Lunenburg to get pop-up bike lane

Lunenburg may be seeing an influx of cyclists on Montague Street later in the year.

A temporary bike lane pilot project has been approved by Lunenburg Town Council to establish a bi-directional cycling lane on the north side of Montague Street between Lower Street and Duke Street in October.

“It really started with a project that we began working on in 2018 with the

Town of Lunenburg called the Blue Route Hubs Project,” says Meghan Doucette, Bicycle Nova Scotia’s active transportation planner about the pop-up bike lane. “With that, we developed three key projects for the town to work on to improve active transportation, infrastructure and opportunities for people to get around by walking, rolling and cycling.”

Part of a broader provincewide initiative called the Blue Route cycling network, the

Blue Route Hubs Project aims to work with communities to create hubs where cyclists and visitors can connect along safe cycling infrastructure.

“This kind of pop-up, temporary project on Montague Street was one of our shortterm recommendations,” says Doucette. “(It will) connect cycling tourists and people who are coming in who want to access businesses and restaurants and accommodations and things like that to make it easier for people to get off the trail or other road routes and get into the towns and explore.”

As a not-for-profit organization invested in improving cycling culture, Bicycle Nova Scotia has been collaborating with the Town of Lunenburg on plans to create a connected network of safe, local active transportation routes.

As a result, the Montague Street plan will become the first official pop-up bike lane within the Blue Route Hubs Project.

“We have had a really great relationship with town staff and council,” says Doucette, “so as part of this pop-up temporary project, we have formed a committee of staff people, a councillor and local residents and some business owners. We have had a lot of support all the way through the project from them and they are really excited to have the project happening in Lunenburg.”

Developed in partnership with the Lunenburg Board of Trade along with residents and local business members, the plans will open Montague Street to people on foot, bike or other modes of mobility other than motorized vehicles.

However, Bicycle Nova Scotia says that local deliveries and residents with driveways on the designated portion of Montague Street will still be able to access the area.

“The number one thing with protected cycling infrastructure is safety,” adds Doucette, noting that many cyclists do not feel safe sharing space with motor vehicle traffic. “So providing them separated protected space really makes a huge difference in the comfort level of people and also just the range of people who would choose to use their bike to get around.”

In addition to the changes, the entire month of October will certainly see plenty of fun cycling events and activities also taking place along Montague Street for people of all ages and mobility levels.

“We will evaluate the usage and try to collect stories from people who are using the street during that time,” says Doucette. “(And) that information (will) help inform more permanent infrastructure going forward.”

For more information on the Blue Route Hubs Project, visit: www.blueroute.ca.