Bike racks not finished yet
Re: Weekly Report Card “Anything in the name of fashion,” Aug. 11 - 17
Just so you know, the bike rack by the Mac is being replaced.
We are also working on a more comprehensive bicycle parking strategy to focus our efforts on increasing the numbers and the quality of bike parking downtown and across the city.
More than 400 spaces were created to deal with the conversion of our meters to pay by space parking downtown and many more bike parking facilities are being created in the private sector, where bylaws I lobbied for before election to council introduced mandatory minimums for bike parking at all private development projects.
There's lots of work still to be done on the issue.
The increased demand for bike parking is a good sign that the work we are doing to expand our cycling network, with new bike lanes, greenways and the emerging E&N trail with rail project, are all growing participation in cycling, and hence demand for more bike parking.
For everyone else, better bike parking has other benefits too. Without adequate bike parking cyclists will use whatever fixed object they can find to secure their bike to, and that sometimes creates hazards in the walking environment. For drivers, everyone riding a bike downtown is not competing for the parking spot that you are after. Everyone wins.
The missing rack will be back soon, and more to follow. I'm always on the case.
John Luton,Councillor, Victoria