I agree with Steven Hickton's letter about the danger potentially posed to cyclists by the concrete dividers along the bike lanes. (And I am so sorry to hear of his injuries, I hope he recovers.) I love the bike lanes, but it seems to me that brightly painted lines with bright bollards might be safer than the curbs.
I have had two near misses, in both of which the concrete curbs were a factor. Both occurred near the tourist office at the corner of Wharf and Government streets. In one case, I was following a pedicab driver when she accidentally ran the wheel of a cab up against a curb. It flipped, the woman inside was injured, and I was only able to avoid hitting the downed bike by a few inches.
The second incident was at a pedestrian crosswalk. A cyclist accidentally dropped her too-heavy e-bike into my lane. Luckily the pavement is raised to sidewalk level at the crosswalks, and there were no pedestrians, so I drove onto the sidewalk, just missing the fallen bike.
I greatly appreciate the work and planning that the city staff have put into the bike lanes. I realize they must deal with a lot of variables, and there are no perfect solutions. But I add my experience to Steven's, and wonder if there are safer alternatives than the concrete dividers.
Ruth Magnusson
Victoria
