City council has voted to move further ahead with an over $6 million option for bike lanes that would extend from Victoria Avenue, at 8th Street East to Taylor Street East.

Initially an option to create a bike lane on the west side of the road, for just over $758,000, was introduced but would have removed parking spaces on that side.

Councillor Cynthia Block motioned for a pricier $6.2 million option that would see bike-ways created on both sides of the road, by narrowing the median and removing trees, while maintaining existing residential parking spaces. She suggested the project needs to be done right the first time, by giving a city bike-way network the chance to succeed. Block added it is also unfair to take away parking on a residential street without an official policy to guide that.

That pricier option was passed by a vote of 6-4, on the condition that administration would look at cost saving options to lower the total bill of the project.

Councillor Zach Jeffries was among the councillors who opposed the $6.2 million option saying he would much prefer to come up with something more creative, believing surface parking could be created in the area for less than the nearly $6 million being proposed.

While the bike lanes will now be prioritized by the City, construction will not proceed until funding is secured and approved by council.