
Photo by Whitehorse Star
ROAD MARKINGS REVISED – Chilkoot Way has new markings for the All Ages and Abilities route. Photo courtesy CITY OF WHITEHORSE
Photo by Whitehorse Star
ROAD MARKINGS REVISED – Chilkoot Way has new markings for the All Ages and Abilities route. Photo courtesy CITY OF WHITEHORSE
Whitehorse has taken another step toward connectivity and accessibility with the creation of the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) route along Chilkoot Way.
Whitehorse has taken another step toward connectivity and accessibility with the creation of the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) route along Chilkoot Way. It connects the Two Mile Hill pathway with the Riverfront Trail.
“Designed with a focus on accessibility, this innovative and inclusive active transportation route is set to transform the way residents and visitors experience our city,” the city said Monday.
“The route also encourages people of all ages and abilities to embrace healthier and more sustainable modes of transportation.”
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Comments (22)
Up 4 Down 5
L. Cabott on Aug 19, 2023 at 9:54 pm
Thank you for all of your comments!
The objective is to provide a safe cycle route across the City in this location. This initiative is meant to be safe for cyclists as well as vehicle traffic; it’s very unfortunate to read many comments suggesting the City has come up short in public consultation, project design, and public safety.
The City will correct deficiencies (if possible) in the design of the bike lanes and the safety aspects of the adjacent vehicle lanes.
Council has recently ascertained that there are occasional consultation deficits and some City surveys were sent out which clearly required more thoroughness. A recent example is the Whitehorse North Trail Survey which has been reworked and sent out a second time for additional public feedback.
Mayor and Council serve Whitehorse residents. If there are issues with the way that City initiatives are conducted, the City will do everything it can to improve the situation!
Thank You
Up 4 Down 1
Charlie's Aunt on Aug 18, 2023 at 6:33 pm
This is a nightmare and the bike lanes in Whitehorse could be hazardous. Motorist going north on 4th, stopped at red light at Ogilvie with right turn signal flashing. Light turns green, motorist checks all mirrors and does shoulder check before turning, but an Olympic wanna be cyclist speeds up on right just as motorist turns. Sound familiar? One of these days someone will be hurt.
Up 26 Down 2
DRV on Aug 17, 2023 at 9:26 pm
It might have been better to just ban cars from that roadway. Call it a pilot project. As it is, I feel very uneasy driving that section, and will be detouring through the mall parking. If you want to call that "traffic calming"...I find it a little Orwellian. And if you need to write an 800 word essay to explain how it works, I'd take that as a sign it's bad design. On Facebook, no less (governments really have to wean themselves off Facebook).
I wonder what the businesses think of the route, and how much they were consulted. It used to be galling how much sway businesses used to hold over council, now I seriously wonder if they're taken into account at all.
As for comparisons to Europe, the commenter makes a number of hyperbolic statements: "more cyclists than drivers"? Not that I noticed, and if there are more cyclists than here, could we not acknowledge the weather has to be a factor. From what I saw, though, public transportation is much more robust, and that's a significant contributor to reducing vehicle use.
I have never seen anything like this set-up anywhere. Maybe the commenter could actually name the places she saw similar layouts.
Up 32 Down 2
Sarah Davison on Aug 17, 2023 at 8:37 pm
If it ain't broke DON'T FIX IT.
Why does the City of Whitehorse have to import every single dumb idea from down South?
All this has done is cause traffic chaos, delays, and danger for pedestrians. No cyclists use these lanes EVER.
There are going to be traffic accidents and the victims should sue.
Up 57 Down 2
Eric Schroff on Aug 16, 2023 at 7:18 pm
What an awful mess. All the good intentions to increase the bike lanes will not bring back the first cyclist that is killed by this ill-informed, goofy idea. The person who made this decision should take a second look. If not, their boss should. The road is too narrow to accommodate this redesign.
Up 60 Down 2
Gilbert on Aug 16, 2023 at 5:40 pm
@Jillian…I am an avid cyclist as well and also have been to Europe. This is The Yukon and we have many many trails all in and around. This mirage of trying to be like Europe is simply unrealistic. For some reason the COW from within and though special interest groups are always trying to make this city into something it’s not, trying to emulate others areas of the world and there are plenty of examples, Chilkoot bikes lanes, shutting down main street etc etc. for the 4% of those who use a bike it’s made the city confounded, inefficient and down right dangerous.
Up 49 Down 2
IncreaseTrafficFlow on Aug 16, 2023 at 3:37 pm
And this is what happens when City engineers are implementing their own agenda without being reigned in. More idiocy to come, I am sure (and afraid).
Up 31 Down 5
Resident on Aug 16, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Cyclists need a protected path from Two Mill Hill to the Waterfront. This is not protected or safe. There's no reason something can't be worked out to make a path on the property line of the government compound. You cannot use the far side for cycling in winter anyway, making the suggested route convenient for riders as well as snow clearing.
The Alaska Highway work has the same problem. If you do not drive that section of road regularly, you have no idea where you should be in winter. I do not understand why barricades were not installed during the upgrades.
Up 5 Down 64
Jillian Chown on Aug 16, 2023 at 2:27 pm
I am an avid cyclist, and avid is an understatement. If you travel to other places in Europe and the US, Arizona in particular, these types of road set-ups are the norm and expected, as many more people cycle than drive a car. Canada, in general, really holds cyclist and cycling as a form of transportation with very little importance and respect. We are not a cycling friendly country, and its obvious in the comments here, which are very expected. I congratulate the COW for trying this, and I hope it sticks. Change is always hard, and fearlful for many. Every road in this city should have a decent size bike lane, on both sides of the rood.
Up 53 Down 3
Apex Parasite on Aug 16, 2023 at 9:17 am
I drove over / around / on this mess the other day. Super confusing and I'd wager that there will be potentially many instances where cyclists and cars will occupy the same space at the same time.
We run into this kind of problem solving regularly at work when dealing with government or large corporate structures. They simply dream up a process or an answer on paper without considering the real world functionality it seems at times. The process driven dreamers come up with the process and walk away leaving others to deal with / police / administrate / negotiate the fallout / real world application of what is to them, a simple thing.
If you look you see this sort of thing all the time. What might make sense to an engineer on paper and may seem simple to the planners makes no sense at all to lunch time Larry on a friday trying to make a right on to 2 mile hill.
Also, as long as we're on the subject of this connector, can someone please address the light at the other end on the connector? Good luck making a left there and I've chosen to run the red light in the am as I sit there for what feels like far too long with no other cars in sight. Saw a guy the other day exit his car to press the pedestrian crossing button because he was tired of waiting for the light.
Also also, please make the lights on main 4 way red flashing between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am.
P.S. The speed limit on the south access is ridiculous as is the 60 zone from 2 mile to the airline inn vicinity....80 is more than adequate and safe and is what the existing flow of traffic indicates day in and day out. Impose unreasonable process and have fun making sure others observe it, because they won't....because it is not reasonable.
P.S.P.S. Setting unreasonably low speed limits create more problems than problems solved. The problem drivers are still problems. 90 percent will drive at a reasonable rate albeit over the posted speed limit while 5 percent will passive aggressively observe the ridiculously low speed limit simply to aggravate others in a righteous way while the remaining 5 percent tear ass thru with little regard for anything at all which is their credo as they flip a bird to the righteous on their way by chooching black smoke and making loud noises.
Thanks and cheers,
Up 52 Down 5
Josey Wales on Aug 16, 2023 at 7:48 am
Wow...is that stretch of road a fantastic metaphor for all things government.
That ridiculous roadway/accessibility trail is going to result in serious injuries and as we can see...serious confusion.
Your wee safety posts will not save anyone there, or on mountain view.
Concrete jersey barriers will.
...ya know those things we should have on two mile hill...separating traffic opposing...on a hill...in a winter town...now rife with folks that never knew winter?
That disaster on mountain view?
...wee plastic posts...then a hole...those units I speak of can be moved from one site to the next.
Oh well, we can visit that idea after a few folks get messed up suppose?
Up 73 Down 2
Jesse on Aug 16, 2023 at 7:15 am
So this is probably the dumbest thing the city has done in lane changing. Chilkoot way was barely wide enough for the semi-trucks to make their deliveries, now when they turn there, they instantly take over the whole lane, so what happens when there's an accident due to poor planning because of the narrowed lanes that are barely wide enough now to allow a regular sized pickup to drive along. The 2% of the population who ride bicycles do not need a double wide bicycle lane along that road. Way to go City planners, I applaud you the Darwin award.
Up 18 Down 6
Cliff on Aug 16, 2023 at 2:46 am
Speaking of pathways peeps how could there be a firewood shortage when we need to double the width of our fire-breaks around the berg while we can. Surely we can't need further evidence as to the sagacity of this operation. Please let's not be "astonished" when our place gets hit with unreal winds and dryness. Alberta had recently put in an intent to double their width on fire-breaks but it's too late for some places. Let's get whacking!
Up 71 Down 2
cyclist on Aug 16, 2023 at 2:05 am
City of Whitehorse, this is a joke. I'm a cyclist and you should see the back lash on social media as well as the negatively caused by making this 'pathway'. Seriously do your research before springing this on the community!!! I will not use this 'pathway' as motorists are so angry and confused right now, I'm liable to be run over. A bike path will never be safe in congested area such as this, at least not how you planned it and with just paint lines! You're just fanning the flames of hatred between those motorists who hate having cyclists in 'their' road space (should be shared space but that's another matter to tackle). Check out Edmonton downtown if you want to see safe bike lanes with a barrier between the bike lane and vehicles. Your paint lines are dangerous, confusing, poorly advertised and you need to talk to actual commuters if you want a safe bike route anywhere downtown. Oh, and cyclists...use First Avenue or river trail. Why anybody would go down Second or a busy trafficked main road with two vehicle laneways is beyond me, or using the traffic lanes across the Riverdale bridge--use the bike path on the side of the bridge! I know how to cycle in traffic, but I prefer to stay alive and out of traffic routes on my bike commute to work.
Up 70 Down 2
John on Aug 15, 2023 at 10:13 pm
In all my years I have never seen such a more convoluted mess of directions. Fat lot it will do in the winter when the snow covers it all. This is not just silly but down right dangerous to everyone using Chilkoot Way. Instead of maintaining safety as the first and foremost element it is now like a turkey shoot. What a waste of time and money. All this for more wokism. Whomever was/is responsible for this silly mess - well let's just tar and feather comes to mind !!! Bloody ridiculous...
Up 58 Down 2
Nicky Bekant on Aug 15, 2023 at 9:44 pm
The general public was not adequately surveyed or informed about this change when it was at the proposal stage. This change is not "welcomed" by the majority of users on this roadway.
This is blatant pandering to a small group who might use this "improvement" for half the year at most. Germans have a fitting word for this sort of unwelcome government intrusion: Verschlimmbesserung, the word for an attempted improvement that only makes things worse.
If only this money had been spent on a left turn signal off 2 Mile Hill onto Chilkoot where it would actually do some good and solve a longstanding problem.
There are already 145 comments about this on the City of Whitehorse Facebook page and the majority do not agree with what CoW has done or how they did it behind our backs.
Up 61 Down 2
Stephen on Aug 15, 2023 at 9:12 pm
Turning right off of 2 mile onto Chilkoot is almost impossible with a sedan can you imagine the Texas 5th wheel turning onto that street crossing over the centre line…what is going on with this city…certainly nobody with a brain is in charge.
Up 28 Down 1
Nathan Living on Aug 15, 2023 at 8:21 pm
Just a thought, but a bike trail from the one on Two Mile Hill over to near the Carpet Market and then safe bike trails and crosswalks to Millennium Trail in 2 locations near Walmart.
Makes me feel very uneasy when I think about the Chilkoot Way bike trails.
Up 38 Down 2
caroline on Aug 15, 2023 at 6:34 pm
cars will use it for turning ...like on every other bike path
Up 75 Down 7
yukongirl on Aug 15, 2023 at 4:23 pm
That's why there is such a poor roadway design now on that street? To make it more accessible and safer? It's almost as bad as the road system designed decades ago downtown. I certainly hope Whitehorse hires better civic planners in future. That street is relatively new and bike lanes should have been part of the design. I had no idea what lane I should be in when I was there on the weekend. It's extremely confusing and if there was advertizing with respect to these changes, it certainly wasn't done outside Whitehorse.
Up 87 Down 4
Tu Shi on Aug 15, 2023 at 4:21 pm
Good luck in the winter.
Up 92 Down 15
Joe on Aug 15, 2023 at 4:04 pm
Way to go city , take one of the busiest crossovers in town, walmart, canadian tire, starbucks, save on, gas station and turn into a congested unsafe ( yes unsafe) street with a goofy section that no one uses. How much do you guys get paid? This is not a bike city, never will be.