ThereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of misinformation floating around about bike lanes, who uses them, and why we need them.
Our cityB次元官网网址檚 population is growing. Cars take up a lot of space, both on and off the road. The alternative to introducing space-efficient ways to travel, like transit and bike lanes, is constant, ever-increasing congestion. Bike lanes are part of the solution, not the problem. Almost every growing city in the world runs into this problem and comes to the same conclusions. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why there are extensive bicycle networks in cities around the world.
Victoria, overall, is pretty flat, and more and more people are choosing e-bikes, which make hills not matter. What does matter, for everyone, is the existence of a safe cycling network that connects people to where they need to go. I see more bicycles on Harbour Road than cars, and it would be good if the bike lanes there were wider, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not a reason to close Harbour Road to cars. But the writerB次元官网网址檚 argument would make it impossible for people to use bikes as safe transportation to sections of the city.
If you take a few minutes to observe who rides bikes around the city, youB次元官网网址檒l realize that there are a lot of seniors. My wife and I are both seniors, and my wife has mobility issues. If we want to use a car, we take a Modo, but thatB次元官网网址檚 no more than once or twice a month. I know multiple people who cycle but cannot drive, because, just as B次元官网网址渘ot everybody can use a bikeB次元官网网址�, itB次元官网网址檚 equally true that B次元官网网址渘ot everybody can use a car.B次元官网网址� ThatB次元官网网址檚 not an argument for eliminating cars, but it is an argument for expanding safe choices.
As for groceries, I can and do go grocery shopping on my cargo bike, and I can easily carry six bags of groceries. Any bike with panniers and a rack can carry two or three bags easily. Both my wife and I ride our bikes to the doctor, physiotherapy, other appointments, and even when we go out to dinner. Sometimes my wife rides on the back of mine (thereB次元官网网址檚 a seat and handlebars).
The city does, in fact, clear snow from some bike lanes. They use a Bobcat that was purchased originally for landscaping work. It has a brush attachment and is deployed, first, to clear critical sidewalks like the Johnson Street Bridge, and second for clearing bike lanes. It is not suitable for clearing roads.
People often overestimate the cost of the bike lanes, because they are generally done as part of much larger projects. The city doesnB次元官网网址檛 do new surface work on roads when they know that there is underground utility work coming up. Instead, the city waits until it needs to dig up a road, and then does resurfacing (including, in some cases, safe bike lanes) at the same time. It saves us millions of dollars to do it this way. Also, much of the cost of our active transportation network was paid for through provincial and federal grants.
Finally, protected bike lanes have been proven, over and over again, to save lives. There have been extensive studies around the world that show that the vast majority of cycling injuries come from collisions with cars and trucks.
So, yes, please stop the insanity.
Jim Mayer
Victoria
