Cycling infrastructure in Sudbury has come a long way, but there's room for improvement, say cyclists

Rachelle Niemela has been a lifelong cyclist in Sudbury, but says there are times where she feels uneasy on the roads of the northern Ontario city, despite her years of experience.

"I would say that overall in Sudbury, especially in the last few years, you see a lot more aggressive driving, speeding, honking people tailgating you. And I'm talking as a car driver," she said.

"So as a cyclist, I'm a lot more, well, shall we say, nervous about being on some of the major roads. While the vast majority will give you the proper space and will pass safely. There are others who don't."

Niemela was the past chair of Bike Sudbury, a group that lobbied for better cycling infrastructure across the city, and is currently a member of the Cycling Grannies – a group of older women who go on group rides in Sudbury.

Despite her reservations about biking along some of the city's busier roads, she said Sudbury has come a long way in improving cycling infrastructure over the last decade.

"I have to say that the city staff have been really good. The engineers, the people that I speak to, they believe in this and, and they want to do the good thing," she said.

In 2016, cycling infrastructure was added as a priority when the city updated its transportation plan.

At that time, Sudbury had 30 kilometres of bike lanes and other infrastructure. Today, that has expanded to 150 kilometres. 

That infrastructure ranges from edge lines which are painted white lines along the curbs of neighbourhood streets where vehicle traffic isn't moving too quickly. The space the lines create isn't just reserved for cyclists and can be used by scooters or even wheelchairs.

The next level of cycling infrastructure in Greater Sudbury is dedicated bike lanes with the bicycle symbol. Like edge lines they're denoted by road paint, but are only for cyclists and have an image of a bicycle to identify them. Vehicles also aren't permitted to park along bike lanes.

On busier streets, including the Kingsway, the city has also been building cycle tracks, which are elevated bike lanes, built between sidewalks and the road curb, to provide a physical barrier from cars.

"We hear from residents all the time, they're happy with the cycling infrastructure and we see it in more people using it to get around, whether it's recreational or for, you know, everyday use," said LyAnne Chenier, the city's active transportation co-ordinator.

Niemela said that while the new cycling infrastructure has been a great addition to Greater Sudbury, a lot of it is not interconnected.

The city's budget for new cycling infrastructure has been set at $800,000 a year since the transportation master plan was approved in 2016.

But new cycling infrastructure has also been included as part of major road upgrades, such as improvements to Notre Dame Avenue that included a cycle track to separate cyclists from traffic.

Due to the cost of those improvements, though, they have happened piecemeal to coincide with planned maintenance and upgrades. 

Niemela said the cycle track on Barry Downe Road — another busy Sudbury Street — abruptly ends partway down the road.

"So then what do you do?" Niemela asked. "Do you bike illegally on the sidewalk or do you transition to the road?"

She said the inconsistent biking infrastructure leaves cyclists interacting with vehicles, which makes it more likely for collisions to occur.

Ongoing improvements

Last year, Niemela said a member of the Cycling Grannies was injured when a driver made an illegal left turn and hit her.

"That individual was out for most of the season. And it could have been a lot worse, right?" she said.

Dan Barrette is a longtime cyclist in Sudbury and the former executive director of the Rainbow Routes Association, which maintains a network of walking and bike paths. 

Barrette said he's comfortable cycling along some busier roads, but the new infrastructure built over the last nine years has been especially helpful for newer cyclists.

"I'm thinking of somebody who doesn't do it as often, there's a lot of infrastructure out there," he said.

"And the minute you have infrastructure, you kind of know where you have to be."

Chenier said adding more cycling infrastructure is an ongoing process for the city.

Most recently, new bike lanes were added along Larch Street, in Sudbury's downtown for example.

Chenier added the city is also committed to educating drivers and cyclists about following the rules of the road to ensure safe interactions when sharing that space.