An Ottawa resident protested a recently passed motion to paint a bike lane on Lyon Street at a Centretown Citizens Community Association (CCCA) meeting held Tuesday evening.
The proposal to paint the bike lane passed the city’s roads and cycling advisory committee Monday despite complaints from the community, according to a Lyon Street resident at the meeting.
The lane will be painted, but not physically separated from traffic.
“It's insane,” Lyon Street resident Mark Egemer said. “If people try to ride bikes down Lyon Street they get run over.”
Egemer proposed Percy and Bay streets as alternatives for cyclists and said he tried contacting Robin Bennet, Ottawa’s cycling facilities co-ordinator, without results. The office of Somerset Ward councillor Diane Holmes also failed to address residents’ complaints before the motion passed, he said.
“I think some crazy cyclist on the city staff wants it that way, and they're going to push it through,” said Egemer.
But Robert Smythe of Holmes’ office, said the complaints were news to him. According to Smythe, the city sent out information sheets to Lyon Street residents, without response, and performed a survey that showed positive reaction to the plan.
“My understanding is that 90 per cent of the community is, in fact, in favour,” he said.
The CCCA will review the survey and follow up on the complaint.