Editor:
At the Record’s website there is an invitation to comment on New Westminster’s bike lanes, and so I will share some remarks.
A number of years ago, as a member of the cycling advocacy group HUB, I made a presentation to the New Westminster school board seeking their endorsement of a safe, separated bike route to the new high school. My presentation was at least partly self-interested: I have two children who will attend NWSS and was worried there would not be a safe way for them to cycle to school. The school board endorsed HUB’s advocacy, and I am happy and relieved that city hall has made steps toward safe (if still incomplete) cycling access to the school.
As for the route of the Sixth Street cycling lanes, I am of two minds. Cycling lanes on busy roads have a disadvantage in that they put cyclists closer to the noise and toxic fumes of cars. On the other hand, they put cyclists closer to shops and are a more visible advertisement of cycling as a mode of transportation. Ultimately, I think Sixth Street is the right choice for bike lanes because cyclists need to access businesses on the street one way or another, and young people commuting by bike to school will want to be where the action is.
I feel that our city has done only the bare minimum when it comes to cycling safety, has done virtually nothing to advertise cycling as a transportation option, and should have had a complete network of separated bike lanes decades ago if they had any foresight. It has taken years of activism even to get the most minor improvements, but at least now we have something. Thanks to the separated bike lane on Seventh Avenue — even though it is potholed and slow to the point of insult — I can now ride with my children safely to Moody Park. And thanks to the improvements on Sixth Street, my commute to work is noticeably safer.
My family has a car, which we use sparingly, and cycling is my main mode of transportation. My trip to work is 10 kilometres; it takes me only 10 to 15 minutes longer than by car and builds exercise into my day. We are not rich, and cycling also saves my family money. By cycling to work I am helping to unclog our roads, and I don’t contribute to the toxicity of our local air.
If you are physically able to walk or cycle around our city, you really should. That is, unless you are afraid, which is a plausible excuse.
While most drivers are safe and respectful, there’s a certain proportion who clearly hate cyclists. I’ve had drivers verbally abuse me, attempt to force me off the road, pass me dangerously close and at high speed despite plenty of space, race me to stop signs to cut me off, pass me to make right turns — and some of these things, shockingly, when I’ve been riding with my children. It is especially for this reason we need safe, separated bike lanes. Again, city hall should be doing far, far more to promote cycling and make it safe in New Westminster.
Patrick Parkes
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