Re: "Solo drivers clog Victoria roads," Sept. 21.
Comparing the statistics from 2001, 2006, and 2011, the message seems quite clear. Local people want to drive their cars, not bicycles. The statistics show that in 2001, 2006 and 2011, 63.2 per cent, 64.3 per cent, and 63.6 per cent respectively chose to drive their cars, while 2.6 per cent, 3.5 per cent, and 2.8 per cent respectively chose to ride their bikes.
Roughly the same percentage of the population continues to choose to drive their cars, despite the degradation of driving infrastructure (such as the removal of car lanes in favour of bike lanes) over the past 10 years. Even with the addition of bicycle lanes and the shared-roadway campaign, the percentage of bicycle trips has not changed appreciably in a decade.
Not only that, but transit ridership has declined as has the statistic for auto passengers over the same period of time. It seems quite clear that the ratio of auto drivers, transit users and cyclists is remarkably stable.
Discussions about rapid transit and bus-only lanes are common, and the local authorities are currently planning to spend more than $20 million on cycling infrastructure in the near future. This clearly does not reflect the wishes of the local population as evidenced by these statistics, and can therefore only be interpreted as an attempt at social engineering.
Richard McLeish
Victoria
