BY OLIVIA TIMM
PETERBOROUGH-Sue Suave, Transportation Demand Management Planner for the City of Peterborough, said that with the update of the Cycling Network, “We expect to have a 30% reduction in all types of collisions.”
Over the last four years, Suave says the Cycling Network has increased by 21 kilometers.
“To get to the approved network, we will have 183 kilometers of bikeway infrastructure,” said Suave. The infrastructure Sauve is talking about consists of on-road facilities such as cycling lanes, protected cycling lanes, trails on the side of the as well as providing off-road facilities such as multi-use trails, Suave said. As more cycling came to the City, Suave says based on the Cycling Network’s Implementation Plan (shown below), you can see “the lines start to join to each other, and that’s what we’re looking for is a network that is connected.”
She says that there are parts of the city that do not have biking infrastructure and that her team is working to try and provide more facilities in the south and west end in response to that.“We have 29 kilometers of multi-use trails. 21 kilometers of these are paved and are plowed in the winter. Peterborough is now recognized as being a progressive city for active participating in the wintertime.”
In terms of what is on the roads in Peterborough today, Suave told council there is:
-12 kilometers of shared use pathways along roads
-31 km of cycling lanes and almost 12 km of those are protected ones.
Peterborough also has wayfinding signage that allows bikers to find their way around.
Coun. Vassiliades asked, “How do we compare when it comes to our cycling network?”
Suave said she is not aware of an existing comparison between similar municipalities.
