One of the greatest battles that bike lovers and authorities of mobility must face when requiring and constructing a bike lane is the nonconformity of neighbors. Above all, when this represents that many of them won’t have a parking space.
For that, we must question… What is more valuable? A bicycle lane or a parking lane?
There are different points of view. Each answer have a justification, however, let’s see what authorities say.
Parking lots or bike lanes? Which has more right?
To talk about a specific topic (even though the issue is a general matter), let’s go to Querétaro, Mexico
The past Monday, August 5th, neighborhoods and traders of Lindavista, la Trinidad, el Cerrito y Avenida Corregidora had a meeting with city hall authorities. The purpose was manifest the rejection to bike lane that is going to be constructed in Corregidora Norte.
The reason is due that bike lane won’t leave a space on the public road to park your vehicles.
The answer to that, Sergio Olvera León, spokesman of Observatorio Ciudadano de Movilidad en Querétaro (Citizen Observatory of Mobility in Queretaro) detailed that in mobility hierarchy, it has more priority a bike path than a lane to park cars.
And emphasized that the Ley General de Movilidad y Seguridad Vial (General Law of Mobility and Road Safety) indicates that all the people, whether are pedestrians or motorists, must circulate safely on public road. However, in that road it isn’t contemplated a right to park, but the right to safe mobility.
What is most useful and who is affected?
In mobility matters, a street used as a parking lot it doesn’t provide a transport option, just benefit to residents of a neighborhood, but not to the rest of citizens. In the case of cyclists, even left them unprotected against vehicle transit.
On the other hand, the creation of a bike path benefits mobility, this transforms into a route of transport for cyclists that live in the area, as well as for those passing through on a transient basis.
A bike lane allows a greater flow and transit of people, in contrast to a parking lot.
Does a bike lane benefit to neighbors?
Sincerely, nobody likes someone takes their parking space. After all, is good to have a place where to park your vehicle safely, or at least leave it within sight.
On the other hand, when you have two or more vehicles per home, it takes more space than necessary on public road. This reduce mobility to the rest of users, whether are motorists or pedestrians.
In the case of a bike path, Olvera León mentions that these lanes benefit pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport, due the aim is to guarantee safety and speed the public transport.
The specialist comments that the construction of the bike lane in Corregidora Norte will benefit in different aspects to citizens. This includes neighbors to have a business in that section.
“If a business wants to prosper, it needs more people walking on their environment than parked. The places where a rent is more expensive to have a business are on the pedestrian areas of the center of Querétaro; if it was true that cars are the ones that increase sells, then Bernardo Quintana or 5 de Febrero would be full of these kinds of businesses, but it isn’t like that” he mentioned.
Finally, the spokesman of Observatory mentioned, that we must be conscious about the affectations that involves to modify the public space, in a democracy, the optimal thing is that a quantity of benefited people would be greater than the affected ones.
