Saanich municipal planners are proposing changes to Shelbourne Street that will add bicycle lanes and make sidewalks wider.
As a result, some sections of Shelbourne will drop to two lanes from four for motor traffic.
The plan forms part of the long-term Shelbourne Valley Action Plan and is meant to transform about 3.5 kilometres of Shelbourne between Torquay Drive in the north and North Dairy Road in the south into a safer street for cyclists going both ways and one that is more accommodating for pedestrians.
Highlights include:
• Cycle lanes physically separated from motor traffic along 50 per cent of the stretch.
• Upgraded sidewalks along 2.3 kilometres and shorter crossing distances at major intersections.
• Better left-turn access for motorist going to homes and businesses.
• Improved bus stops.
Four lanes for cars will be maintained along 65 per cent of the route, from North Dairy to Christmas Avenue and from Garnet Road to just north of McKenzie Avenue. The remainder will be reduced to two lanes for motorists.
The changes, projected to cost $12.5 million, would be completed in four sections over three years.
Saanich council is expected to make a decision about whether to proceed by the end of the year.
Discussions about changing Shelbourne go back as far as 1990. In 2015, the municipality began taking ideas to the public for feedback. In February and March, municipal designers offered two proposals.
One features cycling improvement only where space is available and directs bicycles off Shelbourne at some locations. The other eliminates lanes for motor traffic, allowing for bicycling lanes along the whole stretch. Citizens were invited to comment.
Saanich Coun. Susan Bryce said in an interview Wednesday that she has approached the latest proposal wearing two hats, one as chairwoman of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and the other as a councillor representing citizens of Saanich. She said the proposal satisfies her in both roles. Good bus travel and future transit possibilities, perhaps light rail, have been preserved. At the same time, Shelbourne Street will be made more pleasant for all users.
“It’s one of those cases of going out with something, of listening, coming back, making changes, listening again,” Brice said.
“If this ultimately ends up as the approved option, it will be the result of a lot of good input from all the user groups.”
Cam Scott, Saanich manager of community planning, said changes to Shelbourne will be a first step in improving the entire Shelbourne Valley. About 11,000 people live within 500 metres of Shelbourne Street, making it one of the most densely populated areas in Saanich.
In overall plans, Shelbourne intersections at Feltham Road, McKenzie Avenue and Cedar Hill Road are envisioned as village-like centres.
Edward Pullman, president of the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition, said he is satisfied with the proposed changes to a street that he regards as unsafe during busy times. “Shelbourne is pretty atrocious for cycling right now,” Pullman said. “But lots of people still have to use it because it is such an important route.”
Tom Newton, a resident of the Shelbourne Valley and a member of the pedestrian advocacy group, Walk On Victoria, said he is especially glad to see sidewalks increased in width to accommodate scooters, walkers and pedestrians.
“Shelbourne should be a Saanich showplace street,” Newton said. “The potential for having sidewalk cafés and a nice feeling is there. This will be a kickstart for all that.”
Open houses for Shelbourne Street plan:
• Saturday, Oct. 1, Gordon Head Recreation Centre, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 3, Doncaster Elementary School, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information or to complete the survey, go to saanich.ca/shelbourne.
