Victoria’s first steps toward building a new network of separated bicycle lanes is being cheered by cyclists as transformative, but condemned by others as a retailer’s nightmare.
“We feel it’s the beginning of the transformation of transportation network in the city and will make bike riding considerably more comfortable and safe,” said Ray Straatsma, of the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition.
But Cook Street village businessman Bart Reed feels betrayed by the city council which, he says, paid only lip service to local business concerns.
“Now everybody assumes that there’s this good solution out there, but the reality is not that at all,” said Reed, who owns the Moka House and the Beagle pub.
The proposal still includes plans to eventually build separated bike lanes on Cook Street through the village, despite objections raised by all the local businesses which would rather see the lanes on Vancouver Street.
City councillors gave the green light this week to a $7.6-million first phase to build the first 5.4 kilometres of its planned “Biketoria” network of separated bike lanes by 2018. Initially, the work will focus on downtown, with the Cook Street leg initially stopping at Pakington Street.
But future phases call for the bike lanes to continue through the village, with the elimination of Cook Street’s centre turn lane and the development of parking-protected bicycle lanes, where parked cars are used to separate the bike lanes from traffic.
The model has been used successfully elsewhere, Straatsma said.
“We think that design is quite workable. More work needs to be done on it. Those lanes are not going to happen this summer or this year or maybe not even next year. So the businesses there need to get a good look at that new design,” he said.
But Reed said: “The only way you can remove the middle turn lane is by putting a whack or loading zones all over the place, which means you’re removing the parking. And you also have to keep your access for people with mobility issues, so you’re also going to have to create a minimum of two handicapped [spots].”
Concerns over safety, the loss of parking and congestion prompted Reed to circulate a petition this year. It was signed by every business in the village urging the city to run the bike lanes down Vancouver Street rather than down Cook through the village, he said.
But the petition fell on deaf ears.
Reed said using Cook for the bike lanes makes no sense. Retailers desperately need parking on Cook as more cross streets are designated residential-parking only, he said.
The village is the most congested spot in the area and the most dangerous, with constant traffic turning in and out of businesses and streets, Reed said. For those reasons three times the number of people already cycle on Vancouver as on Cook, he said.
Straatsma said Vancouver has more topography issues and residential parking would have to be removed to put bike lanes there.
Cyclists “want to go and ride to those shops and services and restaurants just like anybody in a car,” he said.
The overall plan approved by city councillors this week calls for further consultation for difficult areas such as Cook Street village, North Park, Oak Bay Avenue village and corridors in James Bay, but the city still plans to use Cook.
Coun. Chris Coleman, council liaison for Fairfield Gonzales, said he’s “absolutely” aware that many Cook Street merchants are frustrated by the proposal.
“Because it’s phased, they want a quick resolution saying: ‘No, it’s not going to be here,’ ” Coleman said. “I think what we’ve said is there’s still about three years opportunity to have the discussion and it may be that it doesn’t work there. We’ve given the direction that this is our intention, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to come to fruition.”
