Saskatoon hosts meetings on protected bike lanes

After weeks without public transit in Saskatoon, it’s fair to say that more and more people are now quite familiar with the joys and dangers of cycling in the city.

What other types of infrastructure do we need?- Hilary Gough, Saskatoon Cycles 

Today, one method to make cycling a little safer, protected bike lanes will be the topic of two open house meetings.

This is the second time the city has attempted to launch a protected bike lanes test project to assess their value. The original attempt failed, as business in the downtown raise concerns about parking.

Cyclists hope opposition to lanes has faded 

Hilary Gough, a bike advocate and the co-chair of the board for Saskatoon Cycles, believes things have changed in the city since the first test failed.

“I think the conversation has really shifted from, could we have bike lanes in the city? To where are we going to have bike lanes in the city?" she said.

Two open house meetings will be held today, details on the meetings and the test project itself can be found on the city’s web page under Shaping Saskatoon. 

Gough said she is confident the test project will move ahead this time around. In fact, she thinks people are ready to start dreaming about the future.

The City of Saskatoon hopes to test the protected bike lanes starting in May.