Editor, The News:
I just got wind of the plan to put two bike lanes on the tiny street that runs behind the Haney Place Mall.
It’s a cockamamie plan if ever there was one.
Never mind the fact that the businesses in the area, including mine, have been seriously inconvenienced by the intrusive, never-ending construction, and ignore the fact that a whopping amount of taxpayer dollars is going into a project that will shave at least one lane of parking from the mall lot, the cyclists must have their bike lanes and damn the consequences.
It probably never crossed the mind of city officials that this stretch of road, especially, is heavily-used by cars and delivery trucks.
It also seems as if the city has forgotten that Walmart will soon be opening, bringing even more cars to the area.
Tell me, where are these shoppers going to park?
In the opinion of many, parking should be expanded, not reduced.
The tail seems to be wagging the dog.
A vocal minority is being catered to at the expense of the silent majority.
It is a situation that is beyond ridiculous.
Before the mayor and council build any more bike lanes, they should be made to explain just exactly why more bike lanes are necessary.
They might want, instead, to consider a comprehensive monitoring of bike lane usage in order to ascertain how well or how little the existing lanes are being used.
George Clarke
Maple Ridge