Ottawa’s cycling community is divided over the merits of a segregated bike lane in Centretown.
The proposed creation of a bike lane on Laurier Avenue between Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue in particular has cyclists and motorists debating over the practicality of the plan.
Many cyclists say a bike lane in the downtown core will encourage a healthy lifestyle and promote cycling as an alternative method of transportation. Other cyclists say they are a waste of time, that cyclists should be treated like everyone else and the money put into creating bike lanes should be used to educate cyclists.
Tom Trottier of Ottawa’s Citizens for Safe Cycling says he believes that the positive attributes of a segregated bike lane would greatly outweigh the negatives.
“A Laurier bike lane will encourage more people to bike to work,” he says.
“It is good for drivers as it reduces congestion for cars. It promotes a healthier lifestyle and saves people money. The arguments against (the bike lane) are minor and those for it are major.”
Trottier says he wants more biking infrastructure within the city. He says a bike lane will lead to fewer accidents occurring from behind the cyclist. If people do not want to bike in the lanes, he says they could still bike on the roads.
Howver, Avery Burdett of the Responsible Cycling Coalition says he would rather see the funds used to educate the public on how to ride safely. He says a bike lane provides a false sense of security to cyclists, as sooner or later every cyclist needs to ride in traffic.
“It’s not about safety. There’s been no safety issue on Laurier Avenue in the last five years.”
“We should be looking at the perceptions of danger and deal with the problems that we have on Laurier Avenue, and not with bricks and mortar, not with an engineering solution of the issue” He says people must take “responsibility for their own safety.”
While Centretown resident Gracie Chapman likes the idea of a bike lane, she says Laurier is not the road that most needs it.
“Yes, I would love a bike lane,” she says, “but I would want one on Bronson Avenue, too."