Scarborough will be getting a few kilometres of bike lanes at the end of September as a part of Toronto’s Bikeway Network that will build 34.2 km of off-road bike trails.
The news comes as a surprise to many after the recent removal in July of bike lanes on Birchmount, Pharmacy, and a couple of other streets downtown. However, the move is not as out of place as one might think.
In July 2009, Toronto Transportation Services received a total of $23 million through the Recreation Infrastructure Canada Program in Ontario (RInC) and the Ontario Recreation Program (Ontario REC) to develop multi-use trails within hydro and rail corridors in the city.
The sudden rush to build bike lanes is fueled by the need to spend all the money by the end of the year.
The new trails in Scarborough will run through the Gatineau Hydro Corridor at Victoria Park and Kennedy and also through Scarborough Pit Spur.
In total, seven trails will be developed and will add approximately 30 km of new off-road bike trails and four km of upgraded trails to the Bikeway Network, a developing project that connects neighbourhoods around the city.