Waterloo considers bike-friendly uptown makeover

Waterloo city council is considering installing separated bike lanes along a major route, making the trip along King Street in uptown a little bit easier.

Not surprisingly, groups such as Waterloo Bikes, a local advocacy group, have enthusiastically rallied behind the decision. “Each road user has their own space on the road and it’s going to make it better for all users,” said Graham Roe, a member of the organization, pointing out in an interview the benefits will extend not only to cyclists, but pedestrians and motorists, too.

The plan, in its essentials, calls for segregated bike lanes to be installed on both sides of King Street, along the stretch between Erb and Central Street in the heart of uptown. The east side of the street would feature a line 1.5-m wide, as well as space for on-street car parking, while the west side would have a 1.8 m-wide bike lane. Sidewalks, meanwhile, would be widened to 4 m, while the west side would also see the removal of 22 parking spots—opening up more space for cyclists. Ultimately, King Street would be reduced from the current four lanes to two, each 3.8 m wide, with a few left-hand turn lanes.

The increased width of the sidewalks means good things for everyone, Roe said. “There’s going to be more space for people,” he added, speaking to the CBC, “so I think it will be nice to linger in some of those sections of uptown, where the sidewalk is right on the road.”

It’s part of the ongoing uptown redesign in which Waterloo is currently investing, and it could be changed going forward. These segregated lanes, reportedly, could be extended from Central Street to University Avenue. Environmental assessments are currently underway, with the results scheduled to be presented before Region of Waterloo council in June.