Thunder Bay gears up for more bike lanes

Thunder Bay's active transportation coordinator has set his sights on four new bicycle routes in the city.

Adam Krupper is proposing dedicated bike lanes on High Street from Balsam Street to Hillcrest Park, on Leslie Avenue from Arundel Street to Cumberland Street, and on Beverly Street from Winnipeg Avenue to Balmoral Street.

The fourth route Oliver Road from Golf Links to Balmoral would have shared lanes for bikes and other traffic.

Krupper said planning is underway.

"What happens now is the engineering field staff are going to go out and physically measure the road at different sections," he said.

"That will tell us if we can actually physically fit bike lanes in there properly while meeting our standards."

Krupper said the cost of the new lanes has to be estimated as well.

The expansion would connect Current River to the north core and build access for students to get to and from Lakehead University, he added.

"With Beverly and Oliver Road, we're starting to build active transportation routes that can help students connect into the university," Krupper said.

"They are a huge demographic that we need to address."

If council approves, the bike routes will be ready to use this year.