GREEN Party Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby on Monday consented to a motion brought by ABC Commissioners to retain parts of the Stanley Park bike lane.

Digby noted that the surprising about-face by ABC arrived as an urgent business motion without the usual seven-day notice requirement. Digby said he consented to the motion because he believes that retaining parts of the existing Stanely Park bike lane is the best way to enhance safety, accessibility and traffic flow in the park, and to reduce the cost to taxpayers.

“Back in December, my ABC colleagues recklessly launched us on a path to remove the entire bike lane without any cost or bike safety considerations. Now that we have all been shocked by the $400,000 sticker price, we’re forced to look for ways to reduce unnecessary costs,”  added Digby.

“I decided to help them out because retaining sections of the existing bike lane configuration saves taxpayer money and increases road safety for all users. Obvious examples include the new Tea House configuration, the up-hill section leading to Prospect Point, the corner at Brockton Point, and at Ceperley Meadows.”

Digby said his vote was informed by the impressive display of grassroots support for retaining the bike lane back in December. Nearly 600 people wrote emails or signed petitions in favour of keeping the current configuration of the bike lane.