Gravenhurst’s Mayor Paul Kelly says a bike path between Gravenhurst and Muskoka Lakes is a ways away, but he hopes the District of Muskoka considers it.
“It’s a District road, so the requirements to do this kind of thing would have to go through the District,” Kelly tells the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom.
The idea is to build a bike path along Highway 169 to connect Gravenhurst and Muskoka Lakes. Kelly says he wants this idea to be considered when District council discusses any repairs to the stretch of highway. He says the District’s Engineering and Public Works team would need to approve the plan.
“A lot of people are now biking in Muskoka,” Kelly says, adding that it poses some issues with bikes and cars having to share the road. If a proper bike lane were to be built, he says it will give bikers a safe place to be on the road, but it will require the District to put forward extra cash for the potential project.
“People are doing it now,” Kelly says of cyclists using the highway. “But it’s a very narrow space and potentially very dangerous.” He says this would be a way to address accessibility. “It’s also part of being green and the environment too and encouraging people to use their bikes whenever possible,” he adds. “But it has to be a safe environment.”
“There’s’ a lot of pieces to moving this kind of thing forward,” Kelly says. Right now, he says it’s in the “very early stages.” The motion from council has been sent to the District for review, but Kelly says it could take a while for them to review it. “They’ve got a long list of issues they’re dealing with,” he says.