Bike lanes make people angry across the country

The Post compiles what’s making headlines (and conversation) in Canada’s East

Moncton, NB

In the name of pleasing drivers, Toronto city council is tearing up bike lanes (well, planning to anyway). But in Moncton, it’s the other way around: City council is resisting political pressure from drivers who don’t want them to go ahead with plans to paint special lanes for cyclists on the road. Angry drivers vowed to pack a recent council meeting on the issue, but were instead outnumbered by helmet-headed cyclists. Drivers are aggravated because the current plan will trim the roadway from four lanes down to three in order to make room for bikes. “It’s not worth the extra danger, risk, delay and inconvenience to thousands of drivers each day for such a small group of people,” said driver Robert Dunn. A resident on Shediac road, where the proposed changes will apply, is glad the roadway is narrowing — it’s bound to slow down traffic.

St. John’s, NL

Council is revisiting the new no-mow policy that prevents ride-on lawnmowers from cutting grass on graces of more than 10% because the grass there might grow into an unsightly mess. “To let the grass grow continually up in that particular area, or any area of the city for that matter… it looks terrible,” Ward 2 Councillor Fred Galgay said. Though he acknowledged the safety issue, he said it would be inappropriate to allow a central city place such as Victoria Park to grow unwieldy. The mayor and a handful of other council agreed, The Telegram reported, saying they should maybe plant wildflowers in the area to pretty up the long grasses. But Ward 5 Councillor Wally Collins said forget the flowers: Safety comes first. “(What if) someone got their feet chopped off?” he asked. “There’s one (employee who’s) after tipping over a (ride-on) lawn mower now.” Meanwhile, the grass continues to grow in Victoria Park — it’s not waiting for council to decide.

Charlottetown, PEI

Those feathery fascinators sported by royal fans during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges’ island visit earlier this month have put an unexpected strain on fishing shops, the CBC reports. Herman Boshuis, who owns the only dedicated fishing supplies store on the island, says far more women have darkened his door in recent weeks and his suppliers are having trouble bringing more of those fantastic feathers to his business. “The supply was always mostly for tying and now that it’s being used for crafts and hair,” Mr. Boshuis said. “They’re using them up, and the growers can’t keep up with the demand.” Fascinator fan Freda Terpstra said she has found a far better selection of feathers in fishing shops than she ever came across in craft stores or online. ”I went to the fishing store and walked to the back and there was a wall full of feathers and I thought, ah, bingo!” she said. Well, isn’t that just a feather in her cap.

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Source: National Post