City delving deeper into bike lane parking ban

City Council is moving forward with an effort to ban parking in bike lanes.

A report identifying problem roads and quick-fix areas will be brought before Council later this year so they can make a plan.

As former president of the Prince George Cycling Club, Councillor Jillian Merrick has championed the issue, and hopes to have a plan in place for 2016.

“I take routes based on what I perceive as the safest routes, but you never know what’s going to be in your way,” explained Merrick, “Even today, I went by a truck and trailer that had half parked in the bike lane, and half parked on the sidewalk, so they were blocking both.”

The cyclist community has been very vocal in their support of the idea, while Councillor Murray Krause says they can’t be called bike lanes if they’re full of cars.

“It depends on the area, but even riding here tonight I came across a car parked in a bike lane and had to go almost directly in front of a vehicle that was following me to get around it,” says local cyclist Chris Wagner, “They’re a mixed blessing. They give us a safe place to ride, but the issue is they’re being turned into parking stalls.”

Of course, with every secondary road comes a unique situation, and the questions surrounding alternate parking.

“I certainly feel like there’s adequate parking spaces for example, for the soccer fields,” says Merrick, “Lac de Bois is a huge issue. The parking there is not adequate for the drop-off.”

The City also received a $250,000 grant from the province earlier this summer to improve lane markings and signage, though it may not be keeping cars out of the lanes.

“At this point, it’s cautiously optimistic,” added Wagner, “We’ll just have to see what comes out with that report.”