THUNDER BAY -- Some bike lanes on the city’s south side are turning green.
The city installed its first green bicycle lane Tuesday on the corner of Vickers and Miles Street, and has plans for three more along Vickers Street in the coming days.
The City of Thunder Bay’s mobility coordinator Adam Krupper said the city wants both cyclists and motorists to feel more comfortable on the road.
“The reason why we are doing this is because when we get feedback from cyclist we’ve heard that they are really worried about interactions with cars at intersections,” said Krupper.
“That’s the place where there’s the most confusion, so if we can help prevent that kind of confusion and make it safer for everybody then we are winning.”
He added that these green markings will make it easier for motorists to understand where they should be in relation to cyclists.
The green bike lines will cost the city an estimated $35,000 to have all four markings done along Vickers Street.
Krupper said it’s more expensive than regular paint, but the real advantage is it lasts up to ten years, which would save the city maintenance costs every year.
The green marking is a preformed thermoplastic road marking material for use in prioritized bike lanes, and lasts six to eight times longer than paint.
The pre-cut material is placed onto the asphalt and applied with a propane heat torch.
“This is a demo,” Krupper said. “We are trying it our now, but what we don’t know is how they are going to hold up with our plots and with our winters, so we are going to see how it lasts throughout the winter time.”
Krupper said if this project is successful, every time an intersections is redone the city will have the opportunity to install the green lane markings.
