An open letter to District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little:
I am writing you today, Wednesday May 29, 2019, which is the middle of Bike to Work Week and a good time to address a safety issue. This is a personal story that I know impacts a great number of cyclists.
Riding my bike through Vancouver with biking signage for direction, streets dedicated to biking, flashing lights for safe crossings is the way of commuting by bike in 2019 in the City of Vancouver. Then I ride north across the Ironworkers crossing into the District of North Vancouver, heading west with virtually no signage or direction, and it is not only horrifying, it’s completely dangerous.
When I come to the end of the north side of the Ironworkers and heading west, I actually do not feel safe crossing the very busy off-ramp with trucks and cars exiting a highway. Then to cross another busy intersection, which does happen to have a light but again extremely intimidating to cross. You then ride into a tunnel to an unmarked biking lane with no signage anywhere. I do not feel safe on my bike until I get to the intersection of Brooksbank and Main, and even then I am riding on a four-lane busy route with cars, trucks and semis.
If the highways department can widen the sidewalks on a bridge to make biking safer, I feel the DNV could try to make biking safer once you exit into the district too.
The City of North Vancouver has done an excellent job of trying to make biking safer with marked crossings, widening of roads and sidewalks, adding biking signage and making safer routes for a safer, more enjoyable ride.
I'm not sure why the district hasn't followed the city's positive outlook on cycling. With more and more people getting out of their vehicles and commuting by bike I would like to see the district getting on board and making biking safer in the year 2019.
As a resident of North Vancouver I would love to encourage the public to get out and ride both recreationally and for commuting. Unfortunately, I am hesitant to do so because of the safety.
Please make our commute safer.
Helen Marshall
City of North Vancouver
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