Coun. Deb Doherty faced a dilemma this week at the council table, feeling stuck between trees and a bike lane.
Town staff took their second kick at the can for their proposed redesign of Sixth St. to add one-way cycling tracks to each side of the street following public outcry over the first design, which instead included a two-way cycle track. The trade-off, however, is the town will have to remove all 36 trees along the north side of Sixth St. in order the make the new design work.
“This is the biggest conundrum I’ve ever faced as a member of council,” said Doherty, during the May 22 council meeting, noting she has always been an advocate for both maintaining tree canopy and improving cycling infrastructure in town.
“This is not the last time we will be faced with this challenge because of the way our streets are designed.”
The 1.3-kilometre stretch of Sixth Street between Hurontario and High Streets is due for watermain replacement to improve water supply and pressure to the western side of Collingwood via the Stewart Road Pump Station, and while the town is making those necessary repairs, it’s reconsidering the streetscape’s current design.
The street currently has two 3.3-metre-wide vehicular lanes, two 1.5-metre-wide painted, but not signed, bike lanes and a 1.5-metre-wide sidewalk on the north side only.
There were five new designs for the street considered by staff for implementation for the project, however, staff originally recommended an option that would see two 3.5-metre-wide vehicle lanes, a 1.5-metre-wide sidewalk on the north side and a three-metre-wide two-way multi-use bicycle trail on the south side of the road.
Safety concerns were raised specifically about the town’s plans to include a two-way bike lane/multi-use trail in the design by both local cycling advocate Justin Jones and the town’s trails and active transportation advisory committee. This past October, Coun. Deb Doherty put forward a motion calling on staff to go back to the drawing board on the design, to include one-way cycling tracks on either side of the street.
Changes from the previous design shown to councillors on Wednesday include reducing the vehicle lanes from 3.5 to 3.3 metres wide, having 1.5-metre one-direction cycling tracks on each side of the road that are raised and separated from the vehicle lanes. There will be a substantial grassed boulevard on the north side, and a smaller boulevard on the south side. The sidewalk on the north side only will remain.
There are currently 36 trees on the north side of the street, which will all need to be removed under the new design presented on Wednesday. There are between 20 and 25 replacement trees being considered.
However, that wasn’t comforting to many councillors.
“I could not, in all good conscience, be known to support something that’s going to eliminate 36 trees. I don’t want to be attached to it,” said Coun. Kathy Jeffery, while asking if there was still a design approval process to come. CAO Sonya Skinner clarified that the presentation was a courtesy review without a requirement for council approval.
“I think this is a horrible position to put members of council in,” said Jeffery.
Councillors proposed multiple solutions to the problem including moving some trees to the south side, or planting new trees at a two-to-one ratio in other areas of town to make up for the loss, but one suggestion by Mayor Yvonne Hamlin seemed to curry favour with other councillors.
“What if we offered to plant on private property?” asked Hamlin. “Most people would love to have a tree on their property. Not everybody, but most would.”
Hamlin built on the idea that residents who took the town up on their offer could get the trees free of charge.
Current project timelines will see the entire project completed by 2030 in a phased approach, with Hurontario to Oak Street expected in 2026 and Oak to High Street expected in 2027.
At the end of council’s committee of the whole meeting, both Mayor Yvonne Hamlin and Coun. Kathy Jeffery put forward notices of motion asking staff to come up with a process to allow trees to be planted by the town on private property, at no cost to Sixth St. property owners, to replace the 36 being removed through the Sixth St. redevelopment. Jeffery’s notice of motion added that staff still replace removed trees at a two-to-one ratio.
The motion will be considered at a future council meeting.
