Peter Black

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

With residents still adjusting to and businesses coping with the implementation of year-round bike lanes along Chemin Sainte-Foy, the city is moving forward with a plan for a similar project to extend a path from Limoilou to Charlesbourg.

The plan, unveiled before Christmas, would see a north-south path created along 6.7 kilometres of streets, with a connecting 2.3 km “antenna” on 3ème Ave. Ouest. The path would pass along 3ème Ave. Est and 4ème Ave. Est, with one stretch through Limoilou along a trajectory to be determined.

The path network would be built in six sections beginning this year, with completion expected in 2026. The Charlesbourg line is part of the sweeping Corridor Vélo Cité (CVC) plan to vastly increase the extent of the city’s bike path system. After Charlesbourg, networks serving Beauport to the east and Lebourgneuf in the west are in the works.

Coun. Pierre-Luc Lachance, the executive committee member responsible for transport and mobility, said in a Dec. 12 release, “We chose the Charlesbourg/city centre axis as the first official Vélo Cité corridor because it corresponds to the axis with strong current and anticipated cycling potential in this sector.

“This is an important step in our vision of building an integrated, continuous and connected cycling network, thus promoting sustainable and inclusive mobility for all.”

While the Charlesbourg project may be the first official CVC, the path implemented along Chemin Sainte-Foy the past summer was the first local test case of the insertion of permanently designated bicycle lanes in a dense urban street.

To create the two-km path, with lanes on either side of the street, some 136 parking spots needed to be eliminated, provoking some consternation among business owners along the route.

There are plans afoot to extend the Chemin Sainte-Foy path east to Place D’Youville in the Old City. Mayor Bruno Marchand made the commitment at the official opening of the Chemin Sainte-Foy bike paths in September. The city is studying options for the route, but merchants have already raised concerns about the impact the path might have on parking and accessibility.

The city plans to hold consultations on a key section of the Charlesbourg corridor through Vieux-Limoilou. The choices offered for the stretch between de la Canardiere and 22e Rue, are 3ème Ave and Boul. Benoit-XV, or 4ème Ave. The city will organize a vote by residents on the choices.

Full details on other issues for consultation on the CVC plan are available on the city’s website, as well as the map of the proposed routes. Work is set to begin in the spring on at least three of the six sections of the Charlesbourg bike path.

By 2027, the city hopes to have expanded its “active mobility” network by 100 km, for a total of 500 km. A budget of $95 million has been designated for the project, of which $50 million comes from the provincial government.

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A bike path opened last summer along Chemin Sainte-Foy. Work is expected to begin on a similar path between Limoilou and Charlesbourg this summer.

Image from Ville de Québec