When I watched the City of Victoria instructional video on how to use the new protected, two-way bike lanes on Pandora Avenue, it seemed complicated.
Turn here, exit there. If you want to go left, turn right first into the bike turn box. Now turn around, head the other way.
It didn’t help that an angry old gent, walking by the two raised, rainbow-coloured crosswalks outside city hall, yelled: “A moronic exercise … . There will be blood.” He wouldn’t give me his name. But he obviously wasn’t a cycling enthusiast.
But when I rode down and back up Pandora, it went smoothly.
It felt great to be separated and safe from traffic. There’s a sense of freedom when it’s just you and your bike. It was reassuring to see the little green bicycle traffic signal, letting me know it was my turn to go.
It felt great to see the smiles on cyclists’ faces. One of them, an older woman, was singing: “I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike,” with no apologies to Queen.
I love to ride my bike. But I’ve never felt safe cycling the downtown streets of Victoria, even though it calls itself the Cycling Capital of Canada. Coming from Ottawa, where cyclists can ride on recreational paths virtually everywhere, I’ve often felt Greater Victoria has a long way to go.
On Monday, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists were experiencing growing pains that some fear may be deadly.
The new two-way bike lanes are on the north side of Pandora Avenue from Cook Street to Store Street. Along the same stretch, there’s one-way westbound lanes for motor vehicles.
The big problem — the drivers ignoring the new no right-hand turn on a red light sign. That becomes dangerous when cyclists have the green light. A video posted on Facebook showed dozens of cars turning right on red onto Douglas Street in a matter of minutes. Drivers turning right from Pandora now have dedicated right-hand turning lanes and right-turn signals.
My angry old gent was also incensed by the bus stops located on medians and car parking spots positioned between the bike lanes and motor traffic.
“I’m seeing traffic pull up behind parked cars thinking they are in the proper lane. People are getting off the buses into bike lanes. People don’t know what to do,” he said.
Cyclist Julia Tschanz, who commutes to Lower Johnson from Oak Bay every day, thinks the protected bike lanes are a good start.
“I don’t think it’s enough, but I think it’s a good snapshot of what Victoria can do. I’m a little bit worried because I’m not sure all the cars are aware and looking yet. But I think that’s just getting used to it.”
Dayla McKee loves the new bike lanes.
“I like that it goes both ways and there are the lights for the bikes specifically and there are the medians, separating us from the cars. It’s quite dangerous to cycle in Victoria. I’m very excited we’re getting bike lanes here,” she said.
John and Bonnie Anderson, who came out in the cold drizzle for a test ride, were unfazed as they cycled up Pandora against the motor traffic.
“We’re very pleased,” said John. “It looks like it is well, well done to me.”
“I like it better than the raised bike paths on Cook Street. To me, that’s a waste of money. I like the separated lanes. They are much safer,” said Bonnie.
Also in the mix, forcing cyclists and pedestrians to pay extra attention, are mid-block crosswalks.
“It’s all about traffic calming,” said Sarah Webb, City of Victoria active transportation project manager, as she handed out information to cyclists and pedestrians outside City Hall.
“We’re not only building a protected bike lane, we’ve tried to create a new atmosphere on Pandora. Cyclists will have a seamless connection to other municipalities and the Galloping Goose. It’s all about making a continuous, comfortable connected route.”
But on my ride home, a different kind of traffic calming slowed me down. A person carrying two huge garbage bags filled with cans and bottles blocked both bike lanes with a shopping cart.
It could be a steep learning curve for all of us.
