So once again local businesses are crying out against installing bike lanes in our city. Agricola business owners are convinced that installing bike lanes will ruin the economic viability of the area. They all say “Bike lanes take up precious parking spots that would-be shoppers need to park and shop.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Exploring a city on a bike opens up a world of possibilities; it allows people to get in touch with their environment. It’s also really easy to hop on and off, eat, shop and explore!
What we should do is close a section of the street off to cars and open it up to just pedestrians and bicycles! When streets were closed to cars in Zurich, store owners worried about losing business, but the opposite happened — pedestrian traffic increased 30 to 40 per cent, bringing more people into stores and businesses.
Come on Halifax! It’s time to get a proper transit and bicycle strategy going forward! It’s 2012 for bike sakes!!!! —Local Bicycle Friend
Related Stories
More buses on Gottingen Street bad for business?
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2012.
who fucking cares.
Business on Agricola complaining about bike lanes? You’d they’d be the least likely to complain seeing as how Agricola is Hipster Central.
So the freakin’ Swiss are people we should emulate? Listen, my friend. When they were dipping cheese fondue, we were kicking nazi butt and don’t you forget it.
http://www.tvscoop.tv/paulie%20(2).jpg
I totally agree OB. The more bike lanes we have than the more people are likely to use them. I’d love to see more than the 3 bike lanes we currently have.
Ignore LS, he’s old and senile.
“it allows people to get in touch with their environment.” The hippie argument is the least persuasive of all arguments, even if it is the most legitimate. Let’s face it, not many decision makers are hippies – unless you live in Portland. And a lot of people have other ways of getting in touch with nature (hiking, camping, pissing/puking outdoors after a good night of drinking downtown.) Please come up with a better argument than this.
I’m not so sure reserving a street for pedestrians/cyclists will actually be better for business, since you need to have an attractive commercial base to begin with. Agricola isn’t really a magnet for foot traffic (it’s no Zurich), so catering to the few commuters and hipsters by replacing parking spaces with bike lanes probably would be bad for business.
That said, being good/bad for business shouldn’t be the only argument. More bike lanes will mean more cyclists and less traffic congestion and some indirect or long-term benefits relating to better health and less road depreciation. When I was a student I never had problems paying for a bus pass I didn’t use because having buses drive students around made my ride into down more enjoyable (and safer). Anything that encourages people to get out of their cars and onto buses/bikes should be promoted around their ‘urban planning’ benefits, not environmentalism or business profit.
And Ottawa’s Sparks Street pedestrian mall is deader than disco.
Maybe the lesson is that Europe, with high population density and low levels of car ownership, is a shitty example for North America, where there are high levels of car ownership and low population density.
Well, lookit here: Zurich’s population density is 4,049 people per sq. km. The HRM’s urban core density is 1,077.2 people per sq. km. Can’t imagine why those businesses would be worried.
LOL Beancounter. There are tons of streets around that one for cars, so it’s certainly not dead because cars have 1 street less (out of like 40) to drive and park on. Also that part of Ottawa (Centretown) is ALWAYS dead by 6pm. Only on the weekend, IF it is summer and IF some special event is taking place, would you see any traffic of any kind in the part of town. Nice try though.
You’d think*
Actually, why don’t they just put down painted lanes that people can only use as parking spaces between 9am and 5pm and 7pm and 10pm? At least that way cyclists could then commute in relative safety and customers could still park during regular business hours (win win). I’m guessing common sense probably won’t prevail.
just because the hipsters shop there doesn’t mean hipsters also own the places…
and where the hell are you putting the stuff you buy on a bike?
sure a loaf or two from a bakery….
but lamps or curtains or a 24….
get real.
going shopping on a bike is way too limiting.
It would be bad for business. I cant imagine someone on a bike stopping at Peak Audio to pick up big speakers, at Eye Candy Signs to grab their massive sign or at fancy lebanese bakery to grab 100 bags of pita bread.
Pretty much agree with Canned.
I’m with Life Sucks on this one and echo his thoughts of, “Who fucking cares.”
Seriously y’all biker fucks need to back the fuck up and stop thinking the city or government owes you something. Drive a hybrid, bitches.
canned, if the big cities appeal so much to you,well………….
name the businesses or STFU!
not my bitch but here’s some info http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/7646…