@capitalbikeca
@capitalbikeca
@capitalbikeca
This Monday, July 17th, Oak Bay is finally talking bike lanes again! We need your voice to let them know – it is time to get building. But their plans aren’t good enough, so tell them they need to commit to a good definition of All Ages and Abilities, a AAA network and plan to build that network.
Staff are recommending that council approve the plan and start design on two neighbourhood bikeways – Estevan-Haultain and Henderson Rd South, but we think they can do better.
What are the problems?.
Our three big concerns are as follows:
- Lack of definition of All Ages and Abilities (AAA)
- Lack of defined AAA network
- Lack of urgency in building out network
There’s also no mention of the removing the part-time status of the Henderson Rd or Cedar Hill X Rd bike lanes, no building plans beyond the two initial bikeways, no budget associated with any of it and no education or encouragement. All in all, very disappointing.
Especially disappointing is that we presented our Cycling Roadmap (PDF) to Oak Bay council in March this year and yet none of it made it into the draft plan.
You can read the full report here on the Oak Bay website (PDF) and if you want to compare, we’ve uploaded the old 2011 ATS on our website.
What do we want to see?
With these concerns in mind, we have a set of recommendations for Oak Bay Council:
- Direct staff on a modified version of Recommendation 2
- Start detailed design of the Haultain-Estevan bikeway built to the proposed AAA standard below,Replace the Henderson South bikeway with a Cadboro Bay Rd protected bike lane
- Send the revised ATS out for public consultation with the following additions:
- A definition of AAA that meets or exceeds the approved CRD definition. We suggest a definition below
- A draft AAA network – we recommend using the full 2011 bike network as a basis
- A draft prioritization of network links, again using the 2011 ATS bike network. We have suggested an initial prioritization below
- Speed limit reductions on major and minor roads within Oak Bay, to 40 km/h on all major roads and 30 km/h on all minor roadsAdd routes & notes from Safe Routes to Schools documents
- Restored & expanded sections on bike parking, encouragement and education
- Direct staff to bring back a bylaw by the end of 2023 to remove the part-time status on both Henderson Rd and Cedar Hill X Rd
Our proposed AAA definition
The current draft ATS lacks a definition of All Ages and Abilities, but thankfully the CRD recently adopted a definition for the region. We suggest that Oak Bay adopt the CRD’s with the following changes:
| Roadway Type | CRD | Our suggested changes |
| Major Roads | Protected Bike Lane | Separated signal phases for 150 cars/day when turning |
| Minor Roads (no centre line or single lane one-way) | Shared or Advisory Bike Lane Less than 1000 cars/day or 50 cars/hour 30 km/h or less | Lower threshold to 500 cars/day Remove advisory bike lane |
| Off-Street | Trail, separated when busy | Required paved and lit, separated when users are more than 1000/day |
Suggested Network Phasing through 2027
We’ve put together a suggested network phasing through 2027, feel free to copy or amend as you feel
2023: Design Haultain-Estevan bikeway and Cadboro Bay Rd protected bike lane
2024: Construct Haultain-Estevan and Cadboro Bay Rd protected bike lane, design Henderson bikeway
2025: Construct Henderson bikeway, design Oak Bay Ave protected bike lane
2026: Construct Oak Bay Ave protected bike lane (joint with city of Victoria), Design Foul Bay/Henderson protected bike lane
2027: Construct Foul Bay/Henderson protected bike lane
How can you help?
- Send an email to Oak Bay council – obcouncil@oakbay.ca (before noon on Monday) with your concerns
- Speak at Oak Bay council to ask for better bike lanes – you can call in or come in person
- Share this post!
Coda: Just how bad is Oak Bay in building?
Oak Bay has the unique record in the region as having built the least of the 11 larger municipalities in the past decade. Not only have Oak Bay’s neighbours built out extensive networks, but all municipalities around Oak Bay’s size have bolder active transportation plans and are building more. Even Sidney, whose council recently removed most of the bold moves for their draft ATP, has still built more than Oak Bay. Below we have outlined a few projects by neighbouring and peer municipalities.
Neighbours
While both Saanich and Victoria are building extensive networks, here are a few select projects that directly impact Oak Bay residents
Victoria – built Richardson, building Fort St protected bike lane
Saanich – building Shelbourne protected bike lane, built Midgard intersection
UVic – built south and west-side campus trails, designing major works with Federal grant funds
Similar Sized Municipalities
All the below projects are funded through municipal funds or grants, with either no or very small amounts of development funding
Central Saanich: Designing Wallace Rd bike lane, designing Central Saanich Rd & Mt Newton X Rd pathways, designing Saanichton Village bike lane – all planned for 2024 construction
Colwood: Designing Ayde Rd/Metchosin bikeway, designing Metchosin Rd bike lane
Esquimalt: Building Tililcum/Lampson protected bike lane, reduced all speed limits in municipality to 40 km/h on major roads & 30 km/h on minor streets
North Saanich: Building Macdonald Park Rd Trail
Sidney: Recently rebuilt West Side Pathway with lighting, designing Bowerbank Rd bikewayS
