A bike lane on the winding and steep Albert St. is being accelerated by city councillors. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

share the road

$1.3M bike lane for Albert St., further pedestrian infrastructure included in 2021 budget

Dec 15, 2020 | 7:17 PM

NANAIMO — Significant funding for a new bike lane and infrastructure to make Nanaimo streets safer is now included in the upcoming budget.

Councillors voted in favour of approving $1.3 million for a bike lane on Albert St. and increasing the funds dedicated for pedestrian infrastructure from $300,000 to $1 million.

Both funds will be taken from reserves and won’t impact the 2021 property tax increase.

Coun. Ben Geselbracht said the bike lane is needed to create a minimum grid of bike lanes and cycling infrastructure.

“What we’re asking for is not a lot…not bike paths all over the place. The minimum grid to allow people to go from VIU to the downtown to the hospital area safely. That’s important to me, that anybody has proper access.”

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Geselbracht said investing in bike lanes now will pay off significantly in the future as people turn to e-bikes as a method of getting around Nanaimo’s difficult hills.

“If we don’t invest now and set up this minimum grid we’re going to miss out.”

The bike lane on Albert St. wasn’t to be created for several years but was brought forward by coun. Tyler Brown during ongoing budget discussions.

Bill Sims, general manager of engineering and public works, said creating the bike lane on the twisting and winding portion of Albert St. near Pine St. will pose many problems.

“The Albert St. transportation corridor is quite complex. It’s narrow, especially where it crosses the catstream and climbs the hill. There’s challenges with slope and that’s what’s really driving the cost.”

The bike lane down Albert St. towards Wallace St. is expected to be painted lines on the side of the road without barriers.

Similar bike lanes criss-cross through the evolving Harewood neighbourhood.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong said she’d be in favour of the money from reserves being spent elsewhere.

“We’ve had people in this community waiting for sidewalks for 30 years and their projects keep getting bumped down and down. To say that we feel Albert St. is far more important than sidewalks in certain parts of the community where kids are walking on the road, to me isn’t right.”

The Albert St. bike lane project was passed with Armstrong, coun. Ian Thorpe and Jim Turley opposed.

Coun. Zeni Maartman had previously voted against the Albert St. bike lane but had a change of heart.

Coun.Thorpe was the only one to oppose increasing funding for pedestrian infrastructure.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt