The Editor,
The mobility policies in Coquitlam are not well-thought out.
Coquitlam is now building a separated bicycle lane down Guildford Way.
The initial location of the separated bike lanes is definitely not well-planned.
The most dangerous section that I believe will be installed soon is the section between the Port Moody border and Falcon Drive.
If a vehicle is travelling eastbound on Guildford Way, the start of the separated bike lane is blind to the driver.
It is hidden by the crest of the hill and starts on a reducing radius, going down a hill.
To make matters worse, the vehicle lanes also get narrower to accommodate the bike lanes by about one foot.
In good weather conditions, this will take people by surprise but it will be much worse at night with the rain and snow.
This is basically an accident waiting to happen.
I have contacted the city but, other than some pleasant responses acknowledging the correspondence, I do not believe they are taking the danger seriously.
I also am curious about the location of this separated bike lane; it seems to run from the Port Moody border to Johnson Street.
I am wondering why it is not being built around the city hall area and Lafarge Lake. Given that the city wants to be an example, it would be logical to install the separated bike lanes in the area.
Finally, I read that the city’s strategy is aimed at reducing greenhouse gases.
Well, there is a cautionary tale regarding that in Vancouver. Despite the increase in number of bike lanes in Vancouver, it appears that they did not help the city meet their GHG targets.
—David Smyth, Coquitlam
