Bike lane closure confuses Sault cyclists

There’s some confusion among cyclists in Sault Ste. Marie about recent amendments to the bylaw governing the city’s bike lanes.

Until recently, cyclists were prohibited from using bike lanes from Nov. 1 to April 30. While city council voted recently to remove that provision from the bylaw, the city’s legal department said Monday the lanes are still considered closed.

Andre Riopel, a long-time advocate and member of the Sault Cycling Club, said he was surprised to hear that not only are bike lanes considered closed during the winter months, it was also illegal to ride on them.

“I’m not sure where it came from,” said Riopel.

“I’m not sure if this is something that’s the norm in northern Ontario.”

Coun. Sonny Spina, a cycling enthusiast, asked the city to consider removing winter cycling restrictions from the bylaw.

“When we looked at the bylaw, it was actually in direct conflict with laws that already exist in the Ontario Highway Traffic Act,” Spina said.

“So, really the purpose of this motion was to bring our bylaws right in line with what’s already written in the Highway Traffic Act.”

The city agreed to do away with the winter restrictions but still considers bike lanes to be closed until April 30.

“The idea with the closure is that there (are) provincial mandatory minimums for maintenance of those bike lanes,” said Jeff King, a solicitor with the city.

“The city simply is not in a position to maintain them to those standards. So, therefore, there’s kind of a citywide closure of those lanes essentially to reduce and remove any liability that the city would have if someone was to use those lanes.”

Riopel, meantime, said he’d like to see bike lanes maintained year-round for those who use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation.

“When you think about who rides a bike in the winter, it’s not just people like me, it’s people who can’t afford to drive cars,” he said.

“There’s a social equity factor that we must take into consideration.”

The city said while cyclists are legally permitted to ride on bike lanes during the winter, they do so at their own risk.

There are currently no plans to introduce winter maintenance of bike lanes, as the Public Works department states heavy snowfall and storms would make such a task difficult.