A momentous occasion for Victoria’s cyclists this week!
This week, Victoria officially opened the longest stretch of continuous protected bike lanes the city has ever seen.
All the way along Fort Street, from Cook Street to Foul Bay Road, the continuous protected bike lanes stretch a total of 2.7 kilometres.
When combined with the rest of downtown’s protected bike lanes, cyclists have a total of 3.9 kilometres of uninterrupted, protected bike lanes.
Along with the new bike lanes, the City implemented some safety enhancements for pedestrians and motorists alike. These changes included road paving, new and upgraded crosswalks, sidewalk upgrades, new trees, new traffic signals, a reduced 40 km/h speed limit, green stormwater management features and more.
The project cost a total of $9.4 million, with $3.6 million coming from federal funds.
“Sometimes, a busy road like Fort can make us feel separated from our neighbours or businesses, but these protected bike lanes and new crosswalks connect people and improve their sense of community,” said Mayor Marianne Alto.
“This route not only serves people working and living on Fort Street, but also commuters from neighbouring municipalities.”
See also:
- Saanich may soon remove bollards from Galloping Goose Trail due to safety concerns
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The City, Province and federal government have all made active transportation a pillar of their efforts in reducing climate change impacts as well as encouraging healthy, active lifestyles.
These new protected lanes may be the factor that helps Victorians have the courage to change their behaviour from commuting by car to being a bike commuter, which is what the City hopes to inspire by expanding its bike lane network.
Statistics show that 13% of all 2022 Victoria residents’ commutes were made by bicycle. This is a huge increase from 9% in 2017.
Minor work will still be taking place along the route, which includes new EV fast-charging stations that will be installed later this year, but the bike lanes are now open to all.
