Bike lanes approved for Benton and Frederick corridor

Regional councillors have passed a plan to put in bike lanes along the Benton Street and Frederick Street corridor between Courtland Avenue and Lancaster Street in Kitchener.

The lanes would be in place on Benton from Courtland Avenue East to Charles Street and on Frederick from Weber Street to Lancaster Street. The middle section from Charles to Weber would be tackled at a later date, connecting the area to the Downtown Kitchener Cycling Grid.

The approved plan is set to roll out in two phases.

Phase 1 would have bike lanes simply painted on the roadway by next year.

Phase 2 would see physically separated bike lanes installed with either street lights and/or a concrete barrier put in by 2032.

Most of the feedback received so far has been positive, though only 127 people responded to a public survey on the plan. Of those respondents, 80 per cent were in favour of the plan, which most of whom live, commute, or work in the area.

A handful of delegates in support of the plan, also spoke to a regional committee earlier this month.

They note however, they would have liked to see those physically separated lanes put in much much sooner than 2032, stressing the painted lanes aren’t good enough, and most cyclists still wouldn’t feel comfortable using the area with no barrier to vehicular traffic.

The report explains more design and consultation work is needed for those lanes, making the process longer.

The cost of resurfacing the area and painting the bike lanes would ring in around $1.6 million.

Those oppose to the project have concerns about the loss of free on-street parking, and potential traffic jams with the lanes in the area cut down to two lanes, from four.

For the parking issue, the regional report notes, “alternate parking options are available to accommodate the displaced vehicles, including the parking garage at the corner of Benton Street and Charles Street with 500 parking spaces.”

As far as traffic flow through the area, the report says around 6,300 to 10,900 vehicles drive along the Benton and Frederick corridor per day, which is manageable for a two-way cross-section.