The many voices of Mann Avenue residents angered by plans to install two protected bike lanes on their street, resulting in the loss of all street parking, have been heard by District of Saanich councillors.
“Rarely have I got so many notices inside my inbox rapidly in succession from a number of people I respect,” said Coun. Nathalie Chambers at a meeting on Sept. 23. “It’s a bit of a shock.”
Mann Avenue residents have said they feel blind-sided by the plans after they received a project notification on Sept. 13 informing them of the bike lanes plans for Mann Avenue, between Wilkinson Road and Glanford Avenue. Construction to prepare the road for the bike lanes began days later.
Residents fear the loss of all street parking will cause chaos in the neighbourhood, with homes affected forced to park on neighbouring side streets instead.
“I know these cars will be parked on my street,” said Alex Cook, Vanguard Place resident, at the meeting, who described the bike lanes as a council “vanity project”.
“We have a perfectly good infrastructure for cycling,” Cook added, pointing to the Centennial Trails.
“Many driveways are already full,” said Greg Gillespie, Mann Avenue resident, who added he was confident side streets will “bare the brunt” of parking.
Whilst the District of Saanich says the Mann Avenue bike lanes have been in the works since 2018, with ample opportunities for the public to have their say, residents have said they were unaware.
At the district’s meeting, Coun. Colin Plant proposed a motion for council staff to prepare a presentation outlining the timeline, objectives and chronology of the Mann Avenue project.
“The public has made it clear they want to know more,” said Plant, acknowledging the plans have caused “significant community upset”.
Plant also highlighted the public and councillors have not yet seen any design of the bike lanes.
“The plans have carried forward without the level of public engagement we would like to see,” he said.
“I don’t think we should go forward with plans when there may be a chance of not being successful and making a whole bunch of people miserable,” said Chambers later in the meeting. “We’re not always right.”
“If we don’t got it right, we got to make it right, before we make it wrong,” she added.
Some councillors, along with Mayor Dean Murdock, questioned the purpose of a presentation, raising concerns it might derail the project causing a financial impact as contractors have already been hired for the project.
Plant’s motion narrowly passed, with five councillors voting for and four against. The presentation will be made at the council meeting on Oct. 7.
In response, Mann Avenue residents have been rallying the troops. A flyer has been circulated through the neighbourhood encouraging people to attend the meeting.
“We’re looking for collaborative ways to balance the needs of our community and the broader transportation plan," says the flyer. “Let’s show the council that we’re ready to work together for the best outcome! This is our chance to make sure we are heard."
