First Bike Lanes on Vaughan Streets will Support Active Transportation
The City of Vaughan will be installing the first dedicated bike lanes on city roads, taking an important step in Vaughan becoming a more cycle-friendly community.
The bikes lanes will run along Napa Valley Avenue near Islington Avenue and Rutherford Road, and on Peter Rupert Avenue, Confederation Parkway, Staffern Drive and North Rivermede Road just west of Dufferin Street and Rutherford Road.
Currently, the only dedicated bike lane in Vaughan is on Dufferin Street, which is a road operated by the Region. The new bike lanes will be the first on the City's road network, enhancing active transportation in these communities and helping to make cycling a more attractive commuting option. Design and implementation of the bike lanes are scheduled for later this year.
As part of the public engagement process, a number of online surveys and public open houses were used to gather information on the cycling needs in the community. Overall, the results indicated residents support dedicated bike lanes on city roads.
The new bike lanes will be installed within the existing roadways to provide one traffic lane and one bike lane in either direction. Motorists will not be allowed to park, idle or drive in the lanes. In areas where on-street permit parking is allowed, markings called “sharrows” – consisting of an image of a bicycle capped by two arrows – will be used to indicate a shared use lane.
City staff will carry out monitoring before and after the installation, including analysis of traffic volumes and speeds, to measure the success of the new bike lanes and to assess future bike lane projects.
For more information, contact Development/Transportation Engineering at 905-832-2281 or email dev-tran-engineering@vaughan.ca.