Cyclists will soon be able to ride on new bike lanes along Stonehenge Drive.
The long-delayed new cycling project, which was approved by the previous Hamilton council, began in early November and covers 2.5 kilometres from Southcote Road to Stone Church Road.
According to Danny Pimentel, the project manager, the bike lanes are “nearing completion.” He said that additional pavement markings will be added to Stonehenge, and signal work is expected to be finished at Stone Church and Stonehenge.
The project, which had been scheduled to be installed in 2021, includes buffered cycling lanes on Stonehenge Drive by removing the majority of on-street parking. Two short segments of on-street parking have been preserved at Meadowlands to Raymond, where about 10 spots will remain and east of Cloverleaf Drive, where nine spaces have been left. Residents north of Raymond Road can access on-street parking on local roads including Joshua Avenue and Cloverleaf Drive. The buffering includes flexible posts with buffered lanes at major intersections.
The cost of the project is about $80,000, but is also “subjected to final quantities,” said Pimentel.
Transportation staff say the bike lanes will “allow east-west connection across the Meadowlands neighbourhood” providing a safer environment for cyclists to travel to schools, recreation activities, businesses and other bike lanes along Southcote, Kitty Murray Lane, Golf Links Road, Garner Road and along Stone Church Road.
“This is a really important project,” said Coun. Craig Cassar, the ward representative who is also a cyclist and supporter of the city’s multi-model transit plan.
He said the bike lanes will allow cyclists to travel from Stone Church through the Meadowlands to Southcote Road, and on to the new multi-use path between Garner Road and Highway 403 that is projected to open in November.
He said in the future bike lanes are planned for Golf Links Road and Scenic Drive, allowing cyclists to connect to the Chedoke Radial Trail to downtown Hamilton.
The city had budgeted about $3.3 million in 2023 for new cycling infrastructure totalling about 35 kilometres and involving 17 projects across the city. There are seven other projects planned for the design phase in 2023, with implementation scheduled for 2024. One of those design projects is painting cycling lanes on 4.8 kilometres along Kitty Murray Lane from Golf Links Road to Garner Road.
Hamilton also received additional funding of about $10.5 million for 2023 to 2033 from other levels of government.
In 2022, Hamilton spent nearly $6 million on cycling infrastructure, with the city’s portion just over $2 million.
Over the last five years $15 million has been invested in cycling infrastructure, with 62 per cent of the funding from the city and 38 per cent from other levels of government.
The city’s cycling master plan proposes that the city will have 970 kilometres of bike lanes, cycle tracks, and multi-use paths by 2031. About 58 per cent of the cycling network has been completed with 42 per cent remaining, say staff.
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