Selkirk, City of

Published purpose

The Mercy Street Bike Lane project will be for the installation of a dedicated bike lane on Mercy Street from Pittsburg Avenue to Greenwood Avenue. At this time, there is no active transportation pathway that extends from the south end to the north end of Selkirk. This new bike lane will meet the active transportation pathway at Manitoba Avenue that runs from the west end to the east end of Selkirk. The bike lane will be placed on the existing Mercy Street roadway. It will be separated from vehicular traffic by barriers and painted to show that it is a bike lane. The installation of the bike lane will provide a safe travelling corridor for Selkirk's diverse population of 10,504 citizens and for neighbouring communities such as St. Andrews and St. Clements to enjoy. Selkirk is the regional hub for the Interlake and commuters, tourists and visitors use the City's recreational facilities and active transportation pathways as a means of exercise. Selkirk's youth will benefit from the bike lane as it goes from one end of the City to the other and both the junior high and the high school are located on the bike path. An elementary school is within 200 meters of Mercy Street as well. This will encourage active living by allowing students to safely bike to school from almost any area in Selkirk either on the 4.52 kms of active transportation pathways or the 2.95 km bike lane. As with most cities, Selkirk has a population of underserved citizens who rely on other means of travel besides motor vehicles. According to the World Council on City Data, 21.79% of commuters in Selkirk travel using a mode other than a personal vehicle to get to work or school. With a fifth of our residents already using a different method of transportation an AT network can effectively and efficiently move citizens from residential neighbourhoods to the hubs of the City. The bike lane, along with all of Selkirk's other active transportation pathways will be cleaned of snow and any other hazards.