City council has voted to ban parking in its new bike lanes, and justifiably, it's upset a whole lot of people. You see, after 15 years of planning, instead of finding a solution that works for all parties, the very best the city could do was to fabricate a way to proverbially rob Peter to give to Paul. Perhaps they are unaware that a growing city requires more, not less.
Yes, we need alternate transportation corridors (for bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc.), but they should enhance existing roadways, not expropriate them. The last thing that we needed the city to do was to make people feel negative about the use of alternative transportation, yet that is exactly what the mayor and council voted in favor of.
It is my opinion that the city needs to create awesome new alternate transportation corridors to enhance our city and encourage fossil fuel free lifestyles, but they need to be apart and away from roadways.
Of course it will incur additional expense, but that is the price of progress. The reality is that alternate transportation routes are going to be an expense any way they are implemented, so why not implement them in a way that works for everyone?
We need choices that unify and strengthen the community, not divide and rip it apart. Alternate transportation corridors are a golden opportunity for us to do what we do best: work harder to build a bright and beautiful future for us all.
It is up to the city to lead, not impede, and never has there been a better time to do the right thing, instead of the fight thing.
Will Lewis
Prince George
