After this week’s Smithers Town Council meeting, it is unlikely raised bike lanes on 3rd Ave. will be a reality any time soon. Although an online petition headed up by Allan Kindrat of the 3rd Ave. Bike Lane Initiative has received hundreds of signatures calling on the Town of Smithers to investigate the potential of ripping up on-street parking along 3rd Ave. and replacing it with protected, raised bike lanes from Queen St. to King St., Council again voted not to follow through and move on to other priorities?

Smithers resident Theo Bandstra also raised questions about the plan and urged the Council to vote against a motion to conduct a study about the merits of having 3rd Ave raised bike lanes. Despite the Council voting to defeat a motion to reinstate a conceptual design and public-consultation study for a protected bike lanes on 3rd Ave. between Queen St. and King St., Councillor Genevieve Paterson agreed that more needs to be known about the traffic and cycling safety challenges in the community.