Penticton City Council has voted in favour of looking into grant opportunities to help fund a future infrastructure project that could involve bike lanes.
But not everybody at the table appeared eager to welcome the potential inclusion of cycling barriers.
"I have to be honest, I don't think there's a desire to go really into the bike lane conversation again right now," said Coun. Campbell Watt on Feb. 11. "I don't think anybody is naive in this room, we've all heard the exact same thing about bike lanes, and I don't want to deal with (bike lanes) right now."
Watt still voted in favour of preparing an application to the federal government's Active Transportation Fund, as council's decision didn't give staff the go-ahead to move forward with any plans.
The grant would help pay for the already-planned Duncan Avenue Corridor Rehabilitation Project, which would see surface restoration of the roadway proceed due to end-of-life utility renewals.
Mayor Julius Bloomfield and Coun. Isaac Gilbert were the other two 'yes' votes.
"I'm willing to support an application to a grant, but I know I wouldn't support anything that has a (concrete bike lane) barrier," Watt said.
Councillors Helena Konanz and Ryan Graham were opposed.
"I'm just hearing from so many people in the community that they don't want to build any more bike lanes," Konanz said. "I'm going to listen to what I'm hearing on the street and not support this."
Penticton began work on its controversial lake-to-lake bike lane in 2021. Concrete barriers have since been built on Martin Street, Fairview Road, and Atkinson Street.
Construction is currently underway on the project's final phase, along South Main Street toward Skaha Lake.
"With the completion of the lake-to-lake bike route, Duncan Avenue, Green Avenue and Lakeshore Drive rank as the next highest priorities in building out the cycling network in Penticton," reads a staff report to city council, dated Feb. 11.
The Duncan Avenue Corridor Rehabilitation Project would involve the reconstruction of the road, from Atkinson Street to Government Street, and "provide a much-needed east-west spine to the cycling network in the centre of the city," a staff report reads.
It would likely not involve constructing concrete barriers, as seen with other parts of the city's lake-to-lake network.
"Staff are cognizant of council's resolution prohibiting the use of pre-cast concrete barriers," reads a report, referring to a successful 2023 motion made by former councillor Amelia Boultbee to put separated bike lane projects off the table until at least 2026.
The city would "either consider grade-separated infrastructure as is being proposed for Eckhardt Avenue or poured in place concrete separated lanes at-road grade," it added.
If successful, the aforementioned grant would reduce the cost of reconstruction already work planned for Duncan Avenue.
Kristen Dixon, the city's general manager of infrastructure, said Duncan Avenue's utilities are in "fairly imminent need" of work.
The inclusion of bike lanes in the plan allowed the project to be eligible for the federal grant, she added.
"The rough cost of construction with the bike lane, or without the bike lane, is about the same," Dixon said. "If the city were to be successful for the grant, that then pays for a substantial cost for those surface works (on Duncan Avenue)."
Watt said he supports moving ahead with the grant application, but stressed it would "take some sort of perfect storm" for him to commit to a bike lane when the project returns to city council for further discussion.
"I don't think it's about just the cost, I think it's a bigger issue," Watt added.
