An Argument for Increasing Bicycle Lane Infrastructure

I am super proud of my Navy husband’s fitness and the amount he cycles to work, but I am also sad to say that he has been in three bicycle accidents.  He once avoided a jaywalking pedestrian and skidded under a car.  He also managed to hit a deer and break his collarbone right before a major deployment (deer culling has now become his top priority for local politics.)  But the accident that affected him the most was on a local road that had no bicycle lanes.  He was cycling on Ocean Boulevard adjacent to the velodrome and a car drove around the bend and displaced him right onto the curb.  Luckily a fence stopped him from catapulting into the blackberry bushes and down a steep hill, but it smashed his helmet and he suffered a concussion and two severe skin abrasions.

Bicycle lane infrastructure is important to me.  I believe that we need to continue to build and establish bicycle lane infrastructure so that we can create more safe space for people who choose not to engage in automobile transportation.  There’s a lot of pushback, however, from pro-auto groups and the general public on restricting road space for bicycle lanes.  However, a study of Boston’s bike lane expansion programs found that enhanced bike lanes resulted in bike ridership increases while simultaneously improving the safety of those riders.

Safety of movement is not a special circumstance; it is a right that humans should have when they travel.  Some people choose to cycle (like my husband) yet many people rely on bicycles as their only transportation.  There exists enough evidence that cycling significantly benefits our health and the environment so it is inane to argue that we should depreciate the significance of bicycle culture.

We have the capacity to the share the road with cyclists.  The bike lane expansion projects in Victoria came to $7 million aggregate which is like a fraction of the cost invested in roadway projects for motorists.  The accessibility for motor vehicles is always studied and improved so losing red light right turn privileges and having to adhere to bicycle signals is akin to an only child having to share the house with a newborn sibling.  Yes, some adjustments need to be made and perhaps we cannot drive around as unaware as we once did, but we open a space for other people to move more freely around us.

We must engage the political system and make bicycle lane restructuring a reality.  I continue to encourage the local government to repair damaged public relations surrounding the bicycle lane controversies.  Then, ensure that the lane restructuring considers people with mobility issues and disabilities (i.e. blind folks) so that they can also stay safe in and around the lanes.  Finally, once restructuring has been done, make sure to invest in public education surrounding bicycle safety/awareness and provide cost-reducing programs to open up cycling culture and make it affordable.  We can all move together on this.

Sources:

Cleverley, B. (2018, September 14). Despite critics, Victoria's new bike lanes win award. Times Colonist. Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/despite-critics-victoria-s-new-bike-lanes-win-award-1.23430723

Pedroso, F. E., MD, Angriman, F., MD, Bellows, A. L., BS, & Taylor, K., PhD. (2016). Bicycle Use and Cyclist Safety Following Boston’s Bicycle Infrastructure Expansion, 2009–2012. AJPH Research, 106(12). doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303454