Dear Editor,
As a young student, for me biking is a very common use of transportation. It’s healthy to be outside in fresh air and helps reduce air pollution caused by cars or other vehicles.
I think that over the past few years Richmond has improved the quality and quantity of biking and walking paths throughout the city. Which is good, it encourages people to get outdoors and provides a safe path for pedestrians to walk, bike and more.
Though these pathways are great, they are not reliable if you are wanting to travel to a farther away place in Richmond. This is why I believe the city should incorporate more bike lanes on busy streets especially.
On many streets there are no bike lanes at all, this results in cyclists having to merge with the vehicle lanes. This causes two major issues: First of all, it puts the cyclists at risk. It can be very dangerous when bikers are wearing dark coloured clothing, at night or when it is dark it is even worse because bikers will not be as visible to drivers.
As well, bikes and cars have very different speeds, so it is hard for cars to match the bike’s speed. This is especially a safety hazard when there are only one-lane roads.
Which brings up a second point. If cars cannot surpass cyclists safely, cyclists often block or hold up cars behind them, meaning there will be heavier traffic, and also probably frustrated drivers.
Making bike lanes more accessible and having more will definitely impact me and many others in the community.
Addison Ritchie
RICHMOND
