Buses vs. Bikes vs. Cars

So, with so many topics to choose from, which goes first?

How about the "rolling roadblocks" - buses and bikes?

The issue in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver in particular, has been characterized as a competition for access to roads. Politicians get on bandwagons, voters cheer, and really dumb decisions get implemented.

Just to be clear, I'm an executive living on the West Side, near Dunbar. I work Downtown, near the Seabus terminal. I own a very nice automobile that I just love to drive.

Sounds pretty traditional, right? Well, I have a Translink Employee Pass and I take transit to work every day. My sport of choice when I was young was cycling. When I was a teenager growing up in North Vancouver, I used to cycle all over Vancouver - downtown, Stanley Park, out to UBC, and so on. I've commuted in Vancouver for decades, mostly by car. I know my way around the city.

So, with all that background, I'd like to think I have a balanced perspective.

What's the problem? Let's start with "Share the Road". It's stupid. "Let's Not Even Try" makes a lot more sense.

Simply put, buses and bikes need their own roads. In places like Ottawa where there are separate roads for buses, cars don't slow the buses down and buses don't slow the cars down. Transit usage is huge.

Same goes for bikes. The current system of "bike lanes" is misnamed - those narrow strips of pavement should be called "cyclist killing grounds". Whoever thought of that system, with cars on the left, bikes in the middle and parked cars on the right, had no clue what cycling is about. It's absolutly diabolical!

So what's my solution? I'll work my way there as I roll out these posts. One thing I will do is try to present a rational basis for decision making. The current system leaves a lot to be desired.

The current system will be the topic of another post. Soon.