The City of Kamloops has an ambitious timeline to build bike lanes that connect to both ends of the Xget’tem’ Trail, which connects Sahali to downtown.
Staff are planning to build a dedicated bike lane with a meridian on 6th Avenue, from Columbia Street to Lansdowne Street, as well as a multi-use path on Summit Drive, from Notre Dame Drive to Whiteshield Crescent.
Transportation manager Purvez Irani says the city is applying for a $4-million-dollar grant, which would cover the entire cost.
“If we receive it, then we can accelerate these two projects to this year, to 2021. Very important, in our opinion. If we do get the grant it would be fantastic for our network.”
To allow the 6th Avenue bike lane to proceed, mayor and council have voted to amend the city’s Transportation Master Plan, which originally called for a bike lane being built down 5th Avenue.
Irani says 6th Avenue is better suited for that project, because it’s a wider road that was originally built to connect to the Trans-Canada Highway.
“That plan did not proceed, and what we are left with is a pretty wide right-of-way. So it’s ideal to incorporate bike lanes to this section,” he said, noting the bike lane will be on the east side of 6th Avenue because there are fewer underground utilities compared to the west side.
The city also says there is low traffic volume on 6th Avenue, and building a bike lane would allow traffic to continue without delays despite fewer lanes.
Meanwhile, the multi-use path on Summit Drive was supposed to be built last summer but the project was shelved after the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. The three-metre-wide path will run on the west side of Summit Drive and cross over at the Springhill Drive intersection, then run on the east side of the road to Notre Dame Drive.
“I should also point out we are adding a traffic signal at the Highway 1 on-ramp. That would help for pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross over the on-ramp portion,” Irani says.
Staff are hoping to hear in March whether the grant application is successful, and work would be able to start essentially right away with planning and labour done in-house.
If the application is not successful, Irani says the two projects would be done over five years.
The city has four projects on bike lanes it hopes to complete within three-to-five years , including the two described above. It would make a complete transportation network for bicycles from Aberdeen to Batchelor Heights, connecting with the Xget’tem’ Trail and Rivers’ Trail.
