LETTER

More bike lanes, please!

 

I congratulate the geniuses who decided Lucerne Blvd needs another bike path, rather than a third lane. After all, Aylmer is not growing; there is 0 development in this part of the city. I’m sure someone, somewhere, did a study showing that Aylmer and Ottawa are actually getting closer together and – what with global warming -  we will all be able to take our bikes to work throughout the year. Without snow in the near future, why do we need cars?  

I understand that all people in Aylmer actually work within biking distance of home and we are all in great physical shape (round is still a shape, correct?) so getting to and from work is a snap – especially for older people.  

As for safety, mixing bikes and cars is a safe way to travel.  No bikes have ever been hit by a car on a major road such as Lucerne Boulevard. So, kudos to the geniuses behind this plan! Let’s do away with the bike path entirely, since we can only travel 20 kms an hour; heck, who wants to only go 20 along a beautiful bike path, when you can travel 25 in the exhaust of idling traffic?

I am concerned that this influx of bikes on the roadway may cause massive congestion. With all of us taking bikes to our nearby workplaces, the city should start planning another bike lane in about 5-6 years.    Since downtown and east-end Ottawa are planning to relocate closer to Aylmer, those with 30-40 km to their office can now start biking. My employer has agreed to supply free gloves and toques to those with extended bike travel, until global warming is prevalent all year long. They are also offering a nurse and emergency surgery for frostbite -- until either the east-end relocates or global warming becomes a reality.  

I am glad my tax dollars are being spent on an additional bike lane instead of a third car lane. I really don’t want to get to work any earlier in the morning, and I love sitting in my car idling for 30-40 minutes in traffic.  

Unfortunately I, like many Aylmer residents, work 30-40 km from home and don’t plan to get up at 4 am to bike to work for 7:30 every winter morning – so I will continue to take my car to work, bike lanes be damned!

Colin Clarke, Aylmer