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Cyclists slam NPA candidate Ken Charko over seasonal bike lanes proposal
NPA candidate Ken Charko.
Dunbar Theatre owner and Non-Partisan Association council candidate Ken Charko believes “bikes are not our Field of Dreams“ where you “build it and they will come”.
“That’s not how you do things, and it’s not how the NPA or Ken Charko does things,” Charko told the Straight by phone. “I will not build things and hope they will come. What I will do is I’ll build it up like I do a small business. You build revenue and then the people up, and then you build the infrastructure to accommodate it.”
In a recent opinion piece, Charko suggested separated downtown bike lanes should revert to being “seasonal”, with on-street metered parking taking their place in the winter months—October 1 to March 31—to offset the costs associated with the lane switch.
Long-time cycling activist and 2002 Green council candidate Richard Campbell told the Straight that cycling in Vancouver “is a year-round activity”.
“There are certainly a lot of people using the separated bike lanes today, during Bike to Work Week,” Campbell said on November 2. “The separation is probably even more important in dark and rainy weather, when visibility is worse and it’s darker out.”
Campbell suggested Charko try cycling in the stencilled Burrard Street bike lane in the downtown core, where cyclists have a parking lane to their right and traffic to the left. He said this is the next-available north-south downtown route if the Hornby Street lane is put out of commission for any period of time.
“I doubt he’d like it [Burrard], and he’d probably become a quick supporter of the Hornby lane,” Campbell said.
Coalition of Progressive Electors park board candidate and West End–based cycling parent Brent Granby called the seasonal lane proposal “problematic”.
“[Colombian walking and cycling advocate] Gil Peñalosa said, when he came here to Vancouver, that the ideal physical infrastructure that you need for cyclists has to be safe for an 80-year-old and an eight-year-old,” Granby told the Straight. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable riding with my 11-year-old on Dunsmuir, if we didn’t have a bike lane there in the wintertime.”
Charko said he supports cycling, but stands by the NPA’s election promise of a moratorium on new separated bike lanes downtown.
“That just seems to resonate with so many people that I’m talking with, and not only people that are in cars—also people that are on bikes,” Charko said. “I can’t mention how many times I’ve heard people on bikes say, ‘Why did they do it like that?’ ”
And a moratorium on new lanes? Whatever for? Commuter cycling is growing in popularity all over the world. Cities need to make more room for it not less. It's hard enough getting around town without being forced into taking a car because you're not given any other options.
The single largest self reported barrier to new riders picking up cycling is the perception of safety.
People don't decide to go ride on roads that scare them in the hopes that maybe someday some city planners will notice them getting buzzed by cars and then build a lane for them.
People make the choice to go ride when they feel it is SAFE to do so. People don't feel safe until the infrastructure is in place.
That was really a pretty idiotic comment for Charko to make, it shows he hasn't done the slightest bit of research on the topic and is just grubbing for votes. Voters beware.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwxiv2aznB0&feature=related
This is pretty reasonable for an NPA candidate.
But it's fun buzzing by avid cyclists! Especially when they ride outside the bike lanes to try and anger motorists :)
But it's real nice that maybe two cyclists every so often can get a whole car width to themselves, just so they can park easily at Tim Horton's. Yes, ironic supporting motorists and mentioning that name. Speaking of "glug glug" last time I almost got run down I left the Electric Owl only to be given the oops sorry from a drunk on a on bike on a sidewalk by a painted bike lane.
Great to see a candidate think outside the box. In this day and age of black or white it's nice to see creativity in municipal leadership. Things are often grey when trying to accommodate a wide range of issues and priorities. I for one appreciate the need to offer pratical solutions to challenging delimnas. It might not satisfy everyones need or desire, however it finds fair balance without placing additional financial burden on segmented portions of our populous.
Sick and Tired of selfish individuals and special lobby exerting their own view without considering the other side of the coin.
Mr. Charko - Cheers and thank you for generating compromise worth consideration..... I wish more of our elected officials would find compromise where pratical. Congratulations - you've earned my vote!
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