Coronation Avenue in Duncan could soon have bike lanes from Ypres Street to Trunk Road.
At a council meeting on March 7, the City of Duncan approved a staff recommendation to add $15,000 from the city’s budget for 2022 to design the bike lanes, which is the first step in a grant application to the BC Active Transportation grant program to help fund the construction of the lanes that is expected to be made this spring or summer.
A conceptual design of the bike lanes must be completed as part of the grant application.
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Brian Murphy, Duncan’s director of public works and engineering, said the city is currently conducting a Transportation and Mobility Strategy and, while that project is still in progress, the installation of bike lanes on Coronation Avenue has already been identified as one of the highest priority active transportation projects in the city.
“If the city completes a conceptual design of the bike lanes, the city would be positioned to apply for grant funding once the applications open, and the estimated costs for the conceptual design is $15,000,” Murphy said.
“If council is supportive of the ultimate construction project moving forward, additional funds would need to be added to the 2022 budget for the city’s portion of the project before a grant application is completed. The required amount will not be known until the conceptual design and costing are complete, but the funding is anticipated to be two-thirds grant and one-third city funds.”
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Murphy said the conceptual designs, costing, and proposed funding for the grant application would be presented to council for approval prior to the submission of the application to the BC Active Transportation grant program.
Coun. Tom Duncan said he supports funding the design project, but he hopes the completed design will call for separated bike lanes from the vehicular traffic on Coronation Avenue for the protection of the cyclists.
Murphy said separated bike lanes is an option for the project.
“In the end, it’s a question of cost and the prospects of success of the grant application, but it’s very likely the design will call for separate bike lanes,” he said.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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