It’s amazing how some simple markings on residential roads have created such divisiveness in Port Alberni.
Local public works employees have been painting “sharrows”—signs with bicycles and arrows showing where cyclists and vehicles need to “share” the road—on several streets around town. They will also be re-painting the bike lane lines that were put in place last spring/ summer to cheers from cyclists and jeers from some drivers who didn’t want to give up part of Port Alberni’s wide roads for two-wheeled and scooter traffic.
The painting is being done using funds that were earmarked in the 2016-17 city budget; the project wasn’t completed due to the months of wet weather the Alberni Valley experienced last fall and winter. Half of the $100,000 was raised through a grant that Cycle Alberni applied for, and half was paid for by the city.
Yes, that money could have gone toward other stuff, like fixing a couple of feet of crumbling road, or maybe four potholes. But there are people in town that support the city’s active transportation plan, and that plan includes cycling.
For those who say ‘we shared the road with cyclists before, we don’t need these markings’, think of them as a friendly reminder—for both vehicle drivers and cyclists. And also a guideline for people who aren’t from Port Alberni, who might be visiting us and using two wheels to get around instead of four.
People seem to forget that despite the city’s stagnant population statistics, new people are moving into town. They don’t know ‘we’ve always done it this way’. Some of them are even coming from other countries and may not have the same laws, so they will learn new ones about sharing the roads.
Cycle Alberni is working on a map that will show the bike lanes and shared routes around town. It’s a good way to get the word out, and perhaps it will encourage people to get on their bikes and use the lanes more often.
Most of all, the work is already done. So let’s get over it, already.
— Alberni Valley News