FAQs
Can the lanes be reduced from 3.5 m to fit more cycling infrastructure on the bridge?
In response to feedback the City received, the general traffic lanes on Victoria Bridge have been narrowed from 3.5 m to 3.3 m, and bollards will be added to the northbound bike lane to provide physical separation between vehicles and people on bikes.
As the City explores cycling infrastructure improvements to the north and south of Victoria Bridge on Ridout Street, it will be with an eye to integrating the northbound bridge bike lane to be consistent with those designs. The wider bridge deck in the new design allows for flexibility to adapt and adjust bridge operations to align with future conditions on Ridout Street.
How will the design address the current bottlenecks that people using active transportation encounter when they reach the bridge?
The existing bridge has no dedicated bike lanes, just sharrows indicating cyclists and motorists were to share the lane in both directions.
The new bridge design includes a dedicated northbound bike lane on the east side of the bridge, and for southbound cyclists, the bike lane north of the bridge will transition to join a bi-directional four meter wide multi-use path, which is for use by both cyclists and pedestrians.
How will northbound cyclists using the bike lane join the Thames Valley Parkway multi-use path on the west side of Ridout?
There isn’t currently a provision for a space for cyclists to wait (e.g., a “jughandle” turn); however this can be explored along with future improvements north of the bridge on Ridout St.
Instead, northbound cyclists can either merge with traffic to turn left onto the TVP, or wait for a clearing in traffic to turn left onto the TVP multi-use path.
Will the community garden be impacted by this project? Will I have access to the garden throughout construction?
The community garden will remain open throughout the project, and pedestrian access to the garden will also be maintained.
The parking lot will be open generally between the months of mid-May to September. Beyond that, the contractor has activities on the road that require use of the parking lot. This is being scheduled for “off-peak” times, during the colder months.
Will there be snow clearance on the temporary active transportation bridge?
Yes, there will be snow clearance on the temporary active transportation bridge.
Why doesn't the project design have sidewalk on the south side of the driveway into Thames Park?
Installing a sidewalk on the south side would require pushing into the woodlot there with significant tree impacts.
It would also narrow the south driveway lane connecting to Thames Park, which would limit the ability of large vehicles (e.g., school buses) to exit.
During construction a delineated sidewalk area with fencing to the southwest of the driveway will be provided.