Council approves one-metre buffer between motorists and cyclists

Saskatoon motorists will have to give cyclists some space from now on.

During Monday’s council meeting, city council unanimously passed an updated version of the traffic amendment bylaw, requiring motorists to stay at least a metre away from cyclists on single-lane streets.

At the same time, city council chose to defer the drafted bicycle bylaw to July’s council meeting.

The bylaw would have included new laws such as one-metre buffer for pedestrians to cyclists.

Coun. Ann Iwanchuk’s deferral motion passed by a vote of 7-4, with Coun. Cynthia Block, Hilary Gough, Sarina Gersher and Mairin Loewen voting against the motion.

Iwanchuk had concerns regarding a lack of action on feedback from Saskatoon’s business improvement districts, and if youth 13 and under should be riding on the sidewalk — another of the proposed bylaw changes to cycling in Saskatoon.

“There were a number of responses that came back; none of that was incorporated in the bylaw. I wanted city council to have an opportunity to vote based on the information that we received,” Iwanchuk told 650 CKOM Tuesday.

By deferring at its first action, councillors were unable to debate further on the additional amendments to the bicycle bylaw. Gough said that was why she chose to vote against Iwanchuk’s motion.

“We’ve had many reports on this issue over the months, well back into last year. Residents have been engaged in this, lots of stakeholders have been engaged,” she said.

“What I’m concerned about is that we’ll get to July and there will be other items within the bylaw that folks will want to debate and potentially amend, and get new reports on.”

The city’s goal was to have the entirety of the bicycle bylaw made into law by the spring, but will have the opportunity to do so during July’s council meeting.