A safe ride to school is tough to come by for students who rely on their bikes to get to class. As council debates the 2008 budget, several local residents are pushing for improved bike lanes along the town's major arteries including Government Road. The busy road is a central part of many students' route to Mamquam Elementary, Squamish Elementary, Howe Sound Secondary, Don Ross Secondary and Brackendale Elementary. Bike lanes along the road are inconsistent, switching from one side to the next, often interrupted by parked cars, and in some cases missing altogether.Last year, council invested $50,000 into bike lanes, paving a section of the road's shoulder across from the eagle-viewing dike. Coun. Patricia Heintzman said council must step up its improvement efforts if the district intends on following through with its Smart Growth commitment."If we keep throwing 50,000 at the bike lane project...we'll never make this town a friendly, walkable, bikable community," said Heintzman. But $50,000 is actually an optimistic estimate. The current budget outlines annual installments of $25,000 for bike lanes through to 2012.While the district has allotted more than $96,000 for cycling paths in this year's budget, the project depends on a $48,000 grant, which Heintzman said council is unlikely to ever receive.Significant amounts of money are going into the planning of safer cycling. On Tuesday (April 8), council approved a $20,000 study to develop a conceptual bike route from Valleycliffe to Brackendale running through Government Road. Once it is completed, council will decide if the project is feasible. If so, they could stake out a timeline for its completion.Some cyclists around town are keeping a close eye on the issue with hopes that on-the-ground-progress comes soon enough to prevent what seems like an inevitable tragedy between vehicle and cyclist."We're terrified," said resident Steve Scully whose two children bike to Mamquam Elementary and Squamish Elementary. "It's just waiting to happen and I don't like to say that, I feel like I'm jinxing, it's awfulthe safety of these people suffers."He noted it doesn't take a reckless driver to cause a serious collision with a cyclist. When poorly-marked bike lines put cyclists in close proximity with fast-moving cars, something as simple as a sneeze or a cell phone call could be deadly, he said.Ideally, Scully said he would like to see a curb in place between the cycling lane and vehicle lane to protect both parties, adding, "the white line doesn't cut it."While it may be a feeble solution, a reliable white line would mark progress for the community. Shawn Gosnell of the Squamish Trails Society has set his sights on paving the stretches of Government Road that have no paved shoulder at all for cyclists. Gravel and potholes are no problem for mountain bikes, but the thin wheels of a commuter bike need a smooth surface, he said.Gosnell estimates that just 1.5 kilometres of extra pavement would fill in the road's outstanding gravel shoulders. With only one bike lane on the road, it would not stop problems associated with contra flow traffic. In 2003, Gosnell had a collision with another cyclist on the road when a mix of pedestrians and vehicles near Mamquam Elementary prevented him from seeing an oncoming cyclist."That kind of set the tone for me because that was the first week I was cycling [to work]," he said.Later, he was struck by a vehicle's mirror on Government Road. "Nobody seems to know what the rules of the road are," he remarked.However, he noted it seemed as though council members were beginning to show greater concern for bike lanes."I'm pretty optimistic that things are going to continue improving," he said.This is certainly the hope for parents of Mamquam Elementary School. The school's Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) co-chair Melissa Geddes said she has heard the concern raised at PAC meetings. "Mamquam is a catch school for children all over Squamish so you have kids coming from Brackendale and Valleycliffethere is no easy route for anyone," she said, adding that her kids aren't allowed to ride to school without her company.
