Ann Donnelly’s column, “City must rethink plan to remove Columbia parking” (The Columbian, April 5), was welcome and on the mark. For those who may not have followed this story, the Vancouver City Council has passed a resolution to install protected bicycle lanes on Columbia Street from downtown Vancouver, north through business and residential areas.
This would eliminate about 400 parking spaces along this route. Many of the older homes along that route do not have driveways for off-street parking and would have to park on other streets that are already crowded with cars. The value of these residences would plummet when prospective buyers discover they can’t park near the house they are looking at.
How many bicycles do you think would benefit by the protected bike lane that replaces 400 parking spaces? Twenty a day? Thirty a day? Certainly not 400.
I have nothing against bike riders, but I do have a problem favoring a handful of bike riders over motorists. Bike traffic is a fraction of city traffic and even with protected bike lanes, and bike traffic increased another 0.5 percent, that’s not enough to justify displacing 400 needed parking spaces. City council, please use common sense and rethink this decision.
