Bike Lanes in the City of Victoria
CMNS 165
Brad Kettner

Bikes are the way of the future; leading to a healthy lifestyle for us and the planet. But local backlash over bike lanes in Victoria have caused discourse in the community, and may potentially discourage these changes from happening.
Bike lanes in the Greater Victoria have been a source of contention for some time now. Many see the spending on it to be gratuitous and unfavorable to taxpayers. Furthermore, the lack of a mandated bike education on the island is limited at best, and many cyclists still alternate between bike lanes and sidewalks at will. Just this past weekend an ‘iconic’ tree on the intersection of Government and Warf was removed to accommodate a bike lane, provoking further outrage.
The outrage behind this expenditure is simply unwarranted. Victoria wasn’t initially designed with bikes in mind, and this change isn’t going to come without it’s growing pains. As long as all travelers on the road are being actively safe and vigilant, we can all bare with these changes until they’re solidified.