CycleWR
Member loginBecome a member
Menu
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About CycleWR
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact us
  • Advocacy
    • Cycling Risk Survey
    • Discover your Superpower: Walking & Wheeling to School
    • #HumansWhoCycleWR
    • Budget Advocacy
    • Cycling infrastructure map
    • The benefits of bike lanes (infographic)
    • Bike parking guide
    • 2018 Municipal Elections
      • I Bike, I Vote pledge
      • Rides with councillors
  • Get involved
  • Links
Menu
An illustration of what the temporary bike lanes look like. There is one lane of vehicular traffic in each direction and the outside lanes are marked with orange traffic cones to reserve it for bicycles.

We asked and the Region delivered – now let’s use those ‘pandemic’ bike lanes!

Posted on July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 by Laura McDonald
Posted in: Advocacy, Infrastructure

In April, CycleWR and people like you across the region asked our local governments for additional bike lanes and quiet streets as a pandemic response. Waterloo and Kitchener responded with streets closed to traffic, quiet streets, lower speed limits, and some accelerated work on bike lanes. Cambridge City Council is currently considering some initiatives. 

The Region of Waterloo exceeded our expectations—they’ve just completed the installation of 30 kilometres of temporary bike lanes! They’ve closed the curb lanes on a number of 4-lane regional roads, providing protection with big construction barrels. The locations are:

A school-aged child enjoying the temporary bike lanes, as evidenced by a big thumbs up as they ride past the large orange and black construction cones.
Photo by Rob Daniels
  • King Street/Coronation Boulevard/Dundas Street from Bishop Street to Beverly Street, Cambridge;
  • Westmount Road from Block Line Road to University Avenue, Kitchener and Waterloo;
  • Frederick Street from Weber Street to Lancaster Street, Kitchener;
  • Erb Street from Westmount Road to Caroline Street, Waterloo;
  • Erb Street from Peppler Street to Margaret Avenue (one lane only), Waterloo; and
  • Bridgeport Road, King Street to Margaret Avenue (one lane only), Waterloo.

The levels of new connectivity are just astounding! Particularly notable is the stretch in Cambridge which was extremely intimidating and dangerous with no good alternative. Another very noteworthy addition is the long, continuous stretch of Westmount, connecting south Kitchener to the Universities and beyond and providing the first safe crossing of the 7/8 highway in the west.


Can’t see the map? Open it in Google Maps.
 

Let’s make it worth it!

Now that the municipal governments have done their part, we need you to do yours, and it’s an easy ask: get out there and use these new facilities! We must demonstrate that investing in safe, connected cycling infrastructure yields positive results. Here’s what else you can do:

  • Encourage your friends to check out the lanes—and ask them to pass it on, too!
  • We’d really love for you to take pictures while you are out there. Post your photos on social media with the hashtag #CovidLanesWR or send them to us at hello@cyclewr.ca.
  • Tell us your #HumansWhoCycleWR #RidingOutThePandemic story and we’ll share it for you!
  • Be sure to fill out the survey on EngageWR to share your feedback.
  • If you find the lanes particularly useful, let your Regional Councillor(s) know.

What’s next

We are working on more initiatives to help people get out and use these and other bike lanes, including a virtual panel on “Planning and Practicing your Ride to School,” assistance with route planning, and maybe even some engaging games. Stay tuned.

We could use your help with these plans. Send an email to hello@cyclewr.ca to let us know you’d like to help. We will invite you to our Slack workspace where we do a lot of our discussion. We need social media posters, photographers, route planners, people to take shifts to monitor traffic and cyclists at key times, people to make contact with schools and businesses, people with mapping skills, people with ideas, people to write Letters to the Editor, etc.
 

Here’s some inspiration to get you excited:

"Dad, I love the space. We can ride beside each other". Thank you for creating space for people @RegionWaterloo @DaveJaworsky @berryonline @Cycle_WR #covidlanes #kwawesome pic.twitter.com/mPgbxcsLSR

— Scott Weldon (@s_weldon) July 25, 2020

We rode all the temp lanes in KW today.The roads these are on are so wide. Nothing is lost in making 1 lane a bike lane. I really liked how wide they were. Lots of room to ride abreast and feel safe. Baby slept for almost of all of it as a bonus. #CovidLanesWR @Cycle_WR pic.twitter.com/8hGGFIZIG0

— Sean Tait (@seangtait) July 26, 2020

Related

Join our mailing list to find out about events and ways to help

Talk to us

Email hello@cyclewr.ca

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

See what’s up on Instagram

cycle_wr

CycleWR
For the second year, we will be conducting a Pedal For the second year, we will be conducting a Pedal Poll in conjunction with Velo Bikes Canada. Last year we counted over 2,000 people at 7 locations in Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (the national organization got a little confused about the cities in Waterloo Region, corrected for this year.)We obtained the data summarized in the second image. Data like this will inform our efforts to establish better infrastructure and to remove barriers. It is great to see who is cycling but even more important, who is not cycling. Many other communities across Canada participate so comparisons are possible among communities and trends year over year.VOLUNTEER TO COUNT!The National Pedal Poll is running next week on June 7 to 11. We still need more volunteers to take a two-hour shift – we have fewer people volunteering than last year. It is important that we have a consistent level of data collection from year to year.Your two-hour shift will be at one of the predefined locations in one of the three cities and you can signup for a weekday or a weekend slot. Do not fear bad weather – we don’t want the count to take place in that case as the numbers might be depressed versus a good weather day, so your shift can be postponed to another day.Counting is simple – you use a provided app on your phone and tap a few buttons for each person that passes on a bicycle in either direction.Detailed instructions and support will be available.You are welcome to do more than one shift!*** Check the link in our bio for details ***
June is Bike Month! Here's a list of what's happen June is Bike Month! Here's a list of what's happening around Waterloo Region!*** Check the link in our bio for additional details and event links. ***---🚴 Bike Festivities - City of KitchenerSaturday June 11 @ 1:00pm
A fun and safe space for racialized communities to experience the joys of cycling.---🚴 Family Bike Show - City of KitchenerSunday, June 12 @ 2:00pm
Showcase your unique bikes in a “classic car show” style event – but for bikes of all kinds! You must register to showcase your bicycle.---🚴 Pride Ride – City of KitchenerFriday, June 17 @ 7:00pm
A group bike ride to celebrate Bike & Pride Month and bring visibility to members and allies of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.---🚴 History on Wheels - City of Waterloo MuseumBike tour. Price: $3.- New Bikers Tour on Saturday, June 11 @ 10am
- Experienced Cyclists Tour on Sunday, June 19 @ 3 pm---🚴 Scavenger Hunt - Cambridge Cycling and Trails Advisory CommitteeThe Cambridge Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee (CCTAC) has put together a list of clues for a City-wide scavenger hunt through the month of June.
CycleWR is now a non-profit. Become a member today CycleWR is now a non-profit. Become a member today and help us change the conversation about cycling in Waterloo Region. Members help support and guide our work, get access to discounts, and more!Get your membership:
cyclewr.ca/join(Link in bio)
Cycling Risk SurveyCycleWR is keenly interested Cycling Risk SurveyCycleWR is keenly interested to learn more about how people in our community view cycling infrastructure. We have created a survey that delves into how people perceive the many infrastructure options that we find in Waterloo Region.We know that there is a lot of diversity in the comfort levels that people experience while cycling. We want to know: Will you only ride on trails and physically separated facilities? Which street designs do you find safest? How do you feel about one-way versus two-way cycle tracks? Which cycling facilities do you prefer to see when you are driving a car? We ask all these questions and more.This survey will inform our advocacy and the results will be shared both publicly and with municipal staff who are designing new facilities. The survey is quite detailed, so you’ll want to set aside 10-15 minutes to complete it. Please share it widely – we want to reach many people with varying levels of experience, from non-cyclists and beginners to daily riders.Start the survey now - the link is our bio (https://forms.gle/RLASz6joa27NUX8T7)Please respond by March 21st.Thank you!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Browse blog posts by category

  • Advocacy
  • CycleWR news
  • Cycling tips
  • Events
  • I bike I vote
  • Infrastructure
  • Rides with Candidates

Browse blog posts by tag

bicycle racks bike racks bike to school budgets cambridge covid-19 kitchener kitchener Ward 1 kitchener ward 7 kitchener ward 8 kitchener ward 9 kitchener ward 10 merch parking regional chair regional councillor region of waterloo waterloo waterloo mayor waterloo ward 3 waterloo ward 4 waterloo ward 5 waterloo ward 7
©2022 CycleWR | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme