At Tuesday’s meeting, Council will hear how public feedback informed the design of the fourth and final section of the Lake-to-Lake Route and how the City can modify the Martin Street section to respond to feedback received since its installation in 2021.
“The City is taking advantage of the bike route construction to address traffic concerns along South Main. As changes to pedestrian crossings, bus stops, speed limits and parking can affect residents in the area, we wanted to ensure the community had a chance to review what was being proposed and provide local perspectives on the changes,” said JoAnne Kleb, the City’s communications and engagement manager.
More than 200 residents participated in the in-person engagement opportunities and over 500 shared their views on shapeyourcitypenticton.ca. Participants were mostly supportive of recommendations to reduce the speed limit in sections, introduce left-turn lanes on Green Ave, relocate or install pedestrian crossings and add treed boulevards in places along the route. The City also heard concerns about the reduction of street parking in some sections and questions about floating bus stops. For many participants, it was their first time participating in engagement on the Lake-to-Lake Route and there was interest in revisiting the need for the route and the use of curbs to separate cyclists from traffic.
Based on the feedback received, staff made several changes to the draft design including:
Now that the detailed design is complete, the report also seeks support from Council to apply for the BC Active Transportation Fund. The City has previously applied to the Federal Active Transportation program for this section, and the estimated value of the grant (if successful) is approximately $840,000. Should the City be successful with both the provincial and federal programs, the combined grants would be just over $1.3 million of the estimated $2.3 million cost for the final section.
Also at the upcoming meeting, staff will report back on options to declutter the 100 and 200 blocks of the Martin St. section of the route.
Based on feedback from the community that residents dislike the volume of signage and the dezign-line product and would like to see aesthetic improvements, staff are recommending a ‘sign diet’ that will see roughly 40 signs removed from the Martin St. corridor and the elimination of two driveways to reduce crossing conflict. Replacement of the dezign-line product with black bollards, concrete barriers and landscaped planters are proposed to ensure the infrastructure more closely matches that of the downtown revitalization efforts and neighboring investments in patios.
The City met with several businesses along Martin St. as well as with the Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association to review the changes prior to presenting them to Council for endorsement. If approved, $200,000 will be included in the 2023 budget to complete the work. More information about both initiatives is available as part of the agenda package at penticton.ca/council.
The Lake-to-Lake Route is a 6.7 km protected bike lane through the centre of the city intended to make cycling convenient and safe for residents of all ages and abilities. The route was identified following a two-year consultation process. Currently, 3.8 km of the route is complete and 650 metres will be completed in 2023 as part of the Point Intersection project. The final section is planned to start in early 2024. The complete cycling route is estimated to cost up to $8 million. This estimate includes all costs associated with the separated bike lanes, intersection and sidewalk improvements, as well as storm system alterations along the route. To date, the City has received $1 million from the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP), $750,000 from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), $500,000 from a B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant, and used $1.8 million from the Canada Community-Building Fund to offset the costs of the project. This brings the total provincial and federal funding received for the project to $4.05 million, and the City continues to apply for applicable grants as they become available. The project is also eligible to benefit from the Roads & Highways Development Cost Charges Reserve, which has contributed $0.5 million to the route. Once complete, the route will be the spine in the City’s cycling network and a key part of the City’s shift to a complete transportation system that supports all modes of transportation, helps meet environmental objectives and uses infrastructure wisely.