A proposal to add more on-street parking to a Brampton road would require removing a dedicated bike lane.<\/p>\n
At a meeting last month, city staff were instructed to evaluate the options and costs of allowing on-street parking on the south side of Clockwork Drive between Brisdale Drive and Thornbush Boulevard.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s a dedicated bike lane in the area, which would need to be removed or converted \u201cto an urban shoulder\u201d to allow for the parking, according to a city report.<\/p>\n
A proposal from Wards 2 and 6 Coun. Navjit Kaur Brar is looking to scrap the dedicated bike lane to allow for more vehicle parking while still maintaining \u201ceast\u2013west active transportation connectivity.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are two 3.5-metre-wide general-purpose lanes and two 1.5-metre-wide bicycle lanes on Clockwork Drive, and the roadway is not wide enough to accommodate an additional parking lane, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Brar says residents have complained about a lack of on-street parking on both sides of Clockwork Drive, limiting opportunities for visitor parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe solution to accommodate on-street parking along Clockwork Drive will require that space on the road be shared between parked cars and one of the
bicycle lanes,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n
Urban shoulders look like a bike lane and have a dividing white line, but are not strictly for bicycles. They can also be used for on-street parking, and are \u201ctypically implemented as an interim measure to provide a local cycling connection to area schools, businesses, trails and recreation centres,\u201d the city says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce an overall connected cycling network is established, these urban shoulders can easily be converted into designated bicycle lanes,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n
Converting the bike lane into an urban shoulder on Clockwork Drive would cost $740, according to the report.<\/p>\n
A speed study in September found an average speed of 39.93 km\/h and an 85th percentile speed of 48 km\/h along Clockwork Drive. The speed limit in the area is 40 km\/h.<\/p>\n
The call to replace the Clockwork Drive bike lane with more parking follows a push by Coun. Rod Power to get rid of the Howden Boulevard cycle track between Dixie Road and Williams Parkway<\/a>.<\/p>\n In February, the city earmarked funds of $337,000 for the Howden bike lane removal, and another $393,000 will be used for future bike lane \u201crelocation projects\u201d and the Howden multi-use path.<\/p>\n Removing those protected bike lanes will increase average speeds to over the speed limit, especially now that Brampton has no speed enforcement cameras, staff told council.<\/p>\n