Do you know what the Active Transportation Program's new infrastructure means? It is a misleading title for dedicated bike lanes (known as permanent concrete curbing), coming to your neighbourhood, which your tax dollars will be paying for. A bike lane is for a select few, some who live inside the boundaries of Oak Bay and others who do not.
According to the Oak Bay Residential Annual Community Survey, done last year, bike lanes were considered to be one of the lowest priorities. Our crumbling infrastructure is listed as a priority by the residents. This will ultimately demand a lot of taxpayers' money. Our tax increase is going to be a whopping 11.4% this year, so it makes more sense to dedicate the taxes to repairing and upgrading the infrastructure. In the end, it will be the residents of Oak Bay who benefit the most.
If you want your tax dollars allocated towards what the residents of Oak Bay prioritize (sewers, storm drains, water lines, infrastructure), versus money going towards lower-demand political projects, please voice your concerns to our mayor and council before it is too late.
M. Evans
Oak Bay
