The Columbian should have considered the needs and safety of all road users before publishing editorials on the proposed Columbia Street bike lanes. Yes, removal of parking will affect some of the residents, but streets are public rights of way that belong to all of us. People who live on that street have other options, and the positives will benefit the entire community.
Dedicated bike lanes will create a safer street for cars, cyclists and pedestrians, including Hough students going to and from school. And bike lanes will help address other concerns of the neighborhood — speeding and the increasing numbers of drivers using Columbia to avoid I-5 congestion. Dedicated bike lanes will slow cars down and discourage extra traffic.
And the city will live up to its commitment to provide the promised safe, accessible, convenient and interconnected street system that benefits all users, ages and abilities, no matter how they choose to travel. Vancouver has the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries statewide, according to WSDOT as cited in The Columbian on July 9, 2018. Evidence shows that separated, protected bike lanes make roads safer for all of us.
