Street parking will be largely eliminated on three of four new bicycle routes proposed for implementation this summer.
"Most of the streets that are recommended for these bike routes – Pine Street, Willow and Queen Street – the majority of those streets already have parking prohibitions," senior city planner Steve Turco said at a public information session Thursday night at the John Rhodes Community Centre.
"There are some sections that have time restrictions. Some sections do allow parking, but with the implementation of cycling routes, we are recommending that the remaining sections that do have on-street parking be removed to accommodate the cycling lanes," Turco told SooToday.
City officials say they analyzed parking utilization rates, parking space alternatives and road widths to determine which spaces should be removed.
The proposed new routes introduced Thursday are:
- Pine Street – Queen Street to Northern Avenue (3.3 kilometres)
- Queen Street – Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club to Dacey Road (3.5 kilometres)
- Willow Avenue – McNabb Street to Northern Avenue (1.4 kilometres)
- Willoughby Street/Wawanosh Avenue – Grandmont Crescent to Pine Street (1.16 kilometres)
The city is proposing that on-street parking still be allowed along the Wawanosh Avenue and Willoughby Street, except for those blocks where it's currently prohibited.
On Pine Street, consideration is being given to allow some parking near the armouries.
"In front of the armouries, there is enough space to allow for on-road cycling facilities and on-street parking in front of the armouries on the west side of Pine Street," Turco said.
"That's something that we're going to investigate further. We're going to see if there are alternatives to accommodate on-street parking, for example, on Ontario Street instead of Pine Street. Our recommended approach is to remove on-street parking, just to remove as many potential conflict zones for motor vehicles and cyclists."
A recommendation regarding the new cycling lanes is expected to be introduced to City Council sometime over the next month or so, Turco said.
If approved, the lanes will be painted this summer.
Anyone with questions or concerns about the new bike routes may contact Turco at 705-759-5279 or s.turco@cityssm.on.ca.