Hamilton staff planning to install 1.2-kilometre bike lane along Inverness Avenue
Hamilton staff are scheduling to install a 1.2-kilometre bike lane along Inverness Avenue on the Mountain that will connect the existing Keddy Access Trail to the on-street cycling route on Queensdale Avenue by the end of 2023.
Danny Pimentel, project manager for active transportation, told the March 1 cycling advisory committee that work is expected to begin later this year and will include painting lines on Inverness, creating a bike boulevard and installing way-finding signage and pavement markings. He said there are no plans for any capital works for Inverness since the road is in really good condition."
The bike lane will begin at Queensdale Avenue East and Upper Wellington, before heading north on East Eighth Street and continuing west along Inverness to Tanner Street, where it will link up with Southam Park
The bike lane will connect with the existing bike lane on Queensdale. A future bike lane is projected along Queensdale, from Upper Wellington to Upper Ottawa Street, under the city's cycling masterplan.
Plans for the Inverness Avenue bike lane include a combination" of unidirectional cycling lanes and bicycle boulevards. Pimentel said staff is considering consolidated parking along Inverness, from Upper James to East Eighth Street, rather than eliminating parking along the roadway altogether.
Committee member Kevin Vander Meulen pointed out potential safety issues at the Upper James and Inverness intersection.
I'm a bit concerned about crossing Upper James," he said.
At the intersection of Inverness and Upper James, staff are proposing a curb cut and a mixed crossride, while also installing vehicle signal heads. At the Upper Wellington and Inverness intersection, cyclists will also utilize vehicle signal heads for crossing the busy area.
Bicycle signal heads are an additional traffic control device installed at signalized intersections to provide guidance and right-of-way control in specific traffic circumstances. Cycle signal heads can be accomplished with a standard lense or lenses with bicycle symbols.