Borden Street and McKenzie Cycle Track

Connecting the Lochside trail

Mckenzie Avenue at Borden Street intersection – two-way cycle track

The District of Saanich has opened a new two-way cycle track on Borden Street and Cedar Hill Cross Road. This cycle track provides a protected cycling facility from the entrances of the Lochside Regional Trail at the Mckenzie Avenue / Borden Street intersection and Cedar Hill X Road / Lochside Drive intersection.  

Along the two way cycle track new traffic patterns and signage have been provided to direct pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.   

These include:  

  • Bike Traffic Signals for north and southbound cyclists at the Mckenzie Borden intersection  

 

 

  •  “No Right turns on Red Light” for southbound and eastbound vehicles at the Mckenzie Borden Intersection 

 

 

  • Green conflict paint at driveways and intersections to warn of potential conflict areas used by both cyclists and vehicles.

 

  •  “Turning Vehicles Yield to Bicycles” signs to indicate vehicles turning through conflict areas are to yield to cyclists.  

    

  •  Bikes traveling northbound and southbound across Mckenzie Avenue should proceed in accordance with the bike signals. 

  

 

  •  Bikes entering the 2 way bikeway from the east should yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk 

   

  • Bikes traveling from the east intending on going south can perform a two way turn.  The first movement is to enter the bikeway from the east and the second movement is to turn to the south and cross Mckenzie Avenue. 

 

  • Bikes travelling to the south and then east should perform a two stage turn.  First the cyclist travels south across Mckenzie Avenue.  The cyclist should then wait on the south west corner ramp until proceeding to the east. 

   

  • Vehicles on the roadway now have a three way stop at the Borden Street and Cedar Hill X Road intersection. Cyclists have the right of way when using the raised cycle track crossing at the intersection. Cyclists are allowed to remain on their bikes when using the raised crossing but should always proceed with caution. 

 

Project features

The features of the project include:

  • A separated 3.0 - 4.0m wide bi-directional protected cycle track on Borden Street from the McKenzie Intersection to Cedar Hill Cross Road to the Lochside trail connection.
  • Relocated sidewalk on Borden and installation of new sidewalks on Cedar Hill Cross Road.
  • Reconfiguration of the Borden/Cedar Hill Cross Road intersection to improve visibility and safety.
  • Redefining the cycling and pedestrian space at McKenzie/Borden intersection to improve accessibility, visibility and safety.
  • Use of high visibility green conflict paint at strategic locations to improve user awareness of potential conflict zones.

Project background

Saanich's Official Community Plan (OCP) outlines a vision for vibrant, distinct neighbourhoods that provide a high quality of life for individuals and families, as well as a variety of travel modes to connect neighbourhoods and businesses. These traits all allow for the effective, efficient, and safe movement of people, goods, and services where walking, cycling, and transit are viable and popular travel options, resulting in less car dependence. OCP Policy specifically states to, “encourage and support non-vehicular transportation by providing a safe, interconnected, accessible and visually appealing cycling and walking network”.  

Saanich is actively working towards providing a balanced transportation network throughout the municipality. We aim to enhance pedestrian safety and mobility, as well as provide facilities that promote alternative modes of transportation. These are among the key initiatives the District is working towards as part of our strategic plan.

In October 2015 Saanich released a conceptual design outlining the proposed cycling and pedestrian improvements [PDF - 3.9 MB].

Engineering staff were on site October 2015 to discuss the project in person and received comments from the public. A online survey was posted for a duration of four months to actively seek feedback and comments towards confirming the concept before moving forward with detail design. We've listed our public consultation and survey results [PDF - 68 KB].

Funding for this project was partially supported by the Provincial Government through the BikeBC Cycling Infrastructure Partnerships Program (CIPP).