As I sit here on Sunday afternoon, wishfully thinking that I can get my bike home tomorrow afternoon, and continue on for the rest of the week. There is a mixed forecast for the weather. It looks like there is going to be some snow this evening, by the clouds and temperature. The sun could also come out at anytime. This weather is so confusing. If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes and it will change. How true.
I am seeing some hope for cyclists in the Courtenay. The city wants to incorporate a North/South bike lane on Fitzgerald avenue. That is great news. Courtenay doesn't have any dedicated bike lanes along a major street. This is a step in the right direction. The City isn't sure how they are going to accomplish this, and still accommodated vehicle and leave parking space along Fitzgerald for home and business owners. My hope is a lane dedicated and totally separated from the vehicles. I hope that would encourage safe cycling for those who are hesitant about it. While it doesn't matter to me, I will ride any where with traffic, I am not scared. I also follow the rules to a T, am well lit and visible, many people are scared. Its a shame.
The Rotary club is also fundraising to create a paved path parallel to the railroad tracks in Courtenay. The first phase will be quite short, only from Fifth street to Cumberland Rd. Its a start, these things take money to accomplish, and I hope will breath some fresh air on a run down part of town. Eventually the path will run from 29th street to Fifth. All the way across town. My dream is for one day, if the railroad ever shuts down, it will become a rail to trail to Victoria. Sign me up, I want to be one of the first to ride this route. It would be a big tourist draw for the island.
Now if there could be a way to for some infrustructure money made available to create a cycling lane from Cumberland to the Highway off ramp. The road is wide enough for it. The shoulder is gravel and full of pot holes, the pavement on the road is really bumpy, and the cars have to take a wide berth around a bike, or slow down to let a car pass on the other side.
All these dreams, and there is no money. So many billions spent on making it easier to allow cars to travel from a to b. I think the best way to improve roads and bridges is to get vehicles off of them. I can't believe that the car company's aren't taxed for all these roads. Railroads are owned and built by the railroad company(mostly), sports stadiums are built by the owners of the teams(mostly), it just doesn't make sense that the auto manufactures got fat pockets on the backs of tax payer funded highways. When was the last time a bike manufacture was given thousands of kilometers of paved roads, loaned money in a bail-out, allowed to create a product that isn't as efficient as possible. I will keep leading by example by riding my bike as long as it is safe and practical. Doing my bit for the world. My daughter is already learning that the bicycle is the transportation of the future. I think that every liter of gas should have one cent tax on it, to help fund cycling, and other carbon free modes of transportation(walking, skateboarding, roller blading, etc.) Transit is good, but only if the transit is full. A bus with only two or three people on is isn't efficient. Have you seen how much black smoke comes out of the exhaust on one of those transit buses. Its crazy.
Time to sigh off for today. Have a good week.
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