Cyclist questions choice of street for Summerside bike lane

Ken Trenholm has been in two cycling accidents in Summerside, so he was relieved to hear the city was installing a bike lane.

But he was surprised to hear the bike lane is going on Greenwood Drive. He said he believes the first priority should be on a busier street such as Pope Road, where there is significantly more traffic.

"It breaks my heart. It really does," he said. 

"I see so many people using Pope Road for various modes of transportation and especially it's not just cycling, but there's 69 different sections of streets in Summerside that are busier than Greenwood Drive. So there's 69 other streets that are more risky for cycling or any type of active transportation than Greenwood Drive."

In a statement, the city said it wanted a safer north-south connector for cyclists to get to Credit Union Place and the Summerside boardwalk, so it chose Greenwood Drive.

The city said it plans to work with the province to come up with an official plan that will prioritize which streets to do next.

Trenholm hopes it will be Pope Road. He said the city has to do more to make biking safer. One time, he struck a car that was pulling out of a parking lot and went over the hood.

"I remember getting up and my shoe was no longer on my foot," he said.

"I think I was probably in a little state of shock, but I'm walking around the street because I'm in the middle of the street now, but I'm just looking for my shoe aimlessly in the middle of the street."