Plan to make Waterloo Region more bicycle-friendly unveiled

Waterloo Region's bicycle-friendly plan From CTV Kitchener: The Region of Waterloo unveiled to the public its plan to make area roads for bicycle-friendly.

The Region of Waterloo has unveiled their plan to make the area more bicycle-friendly.

A virtual meeting on Wednesday gave people an overview of the region's plan to make separated bike lanes permanent.

The lanes were added to a number of Kitchener and Waterloo roads in 2019 as a pilot project.

The region wants to expand the separated lanes to other areas and officials say they saw a 57 per cent increased in cycling ridership during the pilot project.

"Cycling on those streets today, on most streets, is undesirable due to collisions between motorists and cyclists," said Korne Musci, a transportation planning manager. "What we have learned during the last decade is that physically separating cyclists from motor vehicles is one of the most effective tools to increase the safety of both cyclists and motorists."

The project will look at expanding current cycling lanes along King Street North, University Avenue, Erb Street, and also bring new infrastructure to Bridgeport Road and Caroline Street.