Prince George city council referred a request for bike lane improvements to the city’s Standing Committee on Finance and Audit on Monday, after receiving a request and a 780-signature online petition from Safe Bike Prince George.
Safe Biking Prince George organizer Kyle Ross made the case for better bike infrastructure in a presentation to council on Monday night.
“The current bike lane design is insufficient,” Ross said.
The city’s bike lanes form a disconnected network, which often stops abruptly with little warning, he said. In addition the painted “bike gutters” on the side of the roadways provide no protection from passing vehicles, and a study from 2019 showed that they often result in vehicles passing even closer to cyclists than if there were no bike infrastructure at all, he said.
“(And) vehicles can still park in these lanes,” Ross added.
The current bike lane design works for confident cyclists, but leaves many feeling unsafe to ride, he said.
Ross recommended the city consider installing inexpensive, easily moved barriers such as planters, curbs or plastic posts to designate bike lanes and increase the perception of safety. Such temporary measures are cheaper and quicker to install than more permanent solutions, and can be adjusted as needed.
Clearing snow from bike lanes in winter would also allow people to use bikes year-round, he added.
“The solution won’t be perfect, but it will be better than what we have now,” he said. “These solutions should focus on making biking more accessible for all ages and abilities.”
City director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said the city does follow the recommendations outlined in the B.C. Active Transportation Design Guide.
“There is concerns with the impacts on snow removal,” McIntosh said. “Right now the bike lanes do provide a lot of snow storage.”
Coun. Cori Ramsay put forward a motion to refer the request to the city’s finance and audit committee to discuss the potential of adding a capital budget for bike lane improvements.
“I think you’ve made a good case for improved bike lanes in Prince George,” Ramsay said. “(But) this is not something we can do overnight.”
Coun. Tim Bennett said as a parent, he especially worries about children riding bikes in the city.
“I look forward to a conversation at finance and audit for opportunities to improve our biking infrastructure.”
