The
city of Victoria is full of individuals who choose to commute to and from their
destinations by bicycle on a daily basis. People make this choice for a variety
of reasons, some simply love the workout that comes with biking, others don’t
want to contribute to further fossil fuel pollution, and many simply can’t
afford a vehicle. Regardless of reasoning, biking in Victoria has been on the
rise since I moved here in 2009 and with that has come changes to our bike
lanes.
Mayor
Lisa Helps introduced new bike lanes in Victoria’s downtown core in 2018 and I
believe they have created safer roadways for bicyclists, drivers, and
pedestrians. I avoided biking downtown due to the dangers of being hit by
drivers while I was stuck in a small portion between a driver’s side mirror and
the sidewalk, or riding in traffic amongst them. If I felt unsafe on the road I
would transition to the sidewalk but would be met with glares and comments from
pedestrians. Either option caused safety concerns for the bicyclist, pedestrians,
or drivers. The bike lanes have alleviated these concerns for all parties and I
am for the further expansion of Victoria’s bike lane system. The benefits of
bike lanes are more than road safety, there will be more places for bus stops,
more individuals choosing to ride bikes which will promote physical activity,
and may increase the sales for local businesses. Promoting physical activity by
enjoying the beautiful scenery that Victoria has to offer can only be seen as a
positive and the ability to quickly lock up your bike to help a local business
by making a purchase is something we should be encouraging.
The
expansion of Victoria’s bike lanes will create safer roadways for everyone and
allow people to feel safer biking around their city. These changes won’t come
without hiccups as we are retrofitting an old city but we should be moving forward
and not back. Individuals should voice their concerns and opinions regarding
these changes without wanting to abandon the idea all together.
