Editor,
The idea of bike lanes or the recently invented “sharrows” as proposed by the Enhancement Committee is innovative and is only exceeded by the lack of thought that went into its proposal. The idea of removing parking on the north side of Fourth Street ranks right up there with the triangular wheel. Why people on the north side of Fourth Street should be denied parking has yet to be explained. The idea that “sharrows” will make the streets safer for children is the first misconception by the committee as it evidently does not know, or wishes to ignore, the student population of Revelstoke. Drive down Fourth Street now and you will find the bike crowd all over the road, the adult population however can be counted on your thumbs.
What does the committee suggest for cyclists at night? What rules if any should be in place, again the adults are noted by their absence. What does the committee propose for snow removal? With snow placed in the middle of the road, there is hardly enough room now to drive without installing the bike lanes.
What consideration if any has been given to truck traffic, are trucks to be eliminated? As the city is in charge of snow removal, have they considered the logistics of this cost of clearing bike lanes and sidewalks? Is this why the bike lane only to be considered to the end of October? Are the bikes all to be hung up at the end of October? The committee has proposed bike lanes (note plural, not singular) from the Illecillewat Bridge to the Big Eddy Bridge, however it has not solved the problem of crossing the entrance of the city by the eastern access, try looking south down Fourth Street to the traffic coming towards you, are we to have yet another four way stop? What route has the committee proposed to get from Fourth to Third?
I note that bike lanes have already been painted on the road, what has been the cost to the taxpayer of this action? Are bikes to be licensed or are they going to go free, who pays for all of this utopian idea, the cyclist or the taxpayer? The answer to all of these questions is moot, and the invention of new words is only an insult to the residents’ intelligence.
Are people going to rush to Revelstoke because of the bike lanes or are people going to move from Revelstoke because of the lack of parking – I think the latter not the former. The other alternative is to ban automobiles and trucks from the city streets and replace them with rickshaws that can be licensed, what a business opportunity for the taxi company!
Ronold Holoday,
Revelstoke