Victoria’s civic bike project, “Biketoria,” plans to overhaul eight downtown routes in the B.C. capital

The City of Victoria, says mayor Lisa Helps, has one objective when it comes to developing local bike infrastructure: to make the beautiful British Columbia capital “the best small cycling city in the world.” And city councillors are ready to uncork a cool $7.75 million out of its $9 million in federal gas tax reserves to make it happen.

Victoria’s vision for expanding local cycling, appropriately, is called “Biketoria.”

“It’s about creating a city where everybody, no matter what their age and ability, can get around in a
very low-barrier way,” she said, her tone enthusiastic — even “pumped,” to use the words of the Victoria Times-Colonist — about her city’s bold initiative. “Even older people who drive might be willing to cycle if they are physically separated from vehicle lanes. It’s good for cars, it’s good for bikes and it’s good for pedestrians.”

To achieve this, the city plans to overhaul several major routes throughout the city, all of which were selected include an equal number of east-west and north-south routes — eight corridors in all, and four in each category. The bike-friendly makeover will begin with a revising of Pandora Avenue, a strip whose business were described by the city’s mayor, herself an avid, veteran rider, as “very supportive” of the plan. After all, twelve bikes, Helps said — not to mention the economic potential of their riders — could git into the same parking space as a single car. “You actually get more customers in front of your shop when they bike there rather than when they drive,” she added.

On Pandora, the first protected lane under the new plan will be constructed, taking the form of a two-way cycling route connecting Cook and Store streets — the first of its kind in Victoria. The plan, the Times-Colonist reported, is to lay it down along the north side of Pandora, separated from the flow of traffic with an attractive arrangement of planters and other features — not to mention parked cars.

The others, officials say, are open to public consultation as the plan moves forward. As on Pandora, the plan would result in decreased car parking, but greatly increased space for riders to park their bikes. The routes that would receive separated bike lanes, categorized by direction, are:

North-South

East-West

The network of bike routes, said a spokesperson for the city, echoing Helps, is designed to streamline the act of getting around for everyone — cyclists, motorists and pedestrians — regardless of their mode of transport. Overall, however, the priority is simple: to bring Victoria in line with a strategy that has cycling at its heart. “The corridor network,” said spokesperson Michelle Harris, “is meant to encourage more people to cycle more often, while minimizing impacts to transit, motorists and parking.”

While subject to changes based on public feedback, the finished design is expected to be presented to city council in early 2016, with an anticipated completion date for the project of November 2018.