[Saint John, NB] 🚲 Active Transportation 🛴

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

To steal a line/thread idea from the Moncton Active Transportation thread, inspired by a thread on the Halifax forum:

"I think it's about time we have a place to talk about non-car related transportation like cycling or walking."

I think we've had lots of talk about non-car related transportation in the Saint John threads, but we still didn't have a dedicated thread for active transportation... so I thought I'd get on that.

Clearly, there's many, many areas of improvement for active transportation in Saint John.

What current areas of active transportation need the most improvement in Saint John?

What are some of the best ways Saint John can improve its active transportation infrastructure?

How can we make the streets safer and better for motorists and cyclists alike?

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Image: City of Saint John

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

The City of Saint John is excited to announce upcoming improvements to Station Street and City Road that will enhance safety and active transportation options for all road users.

Starting the week of October 13, (weather permitting), dedicated bike lanes will be painted on both sides of Station Street and City Road, stretching from Smythe Street to the Stanley Street active transportation bridge. These enhancements are part of the Trans Canada Trail and support the City's long-term transportation strategy, MoveSJ, which aims to create a more connected and sustainable urban mobility network.

In addition to the new bike lanes, a Road Diet will be implemented on both streets. This means a reduction from four vehicle lanes to three, helping to:

Maintain good traffic flow for motorists
Encourage safer driving speeds
Improve pedestrian safety
Create space for the new bike lanes
These changes reflect the City’s commitment to building a safer, more inclusive transportation system that supports walking, cycling, and driving.

We appreciate your patience during this transition and encourage everyone to explore these new routes once complete.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

The City of Saint John is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Main Street Activation Project, a transformative initiative aimed at improving safety, accessibility, and traffic flow for all road users. This milestone marks a significant investment in the city’s transportation infrastructure and reflects our commitment to building a safer, more connected community.

The reconstruction project introduced a number of key upgrades and design changes to better serve motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians:

Key Changes for Motorists:

• Reduced Road Width: Main Street now features two lanes in each direction, promoting calmer traffic and safer conditions.
• Intersection Reconfigurations: Sight lines have been improved at Station Street, Paradise Row, and Portland Street. Stop signs were added at Station Street and Paradise Row to enhance traffic control.
• New Traffic Signals:
• Route 1 Eastbound Off-Ramp (Red Rose Building): A new signal improves traffic flow and provides safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. Motorists should be prepared to stop.
• Main Street, Metcalf Street, and Simonds Street: This intersection now includes vehicle detection technology. Left turns from Main Street onto Metcalf Street are no longer permitted.
• Bike Boxes: Green-painted zones at intersections provide cyclists with a safe space to wait. Drivers must stop ahead of these boxes.
• Cross Rides: Green-painted crossings highlight bike crossing zones and improve visibility for drivers.
• New Yield Condition: Vehicles turning right from Union Street onto Main Street must now yield.

Improvements for Cyclists:

• Protected Bike Lanes: Installed alongside vehicle lanes for safer cycling.
• Bike Boxes and Signals: At Main Street, Metcalf Street, and Simonds Street intersection, cyclists must wait in designated bike boxes and obey traffic signals. Left-turn bike boxes are provided for safe turning.
• Bike Detection: Overhead sensors at key intersections activate bike signals when cyclists stop at designated areas.
• Multi-Use Paths: Installed in both directions:
• Eastbound across the Viaduct
• Westbound between Metcalf Street and Lansdowne Avenue
• Cyclists should use the lane closest to traffic.
• Reminder: Cyclists must follow all traffic laws, including stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding when required, and using hand signals when turning.

Enhanced Safety for Pedestrians:

• Audible Pedestrian Signals were installed at the Main Street and Metcalf Street and Route 1 Eastbound Ramp intersections.
• Tactile Walking Surface Indicators have been added to all major crossings to assist visually impaired pedestrians.
• New Crosswalk Beacon: A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon with audible tones was installed at the Route 1 Westbound ramp crossing on the Viaduct.
• Multi-Use Paths: Clearly marked paths separate pedestrian and cyclist zones. Pedestrians should stay to the outer edge of the path.

Here's what the "bike lanes" looked like 14 years ago:

• Video Link

and here is a video of the project from the CBC a few months back:

• Video Link


I'd say the only thing missing from this project (and missing from Saint John's cycling situation in general) is a city bike rental system:





A dozen or so of these type of stations scattered around the Harbour Passage and major bike routes like Main Street would fundamentally transform active transportation and cycling in Saint John for the better.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

• Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN5muvQ0-tM

Rare Nanimo, BC shoutout! Love to see less populated places become more people-friendly by being more accommodating to non-car transportation. Indeed, sometimes those places are better than the bigger city centres in terms of people-oriented infrastructure. This seems like a prime example of that.

Just saw this posted on the main Canada forum. Nanaimo, BC is quite a good comparable to Saint John, even if it's a slightly smaller CMA than Saint John (but probably not for long). I think Nanaimo is even quite sprawled out like Saint John is, along with being bounded by the sea.

Bike lanes are also a topic of ire for a some vocal "motorists rights" folks in Nanaimo too, but Nanaimo's bike lane strategy is far more ambitious and far reaching than anything we've seen proposed for Saint John.

For the most part, Nanaimo seems to be getting a lot of good press for its investments in bike lanes and cycling infrastructure. Nanaimo even has an e-bike sharing program with 100 e-bikes across 16 locations, putting them eons ahead of the City of Saint John in terms of making cycling a more accessible and convenient mode of active transportation.


Saint John does have e scooters and bicycle rentals, but they are at tourist trap prices, and not priced to be an affordable means of transportation for residents of Saint John, as they are in other Canadian cities.



The Nanaimo e-bike program, however, is especially affordable for residents:

To ensure accessible transportation costs, frequent riders can choose a monthly subscription ($9.99) for a significantly lower per-minute rate of $0.10.

A system like the one in Nanaimo would be huge for Saint John. 100 electric bikes across 16 stations that could be rented for as cheap as $0.10 per minute would be an absolute game changer for active transportation in Saint John. Also, helmets are legally required for people riding bicycles in BC, just like the case is here in NB. I still think NB would be better off getting rid of the helmet requirement and instead strongly recommend them as is the case in most of Canada, but Nanaimo proves that even when helmets are legally required, bike sharing programs can be an affordable and accessible form of transportation.

Saint Johners deserve better than $20 an hour e scooter rentals and $30 an hour e bike rentals.

[thefishingnut]

It's bizarre to compare Saint John with locations which effectively don't have winters. Of course they have better bike infrastructure, they can be used 12 months a year, and someone renting scooters can count on 12 months rental so of course the rental rates are going to be lower.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by thefishingnut

It's bizarre to compare Saint John with locations which effectively don't have winters. Of course they have better bike infrastructure, they can be used 12 months a year, and someone renting scooters can count on 12 months rental so of course the rental rates are going to be lower.

How bizarre, bizarre

And how about Montreal's winter? Should they not have e-bike rentals and a city bike sharing service either?

So Saint John's 3 months of snow on the ground means the hell with the other 9 months?

Saint John's winters are actually pretty mild compared to most other places in Canada. Just because we don't have extremely mild winters like coastal BC, doesn't mean we can't have some sort of bike sharing program in Saint John. What an absurd preposition. The existence of winter doesn't mean we couldn't have a successful bike sharing program in Saint John, nor does it mean we shouldn't compare Saint John to cities with better cycling infrastructure and bike rental/ bike sharing programs.

e-Bike and e-scooter sharing programs are usually run as non profits. If I recall correctly, e-scooters costs a flat $20 an hour to rent in Saint John. Perhaps there are cheaper options now, and I'm not aware? But that's hardly a non profit model that benefits residents of the city. $30 an hour e-bike rentals are not going to help promote cycling as a means of transportation in Saint John.

In Halifax, where they have "actual winters", unlike Nanaimo or Vancouver, e-scooter rentals are quite affordable:

E-scooters in Halifax are rented through the HFX e-Scooters app, with a cost of $1.45 to unlock and an additional $0.36 per minute for usage, plus HST. There is also a $10 pre-authorization charge, and you can find options for discounted day, week, or monthly passes.

Standard rental costs:
Unlock fee: $1.45
Per minute: $0.36

Halifax is also now running a Shared Micromobility pilot project (bike and e-scooter share)

Saint John obviously isn't going to have as many bikes or stations as Halifax, but I see no reason why we shouldn't push for more affordable and accessible bike rentals and bike sharing programs here in the Port City. I dare you to believe in the power of positive change, FishingNut!

[Taeolas]

I'm not sure what SJ Transit does, but I know a few years ago, due to popular demand, Fredericton Transit started leaving the bike racks on their buses year round; so you could use them in the depths of winter if you happened to be biking.

I've noticed there's a decent number of all-season bikers here in Freddy, making use of the trail system and bike lanes we've got here. And Freddy is a lot wintier than SJ is.

SJ's main concern is freezing rain, but otherwise, as pointed out, its winters are mild compared to most of Canada. With the right trail infrastructure, biking year round would certainly be a thing.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

And how about Montreal's winter? Should they not have e-bike rentals and a city bike sharing service either?

I tend to lurk on here only but this is an issue that annoys me due to the stubbornness. For many years in Halifax people would say "we can't have ____" because of climate (take your pick: bikes, transit, walkable shops, window curtain wall, patios, parks open in winter). There are cities out there with colder and longer winters (like Montreal) that disprove these claims. These days most of those things do now exist in Halifax and people were just wrong or the old opinions eventually became outdated.

It is true that few will want to e-bike in extreme conditions like a snow storm or -20 but those are only a few days per year even in most cities with significant winters. The most extreme events tend to stick in people's minds but they aren't the day to day norm. And they're often not good car commuting days either!

The "no winter" BC thing is sort of a semi-truth. Nanaimo actually averages 68 cm of snow per year for example. It is milder but there is winter weather, often with poor snow clearance. You really have to go to California to get an actual year-round no-snow climate.

Hills were more of an issue with cycling but small electric vehicles have totally changed the calculus. Hybrid work from home also changed things for a lot of people; if there is a snow storm they work from home that day, and if it's sunny they go in.

[thefishingnut]

Went from Rothesay Ave. to a client on Clipper Passage around 4 and back to the office, decided to take the scenic route and go on the Main St. bypass where the new bike lanes are. Immaculate, you could put pictures in a magazine they are so beautiful. $3.8 million. +14c today, not a bad day for biking.

An observation. Not a single bike on the new pathways during my return trip.

I'm not anti-bike. I have a mountain bike, I ride it. When I lived in Toronto, I often commuted to work from East York to King and University, largely taking off street route along the river by the DVP.

The money spent on these lanes is wild.

$3.8 million, you know that if you gave that money to Marcel, he could build 380 tiny homes with it? You could take every tent down in the city and house people for the same coin that the Main St. lanes cost.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by thefishingnut

Went from Rothesay Ave. to a client on Clipper Passage around 4 and back to the office, decided to take the scenic route and go on the Main St. bypass where the new bike lanes are. Immaculate, you could put pictures in a magazine they are so beautiful. $3.8 million. +14c today, not a bad day for biking.

An observation. Not a single bike on the new pathways during my return trip.

I'm not anti-bike. I have a mountain bike, I ride it. When I lived in Toronto, I often commuted to work from East York to King and University, largely taking off street route along the river by the DVP.

The money spent on these lanes is wild.

$3.8 million, you know that if you gave that money to Marcel, he could build 380 tiny homes with it? You could take every tent down in the city and house people for the same coin that the Main St. lanes cost.

The last three days have been pretty nice fall days. I've been back and forth to town via Millidge Ave and Somerset 3 times, via Main St once and driven the length of University Ave 3 times. Not. one. cyclist. seen.

The one cyclist I have seen in the past week or so on a street with bike lanes was last weekend on Somerset. He was going the wrong way......without a helmet.......on the sidewalk......with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth

[sailor734]

"$3.8 million, you know that if you gave that money to Marcel, he could build 380 tiny homes with it? You could take every tent down in the city and house people for the same coin that the Main St. lanes cost."


Absolutely food for thought. Everything a city spends it's limited resources on involves an assessment of priorities. In this instance I question the city's priorities.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

Also, more money for Harbour Passage, looks like they will attempt the full extension from Reversing Falls to the west side and some repairs for the Falls Lookout.

It's good to see that the city is committed to improving the Harbour Passage system, however, I don't think completing the extension from the West Side to Reversing falls will really change much for pedestrians or even cyclists on either peninsula. These changes will be mainly cosmetic.




Short of bringing back a ferry system, or building a cross harbour pedestrian tunnel, investing in a Harbour Bridge pedestrian/cyclist link is the best option we have to promote walking and cycling between the Carleton and Central Peninsulas on each side of the Harbour. Such a link would be worthy of the name "Harbour Passage", which I'm sorry to say remains a bit of a misnomer with no direct passage across the harbour.

I think the city and our regional leaders should be heavily leaning on the province and the DTI to deliver on a solution for a Harbour Bridge active transportation link. It would be 60 years late... but still, better late than never! This isn't the type of project the City of Saint John could pull off on its own, even if it wanted to, as the bridge is under provincial authority, but it's the type of project that deserves provincial funding.



It shouldn't take over 1.5 hours to walk between two points in our city separated by less than 1km as the crow flies. We should have better options for pedestrians on both sides of the harbour than an incredibly indirect 6-7km route.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by sailor734

"$3.8 million, you know that if you gave that money to Marcel, he could build 380 tiny homes with it? You could take every tent down in the city and house people for the same coin that the Main St. lanes cost."


Absolutely food for thought. Everything a city spends it's limited resources on involves an assessment of priorities. In this instance I question the city's priorities.

And for much less than than that, we could have a city bike sharing system so people could affordably rent bikes and fill up those bike lanes you like to complain about being empty.

[bingun]

While the renderings from the North End Plan have got most people's attention, there was a page related to active transportation, and I think it is interesting to look at.

Firstly, the potential Harbour Passage expansion we discussed previously remains unchanged and extends all the way up Crown Street to Lily Lake.

Secondly, there is a 'Potential Future Trail along Waterfront'. This is really interesting and not something I have seen suggested or considered before. It is hard to see on the map, but there is a light blue dotted line stretching from Douglas Avenue to the Power Boat Club and up almost as far as Woodward Avenue.

I am not sure what impact this would have on existing properties, but this is an exciting idea and something I would love to see become reality one day. It would connect to Harbour Passage and provide an alternative route, one that passes the falls with views of the Saint John River.

Lastly, there is a 'Proposed trail loop'. I need to study this one further to see the suggested route, but it's interesting nonetheless. The same goes for the pedestrian crossings, I would have to drive around to remind myself of the current setups.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

While the renderings from the North End Plan have got most people's attention, there was a page related to active transportation, and I think it is interesting to look at.

Firstly, the potential Harbour Passage expansion we discussed previously remains unchanged and extends all the way up Crown Street to Lily Lake.

Secondly, there is a 'Potential Future Trail along Waterfront'. This is really interesting and not something I have seen suggested or considered before. It is hard to see on the map, but there is a light blue dotted line stretching from Douglas Avenue to the Power Boat Club and up almost as far as Woodward Avenue.

I am not sure what impact this would have on existing properties, but this is an exciting idea and something I would love to see become reality one day. It would connect to Harbour Passage and provide an alternative route, one that passes the falls with views of the Saint John River.

Lastly, there is a 'Proposed trail loop'. I need to study this one further to see the suggested route, but it's interesting nonetheless. The same goes for the pedestrian crossings, I would have to drive around to remind myself of the current setups.

Great to see this sort of commitment to active transportation.

While I understand this was part of the North End's plan, it still would have been nice to see the potential expansion of the Harbour Passage across the Harbour Bridge reflected on this map.

Hopefully closing that massive active transportation gap between the West Side and Central Peninsula is reflected as a priority on the map when the city gets around to creating a new West Side plan.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by zoomer

Oh the Urbanity! finally made it out to Victoria:

• Video Link

Their conclusion:

"Victoria is one of the few places where I really felt: yah, I could live here and get around by by bike more-or-less like I do in Montreal. And that's really cool to see from a small city."

Originally Posted by zoomer

And another video on cycling infrastructure in Victoria that just came out. Some really good footage in this one.

• Video Link

Quoting two posts from one of my favourite posters from the main Canada forum, and Saint John fan, Zoomer… from a bigger, smaller city on the West Coast, Victoria, BC.

Victoria has made leaps and bounds over the past decade, and is now considered one of, if not the most, bike friendly city in North America. (And yes, of course, Victoria has an extensive bike sharing system) Still, bikes only account for less than 15% of traffic in Victoria, so even they probably have lots of motorists and complainers saying, “what’s the point”. I’d say the point is Victoria is a healthier, more vibrant because of their bike friendly infrastructure.

Sure, Saint John isn’t quite as blessed with mild winters like Victoria is, but if you watch these videos, you’ll see Montreal and Minneapolis or two of the other cities vying for most bike friendly city in North America… and last time I checked, Saint John has a positively balmy winter climate compared to Minneapolis or even Montreal.

Prioritizing bike lanes and cycling infrastructure might be one of the only smart things the city council has done for decades.

If Saint John’s Rockwood Park can be lucky enough to be chosen as the location for the first National Urban Park in Canada it could be a huge catalyst for further investing in cycling infrastructure.

When it comes to cycling infrastructure in Saint John the mantra should be, “All Trails Lead to Rockwood Park”.

My vision for Rockwood National Urban Park involves not just incorporating the current park boundaries as a national park, but expanding the park to include Partridge Island and part of Bayshore Beach/ Fort Dufferin, finally securing the federal funding needed to reopen the island to the public. This exclave of the main site of the park would be connected by an extensive system of bike lanes, off street bike trails, and enhanced public transportation linkages.

While I don’t agree with Adam on much, I do agree that Saint John needs far more off street bike trails and walking paths so that more people can get out and enjoy this beautiful city we call home.

I may have been critical of Saint John Cycling in the past for their fixation on Rockwood Park, as they seem to focus much more on mountain bike trails in that park instead of advocating for better, safer bike infrastructure for the rest of Saint John, but they are uniquely positioned to advocate for Rockwood Park opportunity to become a National Urban Park, which can be huge for Saint John.

Also, perhaps I’ve been a bit too hard on SJ cycling, perhaps they have got more done behind the scenes than I’ve given them credit for. I’m not sure if it’s their advocacy behind the scenes (including their government lead Nick Cameron) that’s led to the City of Saint John prioritizing bike infrastructure, but it’s undeniable that Saint John has made huge progress in recent years in terms of improving cycling infrastructure. So if SJ Cycling’s advocacy efforts are a big reason for the cycling improvements we’ve seen recently, I should be singing their praises more often.

Anyways, I’m still working on my proposal for the Rockwood National Urban Park that incorporates Partridge Island as part of the park, but I hope to post it on here over the holidays. Haven’t been out on the ice spikers yet, but I’m going to have to get out there soon and post a video riding the Main Street bike lane! Sailor, be on the lookout!

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

In case anyone's interested, re: the Harbour Passage extension, I put together a brief for the city's 2021 RFP for the Strategic Real Estate Capital Reserve Fund. It was a conceptual stopgap for future Harbour Passage extension from Crown & Pitt to Crown & Union. Pleased to see they're finally tackling this, but a little apprehensive of what it'll do to the Crown Street overpass.

COURTENAY BAY LINEAR PARK

IIRC the city is extending the passage from Carmarthen to Wentworth over this summer while rebuilding that block of Broad, and has approved lengthening it as far as Pitt.

Looks good. IMO, this extension should be a bigger priority than the “loop” on the west side. Still, think the number one priority should be a harbour bridge pathway… but let’s see what the future brings.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Haven’t been out on the ice spikers yet, but I’m going to have to get out there soon and post a video riding the Main Street bike lane! Sailor, be on the lookout!

I'll steel myself so the shock of seeing one of SJ's bike lanes actually being used .....by a bike.....going the right way....with a rider wearing a helmet doesn't cause me to swerve off the road!

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

There is a second public meeting about Harbour Passage, but they don't appear to have advertised it. It is on Tuesday lol.

After careful consideration and extensive discussions with City staff regarding the location of the trail, Glenn Group has developed a preliminary design for the extension of Harbour Passage, from Riverview Drive to Riverview Avenue. A Public Information Session has been set for the following date and time to allow residents and businesses an opportunity to view the preliminary design and 3D renderings, ask questions and give their feedback.

The following Public Information Session will be held in a drop-in format:
Carleton-Kirk United Church
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
2:00 – 4:00 pm and 6:00 – 8:00 pm
1 Carleton-Kirk Place, Saint John, NB

I’d like to know how much this extension is expected to cost. The trail already exists today and is one of the few examples of a Saint John Cycling trail built outside of Rockwood Park. Saint John cycling was able to improve this trail for a very small cost and through the volunteer efforts of its members…

I expect this plan to pave the path and incorporate it into the Harbour Passage system will cost over a million, and won’t really improve the trail. Arguably, paving this trail will take away from the experience of the trail as it exists today.

The city could buy a lot of bikes for a bike share program for the cost of this “improvement” project l… which would actually be a viable active transportation solution for getting between the West Side and Uptown on a bicycle. If the city heavily invested in bike sharing stations along the Harbour passage and Main Street we’d see a lot more people riding bikes in Saint John.

The biggest reason I rarely ride my bike Uptown is fear of it being stolen. Bike sharing stations would eliminate that obstacle/fear.

I love the Harbour Passage, but I really think we need to get on bike sharing stations first, before more marginal, vanity extensions like this one proposed for Riverview Drive West.

E-scooters shouldn’t be the only form of readily accessible rental transportation… Saint John needs city bike rental stations (at non tourist trap prices) to fill those empty bike lanes.


Also, does anyone know why the Glenn Group from Fredericton gets so many of the city’s contracts for stuff like this? I remember they were the firm that had plans for a Marketplace West redevelopment that included plans for an all season outdoor hockey rink.

The Marketplace West section of the Harbour Passage is the saddest, most disjointed part of the Harbour Passage and a bit of a slap in the face to West Siders, imo. It’s like, look, Uptown is right there… but you gotta walk 90 minutes mostly in the wrong direction to get there… because there’s no Harbour Bridge pathway. Whether this existing trail is paved or not will make very little impact on people deciding to walk or ride a bike.

There’s far better infrastructure the city could invest in, like pedestrian overpasses to better connect the West Side across the Throughway, along with old ideas, like ferries, and yes, even tunnels! ⛴️🚇

Obviously most of these things cost more money than this planned existension of the Harbour Passage will cost, and we’d need help from the province and feds to make any of those ideas possible, but not even tunnels are out of the realm of possibility if enough people can be convinced of the value.

For now, I’d like to posit that investing a few million in bike sharing program would be a far better choice for the city than this proposal to pave and “improve” a trail that already exists. Surely Saint John’s leaders could step up and convince the province and federal government to invest in a bike sharing system for Canada’s oldest city. 😌