Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree with the letter from Kathie Wraight (“101 unsafe for cyclists,” March 19). While it is nice to see the new bike lanes around Davis Bay and Roberts Creek, I wonder if the Ministry of Transportation is actually going to start calling these lanes “bike lanes” and treating them as such. According to several posted signs, Highway 101 is labelled a bike route. Will the ministry complete the job and start referring to these as bike lanes?
I, too, have visited Capilano Highway Services, and emailed, in an attempt to get them to sweep these lanes of debris in the spring and after any wind storms, to no avail. If you want cyclists to use these lanes and not ride out in traffic, they have to be kept clean of nails, glass, and sharp pieces of plastic. This is one reason the annual Fondo does not come to this coast any longer. Too many flats on the ride.
And while you are at it, how about putting up signs prohibiting parking in these lanes, especially in West Sechelt where one homeowner has had a boat trailer parked in the lane for the past several months. If you live on the water in West Sechelt and have people over to visit, or have workers doing renovations, why not have them park on your property instead of on the bike lane, forcing cyclists into the traffic stream?
If you want people to bike on Highway 101, you have to make it safe.
Joseph Andrews, Sechelt
