Laurier Avenue West residents have launched a petition calling for the immediate removal of the street's segregated bike lanes amid safety concerns and the lack of on-street parking for visitors.
The petition comes after Orléans Coun. Bob Monette asked city staff during a recent transportation committee meeting to consider making major changes to the bike lanes.
Possible changes include moving one direction of travel to an adjacent parallel street and closing the eastbound lane next winter to minimize the impact on residents and businesses.
Organized by the Bay/Bronson Resident’s Action Group for Fair Access to the Road, the petition has been circulated among businesses along Laurier. Many businesses have placed it on their front counters for customers to sign.
“We do not want to cancel the bike lane system, but we want the city to use common sense to decide how this can be done with the least disruption to both residents and businesses,” says petition organizer, Janine Hutt.
She says the cement curbs separating the bike lanes from the road pose serious safety concerns during the winter months because of snow and ice and are a headache for people with mobility issues.
Richard Asselin, a local resident and petition organizer, says the lack of parking is “killing life on Laurier.”
“Think of your own home. Generally you have parking on your own street. Now imagine if you had to tell your guests to go park on another street,” he says, referencing numerous instances where guests have had to park blocks away from his apartment.
The lanes, which run on each side of Laurier from Bronson Avenue to Elgin Street, are part of a two-year, $1.3 million pilot project that began last July.
Prior to the launch of the pilot project, the group asked city council to consider a variety of options, including a two-way lane on one side of Laurier, using painted lanes without cement barriers, or only allowing segregated bike lanes from Elgin Street to Lyon Street. All of these suggestions were ignored, says Asselin.
Business owners have joined the petition in protest of the bike lanes because the lack of parking is hurting their bottom line.
“It’s hurting everyone’s business. If you have a delivery or if someone wants to quickly buy something they can’t because there is no parking,” says Jean Elkhoury, owner of Presse Café.
Hussein Yehia, owner of Calvina Gourmet International, agreed and says he now has to open his café at 5:30 a.m., an hour and a half earlier than he used to, in order to receive shipments.
“I am losing 15 to 20 per cent in revenue from customers because nobody can park here. If I lose customers, how can I pay rent?”
However, many bike enthusiasts argue it is too early to evaluate the pilot project, saying the city has already made various changes to the bike lanes to accommodate business concerns.
“I think it is a bit premature to make changes if it hasn’t even survived the first year yet. We should wait until we have more data,” says Hans Moor, president of Citizens for Safe Cycling.
He says there are various other reasons businesses could be losing money, including a poor economy or increased competition and they should not blame their woes entirely on the bike lanes.
Since July, the Laurier bike lane has recorded more than 200,000 trips and is one of the busiest bike lanes in Canada, Moor says.
The petition is expected to be presented to the city by the end of this month.