Bridges are unavoidable and…

Bridges are unavoidable and unfortunately, often the most unsafe part of my bike rides. Given that there are so few of them, all bridges should prioritize the safety of the most vulnerable users (pedestrians and cyclists). We need safe options to get across bridges and overpasses. A key test should be "Would I bike this with my kid?" This applies to both provincial and city infrastructure. Belfast Road and Booth Street in Ottawa are recent examples of overpasses that fail to accommodate cyclists. Bank Street Bridge and Billings Bridge are two other key connections that fail to provide a safe space for cyclists in Ottawa.

Funding should prioritize segregated bike lanes and cycle tracks in the city. The Ministry should provide cities (and itself) best practices for protected bike lanes and protected intersections. While, converted rail beds in rural areas are nice, city infrastructure will see the most users. Let's invest where the money will have a positive daily impact on the most users.

Another key consideration is providing safe cycling infrastructure that connects. Too often, projects are limited to a street or part of a street and leaves the user hanging in an unsafe intersection with nowhere to go. People on bikes need true networks.

Few kids in Canada bike to school. We must make our streets safe so that kids (and their parents) can choose active transportation and be healthier. Measures could include: segregated bike infrastructure near school, lower speed limits on residential streets, other traffic calming initiatives that prioritize cyclists, car-free zones near schools as has been done in other countries.

We should encourage the winter maintenance of cycling infrastructure within cities.

The Ministry should make it easier to implement cross-rides. The cities and province seem to have difficulties putting those in.

Covered but not secluded bike parking at transit stations would encourage multi-modal trips.

[Original Comment ID: 202377]