Cycling safety doesn’t always work both ways

I have moved to Richmond for work, and my ride now goes through downtown and across the Cambie Bridge. I am pleasantly surprised at the great bike lanes almost the whole way, especially along Ontario Street.

I find the Dunsmuir Street two-way bike lane very confusing and dangerous. Cars, pedestrians, and cyclists alike have a tough time knowing when to pull out and when to wait.

Pedestrians don’t even see the cyclists and run across the bike lanes; cars turning right pull out and stop in front of the bike lanes, blocking them while waiting for pedestrians to cross. I am using the longer but safer Science World–to–English Bay route when time allows.

> Trish Watts / Richmond

As a local business owner and a lifelong resident of Vancouver, I wanted to write a letter of strong support for the advancement of bike lanes in our city. More than three-quarters of my employees commute by bike, an activity that helps them arrive energized each morning. To us, the ride to work is a big part of our day, and one small way we can contribute to lowering our carbon footprint.

The safer our ride can be, the better, and that means more separated bike lanes and increasing the amount of traffic-calmed routes. Anyone who has spent time in Copenhagen can tell you that bike commuting is the future for a city like ours. We already have too many people for our road system.

> Steve Rio / Vancouver