It is with a breath of fresh air that I read comments to the Comment page from city Coun. Chris Stephan.
He always brings up very interesting points.
With regards the Red Deer First group, I would think anyone running for a position on city council would have the whole of the city’s best interests at heart and therefore offer their abilities and talents to serve. Each offering themselves and as a whole make a working team. This is democracy at work.
But, to have a group of people run for council with the same mindset and preconceived as to what their agenda is, I believe, is far from democracy.
They are like a swarm of technocrats, or a church group that is going to take the city over and run it by a special agenda to change us all to their mode of thinking.
Then there is the bike lane issue. 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.
In saying this, I am very opposed to bike riding on sidewalks because to many of those people are not courteous riders, and I was in favour of bike banes but the way this city has installed them is just ludicrous.
To get an idea in how to install bike lanes, go to Kelowna, B.C. They have three-foot strips on designated streets for bikes and no buffer area. Kelowna has not taken driving lanes away, or parking spaces. Kelowna has been very responsible with their bike lane program. Vehicle traffic and bicyclists get along well.
Red Deer needs to rethink the bike lane program.
Carmen Wallace
Red Deer