We welcome the news this week that the $5.9-million Spirit Trail connection through the Squamish Nation’s Mosquito Creek Marina will be finished in the new year. It means you’ll be able to traverse most of the City of North Vancouver on a car-free trail.
Yet, we can foresee already the angry letters and online comments we’ll be getting about what a “waste” this is, mainly from people who haven’t ridden a bike since their youth.
We couldn’t disagree more.
In fact, we see this as correcting a costly error of history.
For much of the last 50 years, our cities and our roads have been designed almost exclusively for the convenience and safety of drivers. In doing so, we made them hostile, unsafe places for people on bikes.
And it shows.
We have published far too many stories about cyclists being killed or seriously injured in collisions with drivers in this last year. It’s totally unnecessary and with proper design and infrastructure, we can both save lives and encourage more people to ride.
Getting more people on bikes means less carbon altering our climate, fewer cars bunging up bridgeheads and a healthier populace overall. These are goals we should all share, regardless of how we choose to get around.
The coming week is Bike to Work Week. We encourage you, instead of sulking about measures to ensure bicycle safety, to put some air in the tires of your old Schwinn and give one of our bike lanes a try.
We promise, it’s just as much fun as it was when you were a kid.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
