2-3-2 Bike map 3

Here is the first completed section of my Safe Bicycling Map for Smiths Falls. Comments appear beneath it. Feedback, especially error detection, is welcome. I can be contacted at davidhoffman@magma.ca

This is a map of Smiths Falls' downtown core with routes marked in green, yellow and red, denoting the stress level usually associated with those colours. Green streets have the least motor traffic, yellow streets have some traffic and red streets have the most. Five streets, Abbott, William Street West, Cornelia, Elmsley and Beckwith are such that avoiding them is recommended. William Street West does not have as much traffic as Beckwith but it is a narrow two-lane road that frequently has truck traffic. The same can be said about Elmsley.

Routes that are yellow denote some motor traffic is often present but not so much that the route should be avoided. Note that half way up William Street West a northbound yellow route is indicated; this acknowledges the presence of a gravel shoulder that is wide enough for safe bicycle travel. A similar yellow route descends southbound on Abbott Street from the intersection of William Street West to Strathcona for the same reason. Other yellow routes are shown extending west from Abbott Street and south of Strathcona, plus routes south of Cornelia and east of William Street West. These are actually routes through the parking lots of Cornelia Court and the Memorial Centre, which are safe to use as long as due regard is given to the presence of motor traffic.

A few green routes that are not streets are shown south and east of Park Avenue. The routes to the south connect Turtle Island on the Basin to the north shore and to Duck and Lock Islands. The Turtle Island-north shore connection and the Turtle Island-Duck Island (shown here as a peninsula before a channel was dug) are separate routes because there is no connecting path across lawns. The green routes extending east and southeast of Park Avenue extend through Centennial Park and along the Basin wall. A further non-road green route is shown extending south from Centennial Drive and Beckwith Street, which is a recreational pathway across foot bridges over new and old Combined Locks.