Bike Lane Expansion

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.