Maple Ridge council was looking at booting bicycles off sidewalks along four main streets in downtown Maple Ridge, but instead is considering a ban on all of them in the city.
Council, at its July 16 committee meeting, was to consider changing its traffic bylaw to prohibit cycling on four major sidewalks in the downtown area. The idea came from the city’s transportation committee, which reviewed the bylaw under the previous council’s direction.
Maple Ridge is one of the few cities in B.C. that allows cycling and rollerblading on all its sidewalks.
But Coun. Ryan Svendsen moved a motion calling for a city-wide ban on cycling on sidewalks. Staff told council that most B.C. cities do ban cycling on sidewalks because of the danger to pedestrians.
READ MORE: Maple Ridge looking at limiting cycling on sidewalks
Having a such a bylaw would give city bylaws and police a reason to stop cyclists on sidewalks, Svendsen said, adding he didn’t think it would be abused.
“We also have a bylaw about wearing helmets. I see a lot of people [who] don’t wear helmets and they’re not getting ticketed,” Svendsen said.
He added that people would only get ticketed if they ride their bikes aggressively on sidewalks.
But Coun. Chelsa Meadus opposed such a change, saying she currently rides on sidewalks with her kids.
“There’s no safe alternative in some parts of the city. And then people like myself, and my kids, get ticketed.”
READ MORE: Bylaw banning bicycling on three downtown sidewalks soon to council
She suggested that the bylaw address aggressive cyclists.
Council also asked staff to remove a suggestion of lowering the speed limit on 224th Street from 50 kilometres an hour to 30.
Staff will bring back a new bylaw for council to vote on later that would ban cycling on sidewalks.
Usually, the Motor Vehicle Act bans bicycles from sidewalks, unless a city specifically allows it, which is the case with Maple Ridge, according to a staff report.
Maple Ridge passed a bylaw in January 2010 allowing cycling or rollerblading or skateboarding on sidewalks, provided it’s done carefully.
pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
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