Be honest. Even if streets were closed to cars, how many of us would ride a bicycle to work or to run errands? The guess here is that more residents would walk or use public transportation rather than hop on a bike to get where they are going. Many people are unable to ride a bike, even if they have the desire; many more do not have any desire.
In other words, the premise behind plans for bike lanes along Columbia Street seems farfetched. Residents and business owners are right to question the need and to point out the impact of removing parking along the street, and the Vancouver City Council should proceed with skepticism of the plan.
Among the issues is a passage from the city’s Westside Mobility Project report, which was adopted in July 2016. Tucked into the report is this passage: “There are many westside residents that would ride more often if there was more convenient and safe access to Vancouver’s low-stress bike facilities … These people — known as the ‘interested, but concerned’ cohort in research on bicycling behavior — represent 60 percent of the average urban population.”
Suggesting that 60 percent of the population would occasionally use a bicycle for transportation seems disconnected from reality. Think about the people in your office; how many of them would ever commute to work on a bike? Now add in your neighbors and your Aunt Mable and Uncle Roy. Can you picture them using a bike to get to the grocery store or the weekly bridge game? Let’s just say we are suspicious of the numbers that are, um, driving the city’s proposal.
The plan would remove street parking and create bike lanes on both sides of Columbia Street from Waterfront Park to 45th Street. Residents have pointed out that most homes along that stretch are not equipped with a garage, generating a need for on-street parking.
In addition, administrators at the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center at West 13th Street and Columbia note that a large percentage of clients have limited mobility. “This will effectively put the Veterans Assistance Center out of business,” center president Judy Russel said. “We have so many disabled veterans who come here for help who cannot walk from around the corner or even from across the street.”
Other businesses also would be affected, including those along nearby Main Street in the Uptown Village area. If customers do not have a place to park, they will take their business elsewhere.
Considering bike lanes along Columbia Street is much different from other efforts undertaken by city officials, including a couple years ago along MacArthur Boulevard. MacArthur has few street-facing houses and less traffic than Columbia, and a long stretch of the road is next to schools that have large parking lots. Bike lanes there made sense, and still there are few local residents who frequent the area on bikes.
Vancouver and other cities should, indeed, become more accommodating to bicycles and alternative forms of transportation. Reducing the number of automobile trips is a small but meaningful way to reduce carbon emissions and help combat climate change.
But the burden to be placed on residents and businesses would outweigh the benefits of adding bicycle lanes along Columbia Street. City officials also are considering bike-friendly changes along other streets in west Vancouver, providing broad options for minimizing disruptions.
While pondering ways to make Vancouver more accessible to all residents, it is essential to use realistic fact-based evidence. It is important for city officials to be honest about the issues involved.
