With respect to the letter by Carmen Wallace published April 3, 2013, which offers support for Coun. Chris Stephan’s motion to cancel the pilot project on bike lanes, I hope Red Deer city council will continue the pilot in order to gather the data needed.
Most of the bike lanes were established at the end of August 2012 and at least a full year of data should be considered to understand what worked well and what did not.
The city did remove several contentious bike lanes last fall in response to public complaints, which demonstrates their sensitivity to the public on this issue. To remove all the bike lanes without a full year of data would be a lost opportunity.
The City of Red Deer is seeking to accommodate various modes of travel as an alternative to driving. The Red Deer Association for Bicycle Commuting (I am a member) has provided input to the city in this regard.
There has been ongoing consultation with the public, for example, an online survey in 2011. If you go to the city’s website and search for ‘bike lanes,’ you will see a lot of links on this topic.
Incidentally, most cyclists are taxpayers too (or their parents are).
The city is seeking to balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers with safety as a primary concern. Cyclists will ride on the sidewalk if they do not feel safe on the road. The bike lanes provide space for cyclists on the road to travel more safely.
I don’t know if Kelowna’s bike lanes were considered in the design of the pilot project, but the city did look at various examples from other communities. The city will be in a better position to evaluate the pilot project with a full year of data and public feedback.
Bill Franz
Red Deer