East-enders have questions about parking and bike lanes

Ward 2 Councillor Susan Myers raised concerns regarding Sault Ste. Marie’s new bike lanes during tonight’s meeting of City Council.

A number of residents have questions about street parking where bike lanes are in place, Myers said, including visitors to the City Bible Church located at 1100 Queen Street East.

Parking is prohibited on streets with existing bike lanes.

She asked for council to consider a bylaw which would allow residents to park on the street in the bike lanes during the winter months when, by law, the lanes would be closed to bicycle traffic.

Susan Hamilton-Beach, deputy commissioner of Public Works and Transportation, told council that an assessment by the Ministry of the Environment had determined that area side streets and community facilities (i.e. Bellevue Park) were adequate to address any parking issues created by the implementation of bike lanes.

Hamilton-Beach suggested a period of 16 to 18 months to assess the true impact of parking changes in the area of the east end bike lanes before considering a new bylaw.