Lots of consultation still needed on proposed Avenue C bike lane project: Clark

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark says he’s aware of the concerns brought up by many people at Tuesday’s open house regarding a proposed bike lane project on Avenue C.

The proposal would see bike lanes constructed from Spadina Crescent at the river and run all the way to 45th Street out by the airport.

“I understand there’s some concerns about parts of that stretch (and) that (some people) have not felt they’ve had their voices heard — particularly businesses north of Circle Drive — and we really need to make sure, understand, and talk to people about what’s feasible,” said Clark.

Clark admits building infrastructure like bike lanes is challenging and the city still has a lot of work to do before it commits any funding to the project.

“What we’ve learned in this city is that building active transportation infrastructure is challenging,” he stated. “We know it’s controversial and we know we also want to make it safe for people to get around the city. So there’s a lot of work to do there.”

The data being collected by the city right now consists of collecting opinions from an online questionnaire as well as hosting community sessions and stakeholder workshops.

Final recommendations on the project will be brought to council in the fall.

Clark reiterated that the project is still in the early phase and not a single cent of taxpayer dollars has been put towards the construction of it.

“Winter cities across North America have built infrastructure and we know with fat tire bikes, e-bikes and other things, more and more people are using cycling to get around. We want to make it safe for people to get around the city,” Clark said.

“We also want to be smart in the design and make sure it works and that’s the work we’re doing. It sounds like we have more work to do on Avenue C and we’ll take the time to do that.

“There’s nothing in the budget for this year or next year on this. There’s been a direction to try and link different neighbourhoods and work areas throughout the city and this is part of the planning exercise as part of having an active transportation plan.”