians. The recreational bike riders generally have more time available and prefer scenic routes with few vehicle conflicts," he said. "Bike lanes or dedicated cycling infrastructure like cycle tracks tend to serve the commuter cyclists needs better and shared off road cycling facilities like multi-use pathways are generally more preferred by the recreational bike riders."
Lemen says he has seen an increase in the purchase of bicycles over the last few years.
“As cities look for alternative transportation options, the bicycle is at the top of the list as far as being environmentally friendly,” he said. “It is certainly growing in the culture and it is great to see girls on BMX bikes. It's nice to see people on e-bikes and it has been great to just see a lot more people using bikes as the way they get around.”
Council's endorsement of a multi-use pathway at Essa Road/Highway 400 may increase the opportunity to receive funding for the capital cost of the multi-use pathway through MTO’s Provincial Cycling Network project, Scheunemann. Without council approval, there would be no opportunity for provincial funding.
The city will become responsible for maintenance of the additional infrastructure, he added. However, the ongoing operating and maintenance costs are considered low, compared to the benefit the city will receive.
City staff are also still working with MTO to develop cost-share agreements for the Essa, Dunlop, Sunnidale and Anne projects.
