Ottawa - The Laurier Avenue cycling lanes, built to establish a safe bicycle corridor through Ottawa’s downtown, have reached a milestone with two million bike trips since its opening in 2011.
“The Laurier cycling lanes are a proven success, attracting more and more residents who are appreciative of this route through our busy downtown. We frequently see more than 3,000 trips a day along Laurier and there are times when there are nearly as many bikes as there are cars,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “Our residents deserve credit for taking advantage of this important piece of our transportation system, using it as a way to improve personal health and reduce the number of automobiles on the road.”
“The Laurier lanes are now a core part of our Cross-Town Bikeway network, which is being built in the eight central wards to provide safer, continuous cycling facilities,” said Councillor Keith Egli, Chair of the City’s Transportation Committee. “The network was just 25-per-cent complete when the Laurier bike lanes were opened in 2011 as a pilot project. Our plan is for that network to be 71-per-cent complete by the end of this Term of Council, in 2018, which shows the City of Ottawa is serious about making cycling a real transportation alternative for our residents.”
The initial 1.3-kilometre segment of the Laurier cycling lanes has since been extended both eastward and westward and is part of a 12-kilometre-long bikeway connecting Vanier to Westboro. This east-west route is Bicycle Route #2 within the City’s Cross-Town Bikeway network.
On Laurier Avenue West, more than 4,000 bike trips were recorded through the day on Wednesday, June 29. On that day, the bike traffic reached 80 per cent of peak vehicle traffic during the morning rush hour.
The City made major investments in cycling infrastructure totalling $28 million between 2011 and 2014. Plans for further implementing the City’s Cycling Plan between now and 2031 include projects totalling more than $100 million.
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Laurier bike lanes and the growing cycling network in Ottawa
The Laurier Avenue segregated bicycle lanes were opened on July 10, 2011, forming an important part of the City’s east-west cycling network. Since their opening, more than two million bike trips have been counted, including a one-day record of 4,128 riders on June 29, 2016.
- The Laurier bike lanes often attract more than 3,000 cyclists each weekday – more than three times the number of riders that would use the route before the lanes opened.
- Preliminary research indicates that the rate of cyclist collisions along the Laurier Avenue West segregated bike lanes has been reduced by about 35 per cent over the last four years when compared to the four years prior to the segregated bikes lanes being opened.
Cross-Town Bikeway network
The Laurier corridor is part of the Cross-Town Bikeway network, a system of seven bicycle routes designed to provide a safer, continuous path for cyclists in the core area. When complete, the Cross-Town Bikeway network will span 55 kilometres across wards 11-18, with extensions to routes in the east, the south and the west.
- The City plans to have built 71 per cent of the Cross-Town Bikeway network by the end of this term of Council in 2018 (for wards 11-18).
- The Laurier bike lanes are a key element of Route #2, a 12-kilometre cycling facility that connects Vanier to Westboro, and already includes:
- Bike lanes on Laurier Avenue between Colonel By Drive and Elgin Street
- The Nanny Goat Hill multi-use pathway, connecting Laurier Avenue to Albert Street
- Bike lanes on Hemlock Road and improved cycling facilities on the St. Patrick Bridge
- Bike lanes on Scott Street between Churchill Avenue and Smirle Avenue
- Multi-use pathway bypasses at Bayview Station.
- The City has recently opened several new components of the cycling network, including:
- The Max Keeping Bridge (at Coventry Road)
- The Hickory-Adeline Bridge
- The Adàwe Crossing
- Phase 2 of the Trillium multi-use pathway
- Sussex Drive linking existing bike lanes to new ones
- Additional multi-use pathways near the Bayview transit station
- More additions are coming later this year:
- O’Connor Street bikeway
- Mackenzie Avenue bikeway
- Cyrville Road cycling and pedestrian enhancements
- Paved shoulders on MacFarlane Road
- Bike lanes on Beechwood Avenue between Vanier Parkway and Marier Street
- Bike tracks on Main Street
City-wide cycling infrastructure
The City made major investments in cycling infrastructure totalling $28 million between 2011 and 2014. Plans for further improving the City’s cycling network between now and 2031 include projects totalling more than $100 million.
- Bike work stations are being installed at various locations across the City, where cyclists can pump tires and find tools to carry out basic maintenance mid-ride.
- Bicycle parking is available at the majority of Transitway stations outside the downtown core, as well as at many Park and Ride lots.
Ridership
The City’s work to improve the cycling environment has resulted in a 40-per-cent city-wide increase in the number of people traveling by bike between 2006 and 2011.
The 2013 Transportation Master Plan sets a goal of increasing the number of people using bikes from three per cent to five per cent of morning peak period traffic city-wide.
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