New bike path in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Cyclist safety is forefront in building a new bike path through Thunder Bay, Ont. The city is planning to install a new bike route which would run along the old rail line to connect Winnipeg Avenue and Carrick Street, creating a dedicated cycling path between the north end of the city with the southern core. Currently, the route many take is along traffic-heavy Memorial Avenue, which can make for a dangerous morning commute.

The path would run through an area that was damaged by flooding in 2012. The construction is waiting on culvert piping to be installed to make the area safe for cyclists. The culvert is expected to be finished within the next 10 days.

On the new path, city active transportation co-ordinator Adam Krupper told the CBC, “It’s been something engineering and parks have been working at to determine what the best solution is.” He also said safety was a priority. “You have to make sure the lighting is adequate, and that brush is cleared and that there are good sight lines. Safety is always an issue. It’s on the queue and they’re expecting to get it done fairly soon.”

Krupper did note that although the city hopes the path can alleviate bike traffic on Memorial Avenue, it won’t be possible to completely divert cyclists; a lot of destinations the commuters are trying to reach are located on Memorial. He is working to keep the bike commuters on Memorial Avenue safe.