City council said yes, then no to temporary protected bike lanes that cyclists call 'critically important'

Potholes, uneven concrete and large city buses whizzing down University Avenue West are all reasons some cyclists continue to push for protected bike lanes along that stretch of road.

Advocates are now asking city council to reverse its decision to turf separated bike lanes in the west end, a temporary plan many view as a needed safety measure.

"If we care about people today that temporary bike lane was critically important today," said Lori Newton, executive director of Bike Windsor-Essex.

During budget discussions earlier this year, council voted unanimously to halt the $1-million temporary project and put that money toward a massive $53 million redesign of University Avenue West. It would have seen protected bike lanes erected from Huron Church Road to Crawford Avenue until a permanent solution could materialize.

But Newton calls that decision "appalling" and wants council to reverse it.

"You spend $1 million now on facilities on our streets to ensure the safety of the people who are using those streets now because we care about them," said Newton. "There is no date for that permanent solution. Is it a decade? Is it two decades?"

A city spokesperson tells CBC News that it could take up to 10 years, depending on the availability of funding, for the entire stretch of University Avenue West to be reconstructed. That's from Huron Church Road to McDougall Avenue.

It was a group of young advocates with the Windsor-Essex Youth Climate Council that proposed the separated bike lane pilot project in 2021. The previous council approved it before it was sidelined during the 2023 budget deliberations.

"It was definitely a lot of disappointment. We spent a lot of time and energy on this," said Sofie Waters, current vice president of the Windsor-Essex Youth Climate Council. "I think it would be a great thing for the city and it would show that we're committed to working on bike infrastructure and active transportation."

The youth climate council said there were many "cheap, easy ways" to install protected bike lanes. Other municipalities use bollards, flower planters and even cones.

There are currently painted bike lanes along University Avenue West, connecting the downtown core to Huron Church Road. Ward 2 Fabio Costante says he often uses those very bike lanes to commute to his law office on that road.

When it comes to active transportation and cycling infrastructure, Costante admits "we have a long way to go."

However, economically he said it made more sense to apply the money allotted for a temporary solution into plans for a permanent fix.

"Let's first do the road re-construction and then put up the protected bike lanes so it's not to rip them a part within a year's time of installing them and do it properly from the beginning," said Costante. "We're pressing pause so we can do the road reconstruction, do it right."

The young cycling advocates who proposed the protected bike lanes point out that "these are pop ups."

"These are just things in the road. I don't think it would have taken that much time to take them out," said Jana Jandal Alrifai, current president of the Windsor-Essex Youth Climate Council. "Genuinely, I don't think the City of Windsor is unable to find $1 million — if that is the actual number — to put up things in the road to make sure safety for both drivers and cyclists."

She also said the infrastructure could have been taken out and used as a pop up in other areas of the city.

Still, there's skepticism about how long a permanent solution will take to fully finish. In the meantime, Newton said that road is dangerous for cyclists and that it's disappointing the temporary plan has been passed over.

"We've been waiting for that future, permanent fix for years," said Newton. "If we care about people today, that temporary bike lane was critically important."

Ultimately, the long-term goal is to transform University Avenue West into the city's first complete street. That's a term used to describe a street that meets the needs of everyone — pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit users as well as people of different ages and abilities.

However, that overall plan will cost more than $50 million. Costante said council has only saved roughly $15 million for the project, which is why it needs to be completed in phases. 

The city said it'll be starting the renovations along University Avenue West from Salter Avenue to McEwan Avenue in May 2024. But it could take up to 10 years to complete the entire stretch.