Ottawa reacts to potential advisory bike lanes for Byron Avenue

Ottawa could become the first Canadian city to useadvisory bike lanes, and road users are reacting strongly to the idea online.

The City of Ottawa is looking at installingthe lanes on Byron Avenuebetween Island Park Drive and Sherbourne Avenue in hopes of slowing down traffic.

Advisory bike lanes are usedon roads that are toonarrow to accommodate two-way traffic and traditional bike lanes at the same time. Defined by dashed painted lines, they givevehicles an option to edgeinto the bike lane to avoid oncoming traffic, all the while yielding to cyclists.

They can be found in European and U.S. cities, generally on low-speed and low-volume roads.

We took to social media to askfor your thoughts on potential road changes.

Some see the project as dangerous and unnecessary

Wideningthe road is the better option to others

Some reacted strongly on Facebook

"So we will inconvenience 90% to accomodate 10%? Now to find a way for the 90% to pay for everything and this sounds like a perfect plan for Ottawa," writesClayton Desjardins.

"More accidents waiting to happen. Let's face it, neither drivers nore bikers are willing to give way when they think they're in the right. This will only cause more conflicts and accidents," writesDaniel Grenier.

"As a commuter cyclist I'd be willing to give it a try. A friend of mine cone told me 'Don't make streets wider, make them narrower'. Another freind of mine is cycling in urban India and he says he actually feels really comfortable because, although there are lots of vehicles, traffic is slower then here,"writes JulienLamarche.

For more reactions, check out the Facebook story: