Victoria council has postponed its decision to move forward with the first phase of the Biketoria project until later this week.
Phase one of the multi-million dollar project, which aims to build a comprehensive network of roughly 25 kilometres of bike lanes in the city, will include three priority bike lanes downtown along Wharf and Humboldt streets (Pandora Avenue to Cook Street), Cook Street (Pandora Avenue to Pakinton Street), and Fort Street (Wharf to Cook streets).
The first phase would add 5.4 kilometres of bike lanes with an estimated price tag of $7.65 million.
Following the completion of the above lanes, phase two would include the construction of corridors along Kings Road (Government Street to Fifth Street), Government Street (Pandora Avenue to Bay Street), and Vancouver Street (from Pandora Avenue to Kings Road) for an additional three kilometres of lanes.
Councillors Chris Coleman and Ben Isitt were not there for the entire discussion. Council will make its decision at the next committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, May 5 to ensure all councillors have their say about the project.
Shifting gears slightly, the wheels are in motion to begin construction of the city's first fully-protected bike facility.
The 1.2-kilometre two-way protected bike lane on Pandora Avenue, will begin construction in June and be complete at the end of November.
It will be 3.5 metres wide, and include solar-powered bollards in certain sections to provide lighting and separate parked vehicles, other traffic and cyclists.
Thirty-eight parking stalls are expected to be removed, but there will be the addition of 11 trees, and 58 bike racks sprinkled around the corridor.
Brad Dellebuur, the city's assistant director of transportation, said they're “pushing hard” to meet the June start date.