Motorists mistakenly using new Donald Street bike lane

A new $1.2-million intersection designedto improve safety for pedestriansand cyclists in Ottawa appears to be confusing some drivers.

Several vehiclestravelling easton Donald Street have been seen using anew segregated bike lane to turn southonto St. Laurent Boulevard.

"It [happens] every day. Every day," said Ismael Awaleh, vice-president of theOverbrook Community Association.

The city's 2017Road Safety Reportranked the intersection of Donald and St. Laurent the sixth worstin Ottawa for the number of collisions. That year there were32, whichleft 12 peopleinjured.

In order to make itsafer, the cityredesigned the intersection starting last year, creatingwhat it calls a "protected intersection."

Concrete islandswere added to separatecyclists and pedestrians from cars and trucks, and bicycle crossings were painted green.

In addition, slip lanes betweenDonald Street andSt. Laurent Boulevard inall fourdirectionswere narrowed and transformed into turning lanes for bikes.

The new cycling lanesare barely wide enough for an average car, but many drivers arestill usingat least one of them, on the southwest corner, as a slip lane.

That bike lane isnot painted green.

During lunch hour on Monday, CBC witnessed fourcars driving throughthe segregated area. Black marks, which appear to be from tires, are visible on the curb.

New design safer, but needsimprovement, advocate says

Felicity Borgal who volunteers at Bike Ottawa, an advocacy group for safe cycling said there's no doubtthe new layout makes the intersection safer forcyclists and pedestrians. The new concreteislands are supposed toforce drivers to make a wider right-hand turnso they can better see other road users.

The city could add road markings, she said, to better identify the segregated zones, such as painting them green, the way other bike lanes in the city are painted.

'Drivers seem to think that every single slip road is for them'

5 years ago

Duration 1:08

Felicity Borgal of Bike Ottawa says it needs to be made more clear that the new slip lanes at St. Laurent Boulevard and Donald Street are for cyclists and not cars.

She also noted that there is norealbike path near the intersection. There are some markings for bikes, but only forshort distances before and after the intersection.

"This particular intersection has no [cycling] infrastructure that connects to it," Borgal said. "If there were bike paths that lead into these turning lanes, then a driver wouldn't be attempting to use it as a turning lane for them because it would be very obvious,'OK. This is a bike path. This leads into the turning lane.'"

Councillor aware of issue

Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King said his office has been closely monitoring issues with the Donald and St. Laurent intersection.

He, too, saidthe new intersection layout issaferdespite a few hiccups, and added that the city is planning to build several more protected intersections.

He said there areexisting pavement markings that should help drivers navigate the intersection.

"It will take a bit of education to understand how the intersection really operates," Kingsaid.

As foradditional measures, suchas painting the segregated zones, King said he would need to consult city experts.

In the meantime, Awaleh said the city should consider putting up a sign informing drivers of the new intersection configuration.