YELLOWKNIFE - Ecology North's Transportation Issues Committee met with city councillors Monday to discuss how Yellowknife's bike routes can be made safer for cyclists.

City councillors were given a presentation by bike enthusiasts on how to make commonly used bike routes in Yellowknife safer. Here, Albert Castro and James and Alicia Adair enjoy a bike ride in Fred Henne Park in the summer of 2005. - NNSL file photo

A study called Way To Go was the result of a workshop attended by 20 Yellowknife cyclists in February. The study mapped the most commonly-used bike routes by cyclists and identified five problem areas.

"Through much of the city there are alternatives to riding along busy streets including using multi-use trails or taking a secondary traffic route," said Ann Peters, a volunteer with Ecology North who wrote the report.

"However, there are still a number of places where there is no choice but to share the road with fast motor vehicle traffic."

At the top of the list of five "hot spots" identified by Peters: the curve on Old Airport Road in front of the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op.

"A suggestion for improvement is to create a pedestrian/bike alley through parking lots and along building frontage - marked by planting or paving," Peters report states.

Other spots identified were at the very end of the bikeable part of the Frame Lake trail at the hospital; at the Multiplex; and the lack of any connection between Frame Lake and Niven Lake, currently separated by Highway 4. Peters was especially adamant that discussions between city council and administration to build an underpass underneath Highway 4 would not make cyclists feel any safer.

"It would be very difficult for cyclists to see oncoming snowmobilers that come whizzing by," said Peters.

The suggestions from the Transportation Issues Committee were well received by council.

"These suggestions are very important to bikers," said Coun. Kevin Kennedy. "I myself biked to this meeting today. These suggestions will also compliment our Community Energy Plan and encourage more people to use bikes instead of cars."

At the same time, Kennedy wanted to make sure that there was no overlap between the suggestions made by the Transportation Issues Committee and existing projects being undertaken by Public Works.

"We should make sure that council integrates the information provided today into existing policies being worked on by the city," he said.