Metro Vancouver Bike & Pedestrian Discussion

[jozero]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Bang On!
I am also a committed cyclist who would like some common sense applied to the visions promoted by a number of Metro municipalities. I would love better biking infrastructure in order to make it more efficient, less in conflict with car traffic, and more safe. However, the bike lanes we currently have downtown are enough. Until the percentage of travel by bicycles grows way beyond where it is today, I think it is stupid to remove car lanes and parking. Yah, we want to promote this green mode of transport. I think the current lanes do that. In fact, as well used as they are, their potency is more symbolic than anything. I have no trouble connecting up reasonable routes and creating new separated routes in less dense parts of the city, but the inner city is a grown up place; a place where fact and reason should govern. Again, it is simply true that not nearly enough people want to use bikes to get around. I do, but I'm not stupid enough to think my pure green cycling heart needs to win the battle over space.

The city needs to knock off the silliness and realize that their efforts need to be focused on transit!

As a bit of a side note, the best thing I ever did was hang up my road bike and pick up a mountain bike. In city traffic, I can go just as fast (close) and there is a lot of security (which reduces stress) in knowing I can't be thrown by a pebble or a grate, and that I can ride up a curb, or whatever, if I need to. I would have quit city cycling if I hadn't done this change. When the stats show a certain percentage of cyclists are injured or killed every year by traffic, I know that my mountain biking odds are considerably better.

I'd say both of you are looking at this wrong. You are both dedicated cyclists, you would bike no matter what. Our traffic issues won't be helped by creating more hard core cyclists, what we need is casual cyclists seeing it as a safe everyday mode of transport. Unless there is a solid *connected* *safe* network of bike lanes ordinary people will not see biking as a mode of transportation. Bike lanes are not meant to appeal to hard core cyclists, if they are only used by dedicated cyclists then they have failed. If instead even a small percentage of casual cyclists see the network, and think "you know, I think I can cycle to work safely or make a few trips via bicycle" then they have succeeded. That will not happen unless we have a full network of bike lanes - just like we have a full network of roads for cars even for making short trips.