In his letter to the editor published on April 3, Carmen Wallace states that “[Councillor Chris] Stephan is right to introduce a notice of motion to cancel the pilot project on bike lanes. This was brought on us without the taxpayers’ input. The bicycles association, along with a very few vociferous people, managed to convince council that bike lanes were needed in Red Deer.”
Mr. Wallace goes on to explain that he is “very opposed to bike riding on sidewalks” and that he was “in favour of bike lanes” and goes on to suggest that Red Deer adopt a system of bike lanes similar to that used in Kelowna.
The bike lane pilot project is just that — a pilot project. It is an initiative intended to gauge what works and what doesn’t work to facilitate safe commuter cycling in Red Deer.
This pilot project was introduced in response to a number of suggestions, including advocacy by the Red Deer Association for Bicycle Commuting (which I assume is the “bicycles association” referred to in Mr. Wallace’s letter; I’m not sure what “vociferous people” he refers to, as I have only encountered vociferous opposition to the bike lanes).
In other letters to the editor and in other forums, I have read numerous statements that the bike lanes were installed to satisfy “special interest groups.” I’m not sure exactly what is meant by that term, but would agree that it is accurate if “special interest groups” includes those people who ride bicycles, drive and park vehicles, walk on sidewalks or breathe air. All of these people stand to benefit from a safe, accessible, and widely-used system of commuter cycling facilities.
As for taxpayers’ input, I would point out that those advocating for commuter cycling facilities in Red Deer are taxpayers every bit as much as those arguing against them. Perhaps what Mr. Wallace means is that “nobody came to my door to ask me about bike lanes and I didn’t bother to fill out the online survey.”
Maybe something akin to the Kelowna system would work in Red Deer and maybe it wouldn’t. However, it would be foolhardy and expensive to simply adopt that system without careful analysis and experimentation with its application in Red Deer. There are some problems with the pilot lanes that have been installed — some real and some sophistry — but we now know what some of those problems are, and after the conclusion of the pilot project, the city will be in a position to assess and address each of those problems in any future projects.
Terminating the pilot project before reliable information, data, and feedback can be gathered would entirely defeat the purpose of the pilot project, rendering it a true waste of money, and it would not serve the interests of anybody, including those opposed to bike lanes.
Jane Mueller
Red Deer