Many commuters who use public transit or bicycles to get to and from downtown Victoria during regular office hours will get a break in 2015, when the Douglas Street bus-bike lanes are extended from Hillside Avenue to Tolmie Street.
The extension will result in dedicated lanes, during peak hours, all the way from Tolmie to Fisgard Street. The project is being completed as a partnership by the City of Victoria, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and sa国际传媒 Transit.
As the work is being done, it will be important that the negative impact on Douglas Street businesses is kept to a minimum.
The first phase of the dedicated lanes, between Fisgard and Tolmie, went into operation in June. For the most part, the lanes seem to be effective in freeing space for buses and bicycles.
The change has reduced the number of lanes available to cars and trucks, but the impact seems to have been minimal. The twin benefits of faster-moving buses and safer riding for cyclists far outweigh any delays faced by drivers.
The project so far shows that for the most part, we are a law-abiding bunch, and we can follow the rules without being reminded by law-enforcement officials. That said, there are a few drivers who don鈥檛 quite get the new system, and an occasional uniformed presence might help.
