Dear Editor:
Your article from July 2 about the new Keith Bridge across Lynn Creek mentioned that bicycle advocacy groups have been lobbying for a wider bridge to allow for protected bike lanes. While HUB: Your Cycling Connection favours separation of bikes and vehicles on arterial streets to improve
cyclist safety and increase trips by bike, we are not asking for a wider bridge design. HUB is working with the District of North Vancouver to ensure protected bike lanes can fit within their proposed bridge width.
The Keith Bridge design originally proposed by the district includes minimum-width, painted bike lanes on a road that will have more vehicle lanes than the adjacent Highway 1 bridge. Painted bike lanes on arterial roads are a step in the right direction, but to really reduce traffic, we need streets that are safe enough for everyone to bike, from children to seniors and everybody in between. Protected bike lanes encourage ridership, reduce conflict between all road users and help keep cyclists off sidewalks. For this reason, HU B proposes a protected, two-way bike lane on the south side of Keith Road and the bridge.
The new Keith Road Bridge will be built to last up to 100 years. It would be very shortsighted not to include safe cycling facilities on this expensive piece of new infrastructure. If we do not design safe cycling and pedestrian facilities in and around the new town centres where many more people will live and shop, we can look forward to more congestion, not less.
Antje Wahl
North Vancouver
