Langley City’s new protected bike lanes on Glover Road won an award from a cycling advocacy group this month.
On Feb. 23, HUB Cycling announced that the City project, completed last summer, was one of the winners in its 10th Annual Bike Awards.
Winners are based on investment and effort in cycling education, bike-friendly buildings, and cycling infrastructure improvements, among other things.
“Each year, the HUB Bike Awards celebrates the community of folks across Metro Vancouver who champion improvements to our roads so that everyone from students biking to school to seniors visiting their local stores feel safe and comfortable on two wheels,” said Lisa Storey, HUB Cycling’s Event Manager.
The Glover Road project saw the City add wide, raised or separated bike lanes along Glover Road from Fraser Highway to the Langley City boundary near the Langley Bypass.
Rows of planters installed along part of the route were the finishing touches put in place over the summer for the $2.9 million overhaul.
READ MORE: Why there are planters along Glover Road in Langley City
“It’s safe, it’s comfortable and inviting,” Mayor Nathan Pachal said of the stretch of road that has just won the award.
The goal was to make the area safe enough that parents and grandparents would feel safe letting a child ride there.
“I don’t think anyone would have allowed their child to ride their bike on Glover Road before,” Pachal said, considering how busy the route is with cars, buses, and trucks.
He noted that the route will only become more important after the arrival of SkyTrain in 2028, since it will be a direct link for people getting off SkyTrain and heading to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University campus.
TransLink provided part of the funding for this project, as well as another that was recognized by HUB in Port Coquitlam.
“We’re happy to see our partnership with HUB Cycling grow as we help promote a greener future for Metro Vancouver,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “We’re committed to continue developing safe cycling infrastructure for our customers so they can explore our beautiful region in a sustainable way.”
What comes next for Langley City is to close the gap between 203rd Street and Glover Road, via bike lanes along Douglas Crescent and 204th Street. That project already has partial funding approved from TransLink.
The City is also applying for a TransLink grant to add a safe cycling lane on the south side of Michaud Crescent, and beyond that, to pave the current gravel path that extends past 200th Street west to Brydon Lagoon.
Pachal noted that the project, up for consideration as part of the City’s annual budget, won’t involve removing any of the trees or greenery along Michaud.
READ ALSO: Another Langley overpass hit by a truck
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