Phase One of the Speers Road protected bike lanes from Third Line to Fourth Line is complete. Protected bike lanes are new for Oakville residents and businesses and installed to encourage active transportation by ensuring cyclists are safe.
The Speers Road corridor is one of Oakville's busiest transportation routes with private passenger vehicles, buses, trucks, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Town of Oakville
Speer Road bike lane
The protected bicycle lanes on Speers Road are separated from traffic by concrete curbs and painted buffers. They feature a unique shared transit stop that doesn't require buses to pull into the bike lane when picking up or offload bus passengers.
Buses stop in the roadway adjacent to the bike lane's raised green transit stop portion. Cyclists stop behind the white "shark's teeth" line when a bus has stopped and yield to passengers boarding and exiting the bus.
As with any new system, drivers, pedestrians, transit users, and cyclists need to navigate along and by the protected bike lanes safely. It can be a little confusing, so here is some helpful information.
For Drivers
- Always yield to cyclists and pedestrians.
- Pay special attention and look for cyclists when turning left or right at an intersection or into a business or parking area.
- Remember, Oakville Transit buses will be stopping in the right-hand lane.
For Cyclists
- Slow down as you approach the raised transit stop.
- If a bus pulls up to the raised platform, come to a complete stop behind the white sharks' teeth pavement markings to allow passengers to board or exit the bus.
- Buses may lower and raise the accessible ramp into the bike lane for transit customers to board or exit the bus.
- After passengers have boarded and exited the bus and it has closed its doors, you may proceed.
For Transit Users
- Do not wait for your bus in the bike lane. Wait for your bus behind the tactile surfaces on the transit stop platform. Oakville Transit drivers will be looking for you.
- Once the bus has pulled up to the raised transit stop and before you cross the bike lane, look for any oncoming cyclists. Ensure they see you. If there are no cyclists, or if the cyclists have stopped, you are safe to cross the bike lane and proceed onto the bus. Enjoy your ride!
- As you get off the bus, look right and left for any oncoming cyclists. If you see a cyclist coming, make sure they see you before you step off the bus. If there are no cyclists, or if the cyclists have stopped, you are safe to cross the bike lane and proceed to the sidewalk.
For Pedestrians
- Do not walk in the bike lanes; use the sidewalk.
- If you need to cross the bike lanes, look both ways to ensure there are no cyclists. If there are cyclists, wait until it is safe to cross the bike lanes.
Phase Two
Phase Two of the Speer Road bike lanes construction from Fourth Line to Dorval Drive begins in 2022.
