While I understand the need…

While I understand the need to reduce traffic. The point of bike lanes isn't to take up space. We would love to be able to ride on side streets to destination in a direct way or on main roads with traffic at the side of the road. The point of bike lanes is to improve safety through separation. Might I suggest a compromise. We are all frustrated when we see empty bike lanes. This is usually due to a disconnected network and unsafe infrastructure. Might I recommend that any bike lane that reduces lanes of vehicle traffic be fully separated to encourage use, have a center turn lane that emergency vehicles could use, be part of a planned network that would connect areas that has population centers and destinations alternatively where cycle lanes are removed could the sidewalks be widened to multiuse path until cycling traffic would justify the removal of vehicle traffic lanes. Also to reduce red tape the province should only control bike traffic on provincially maintained roads. I wish there was a way that this government would see the value in all modes of transportation but please don't force cities to go through more red tape to justify valuable infastructure upgrades.