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City creating bike lanes in Tsawwassen, looking at more

City staff anticipate that the new cycling lane will be well received by the public
tsawwassen new bike lanes
The formal cycling lane will be facilitated without further widening of the road.

Delta council has approved a staff recommendation to install cycling lanes on 12 Avenue between Hunter Road and Boundary Bay Road.

The cycling lanes will be established within the existing road pavement width, using new line painting and installation of protective bollards in key locations.

Buffered cycling lanes provide additional separation between the bicycle lane and the motor vehicle travel lane by way of an additional white longitudinal line that runs parallel to the bicycle lane, according to staff.

“The new cycling lanes will join up with the existing cycling lanes on Boundary Bay Road that connect cyclists to the regional park, Southlands and the Boundary Bay community. Installation of the cycling lanes will not impact the bus stops along 12 Avenue; however, on-street parking will no longer be available on 12 Avenue through this corridor,” a report notes.

Parking is available at the east end of 12 Avenue at the park access, the report adds, noting it has been reinstated following the completion of the new pump station and reopening of the dike trail.

“From the Cycling Master Plan public consultation earlier this year, majority of the respondents identified cycling more since the start of the pandemic. Respondents also noted that one of the top barriers to cycling is the lack of dedicated, on-street cycling lanes, and one of the top ways to encourage more cycling is to fill in the gaps in the cycling network and provide more on-street cycling lanes,” the report states.

Engineering director Steven Lan said the city is also looking at the possibility of installing physical barriers to separate cyclists and motorists.

Staff will also continue to review opportunities to extend the 12 Avenue cycling lanes through the town centre core to English Bluff Road, however, there’s challenges with that idea including on-street parking, turning lanes and the narrower road width.

Lan said a report will be coming back to council on a potential extension by early next year.