Nechako Bike Lane Request Back Before Council
Prince George, B.C.- It is bike to work week, and bike lanes on North Nechako Road, from Foothills to the City limit, will be the focus of attention at Prince George City Council this evening.
The Concerned Citizens of North Nechako Road, will be making a presentation to Council , calling for paved shoulders/bike lanes on North Nechako Road.
The request is not new, it was first made in 1990. At that time, the residents presented a petition bearing 800 names. This time, they will be presenting a petition with more than 1200 signatures.
Later in the meeting, staff will be presenting their report on bike lanes for North Nechako Road.
They will be presenting 3 scenarios:
Shared Lane: $898,800.
Paved Shoulder: $4.7 million
Multi Use Trail: $747,630.
As was the case in the discussion of extending the yellow stairs to the top of Connaught Hill, this matter has come forward because Council asked for further information on the proposed idea during budget discussions last fall.
Comments
Mulit use trails are a joke; they always get taken over by one special interest group who then seem to lord over it. Take the Cranbrook Greenway trail for example. It’s a great trail if you like dodging horse crap.
What about a shuttle bus?
I live on that road. It’s a great place to ride your bike but it’s really dangerous because of the traffic, walkers, riders and runners.
This is not a safe town to bike in. Drivers see red just looking at them. 10 years from now you are going to see a lot more bikes on the road like it or not. The more bikes on the road the more years you can plunk your butt behind the wheel.
From my reading of the report and the multi use trail is a non starter due to private property/right of way issues. Shared lane means no change, just re-pave as planned. The only really acceptable option is the paved shoulder which has been promised for 20 years.
The report runs up the cost of this option to discourage it. I believe it will cost less than anticipated and paving the shoulders will reduce future maintenance costs by reducing the incidents of the road bed breaking up from the margins as it does now. The planned paving is only a portion of North Nechako Road, so the $4.7 million cost indicated in the report is for the whole road, not just the current road work.
Hart Hwy is really bad for riding bike
some places there is no shoulder and no place to go. It can be a hazard for both bikes and cars.
There are only two (2) really hazardous spots on the hart.
The south bound narrow blind corner across from Noranda Road (Raven Truck accessories). Any cyclist staying within the rules of the road is at risk of being smoked by a loaded logging truck, or truck with camper or RV.
The other is the south bound lane downhill from the scales. There is NO pedestrian/bike lane around that narrow corner.
The only safe way to come down the Hart on a bike is to travel on the pedestrian walkway that starts At the Hart Wheel Inn, then end at the Brothers Inn.
There needs to be a proper bike lane added on the southbound side of the Hart.
I have been on the North Nechako with a bike. It is a little unnerving, but no where near as scary for cyclists and motorists alike as the two places on the Hart.
Posted by: lildigger on May 26 2014 8:10 AM
What about a shuttle bus?
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Defeats the point of riding. The best part about the ride in to town via north nechako is the north nechako stretch. No lights, very few side streets to worry about and no parked cars to dodge.
Maybe a designated bike lane over the Nechako bridges and a designated lane on the Simon Fraser Bridge. Just to let them know you’re serious. Ask city council to bring Mayor Bicycle up here from Vancouver to convince the nay sayers and questioning rubes in this ‘burg.
And the city cannot find a small amount to fix Masich Stadium……………..compared to this cost and the amount of people using the stadium compared to the biking in the Nechako area?
I am sure the people that amalgamated into the city like the Hart and Haldi people are really impressed when they still do not have paved roads.
Would not blame the Haldi people for wanting to leave the city.
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