Protected Bike Lanes

On some streets, a painted bike lane just won't make people feel safe. That's where protected bike lanes come in. When designed properly, protected bike lanes improve safety for all road users, reducing rates of collisions for people walking, cycling and driving while expanding access to active mobility to more people.

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In Collingwood, we're fortunate to have an incredible network of trails that provide an all-ages and abilities cycling experience, so the number of places where a protected bike lane is needed is fairly limited. But if we want to get to a place where cycling is an easy, safe and convenient option for more people, we need to make those investments.

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The Collins-Cameron corridor is one of those places where a painted bike lane isn't good enough. With 3 schools along the corridor, it's vital to provide high-quality cycling facilities. 

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There is also an opportunity to create a high quality route on the 3rd street-Ontario Street corridor through an upgrade of the existing bike lane on Ontario Street to a protected bike lane, and the construction of a separated cycle track on 3rd street when reconstruction occurs. Adding a curb-separated bike lane (a bike lane at the same level as the sidewalk, fully separated from the vehicle lane) is actually cheaper than building the road platform wider to accommodate an on-road bike lane, all while providing a much safer experience for all users. It's a win-win, so let's get it done!