Saskatoon to keep bike lanes snow-free: reports

Rest easy, Saskatoon winter riders. Throughout the winter, protected bike lanes across the city will be regularly maintained, reports say, with snow routinely blown and trucked away.

At least that’s what the city is promising, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix reports.

The city’s pledge to keep bike lanes free of snow drifts follows a social media controversy earlier this week, in which the city was criticized for shoveling snow from city hall’s sidewalk directly into the 23rd Street bike lane, one of Saskatoon’s new protected lanes. Though the outcry was pronounced, city staff quickly directed contractors to remove the snow from the lanes, with a promise that 23rd Street — and other routes through the city — would have their lanes cleared of snow just as promptly going forward.

Within 24 hours of the declaration of a snow event, reports say — defined as any time five or more centimetres of the white stuff comes down — city staff will mobilize, getting lanes clear again for winter riders. City cycling advocates, too, are more than willing to work with city hall to iron out any kinks in the process. According to a representative from Saskatoon Cycles, the city’s attention to the condition of bikes lanes could get more people riding, confident that the streets are safe to do so.

“It’s only the second snow of the season,” said Sean Shaw, speaking with the Star-Phoenix, “and we’re quite happy and willing to give the city time to figure out what the process will be to get those bike lanes cleared. It increases the safety factor for everyone involved if that priority is made for bike lanes.”

The new 23rd Street bike lane is the first installation of the city’s protected lane project, opened last summer. Other lanes are expected to open on Fourth Avenue in 2016.