Dear Editor:
As a driver and a cyclist, I must respond to the negative reaction to the bike lanes. First, this portion of Seventh Avenue is the widest residential street in town. If we can’t figure out how to accommodate the safe interaction of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians here, there is no hope anywhere else.
I have cycled almost every day through this area since the lines were painted. At the beginning, vehicle owners were parking in the bike lane. However, they now seem to have figured out where to park. If they park in the correct spots, then the likelihood of a passenger opening his/her door and “dooring” a cyclist does not exist as there is a buffer area between the parked vehicles and the cycling lane. Every car has a driver and it is the driver opening his/her door that poses the greatest risk to a cyclist. Moving the cyclist out of this danger zone is a big plus.
Before the lane was put in, I cycled the main part of the road and was able to dodge the potholes on the street. Unfortunately, now that I use the bike lane, I have to endure the poor quality of the pavement. The city could certainly look at better maintaining this section of the road. As far as the parking issues, I doubt very much that there is a reduced number of parking spots. Non-cyclists must remember that cyclists do shop and they do use local services, so increasing their safety enhances the business of local establishments.
Dale Darychuk, New Westminster
