Oakville nearing completion on first fully protected bike lanes on Speers Road

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Published June 17, 2021 at 2:34 pm

1140-bikelane

Oakville cyclists will soon have their own lane on Speers Road.

The town’s first fully protected bike lanes are expected to be ready for use by the end of this month with Phase One of the Speers Road construction project, between Third and Fourth Line, nearing completion.

The bike lanes, which run one-way on both sides of Speers Road and are separated from traffic by concrete curbs and painted buffers, will make it easier and safer to bike along the major connector road.

The design of the lanes align with Oakville’s Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP).

“Launching Oakville’s first on-road protected bike lanes is a great stride forward in building a cyclist-friendly and pedestrian-friendly environment,” Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. “It’s part of our commitment to Oakville’s Active Transportation Master Plan and the Community Energy Plan to make active transportation a viable and convenient option for getting around town.

“It’s one more way we’re making a more livable Oakville.”

A unique shared transit stop won’t require buses to pull into the bike lane when picking up or offloading passengers.

Buses will stop at a raised green transit platform, while cyclists will stop behind the white “shark’s teeth” line when a bus arrives.

Here’s how to use the shared protected bike lane/transit stops.

If you are cycling:

  • slow down as you approach the raised transit stop
  • if a bus pulls up to the raised platform, come to a complete stop behind the white “shark’s teeth” pavement markings to allow passengers to board or exit the bus
  • be prepared for buses lowering and raising the accessible ramp into the bike lane for transit customers to board or exit the bus
  • after passengers have boarded and exited the bus and the doors have closed, you may proceed

If you are using transit:

  • wait for your bus behind the tactile surfaces on the transit stop platform. Do not wait in the bike lane
  • once the bus has pulled up to the raised transit stop, look for any oncoming cyclists
  • if there are no cyclists, or if the cyclists have stopped, you are safe to cross the bike lane and proceed onto the bus
  • if you are getting off the bus, make sure to look right for any oncoming cyclists before you cross the bike lane to the sidewalk

If you are driving a car:

  • always yield to cyclists and pedestrians
  • pay special attention and look for cyclists when turning left or right at an intersection or into a business or parking area

 The Town is also making improvements for pedestrians on this section of Speers Road as well, including two new pedestrian signals, new sidewalks, upgraded street lighting, new traffic signals at Third Line and Fourth Line intersections and the widening and rehabilitation of 14 Mile Creek bridge. 

Phase Two of the reconstruction will see extended protected bike lanes added on Speers Road between Fourth Line and Dorval Drive, beginning in 2022.

For more information, or to see a how-to video, visit oakville.ca/residents/cycle-walk-oakville.html.

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