Say Yes! to Richardson and Haultain Bike Routes

Update – April 2021: Council has now approved the 2021 budget plan, with a last minute attempt to remove Richardson from the plan defeated 6-3 (Mayor Helps and councillors Alto, Dubow, Isitt, Loveday, Potts voting to keep Richardson moving). Staff indicated the construction is likely to go to tender in a few weeks, so late May.

Update: Council has approved these plans and they are now in the 2021 financial plan. Construction will likely take place in 2021.

At long last the designs for all the 2020 bikeway projects, Richardson, Haultain, Government St North and Kimta, are headed to Victoria council this week and now is the time to say yes!

What’s changed?

Richardson is now All Ages and Abilities Route! The city is no longer pursing an “advisory bike lane”, changing it to a truly AAA shared bikeway with 500-1000 cars per day. Huge thanks to City of Victoria staff listening to your concerns and changing course.

Otherwise there are a few small tweaks elsewhere but nothing as big as Richardson. This leaves a few things that aren’t perfect, such as the gap between Kings St and Government, a lack of bike-traffic signals on Government St, and traffic circles on Haultain St, but all can be fixed after construction as needed.

What will be built?

A lot! There are four complete corridors up for approval this week: Richardson, Haultain, Government St North and Kimta Rd/E&N Rail Trail. Combined with the Vancouver St and Harbour Rd construction tender which just went out last month and the under-construction Dallas Rd Pathway, there are almost 25 km of AAA or near-AAA bikeway in the city.

• Haultain/Kings and Richardson will be built as shared streets with extensive traffic calming
• Government St north will be one-way protected bike lanes on each side of the road
• Kimta/E&N will be a two-way protected bike lane from Songhees to Catherine St, then a trail connecting to the Esquimalt Rd intersection

You can see full designs on the City of Victoria’s website.

Dallas Rd path is nearly complete

The Dallas Rd pathway is nearly done but with it comes a small change due to COVID-19. Imagined as a bike-only space, the pathway will remain multi-use for the near future to allow physical distancing for those walking in the area

Live in Oak Bay? Say yes to your council too!

Both Haultain and Richardson will make life better to bike into Victoria if you live in Oak Bay. But We know some who currently drive along both streets, especially Richardson, will oppose this plan to both Victoria and Oak Bay councils.

Approved! If you’d like to volunteer for future efforts, add your name below: