A recent letter attests to the potential for violence between cyclists and motorists, and it is not hard to understand why.
The writer mentions the “bike bus” which is a new term to me but I can only assume it refers to the packs of cyclists who ride two or three abreast and don’t give a damn about anybody. They run stop signs and I witnessed the pack riding through the crosswalk at Beach and Estevan almost hitting a mother and child in a stroller. He writes that cyclists have the same rights on the roads as motorists. Fair enough, so start following them.
With regards to bike lanes, why do the municipalities insist on putting them on main thoroughfares? Fort Street from downtown has been narrowed to almost one lane, and at Foul Bay the right turn line going towards Oak Bay Avenue has been designated a bike lane. Traffic wanting to go straight ahead toward the high school have to wait for traffic making right turns. If it’s around noon it can be a long wait as students cross there.
I understand Oak Bay is being pressured by the cycling fraternity to institute lanes and if they give in why not use Eastdowne or Dean streets instead of Cadboro Bay Road? Both those streets go all the way to Lansdowne.
Bike lanes are there to encourage healthy living and end the reliance on a motor vehicle. All they are doing is creating traffic tie-ups and more air pollution.
William Jesse
Oak Bay