http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/349415
D: 20 million uptown Waterloo for more parking.

http://www.naparstek.com/2005_11_01_archive.php
Pic from here.

D: strangely, even though we will spend tens of millions on public parking to subsidize private business ventures, which by all rights can build their own parking, we cannot afford bicycle parking.

I've already observed the sorry state of uptown Waterloo bike parking.
This area, BTW, is very bike unfriendly.
Essentially, we have an area where you can
1) drive and park a car
2) walk
3) but not drive and park a bike.
Has anybody else noticed how very narrow the lanes are?
I managed to clip the mirror on a van I was driving by riding the line on the lanes.
The parking is that bad.
With some regularity, I see folks that cannot park within a foot of the curb.
For a cyclist, it is worse.
In theory, by law, as a cyclist I am supposed to stay in the car lane.
I occupy a whole one.
Worse, if a car that is parked suddenly opens its door I have to
1) waste time looking behind me to see if swerving is an option
2) eat car door.
Naturally, cyclists choose instead to ride on the sidewalk.
I disapprove of bikers gunning it near store doors.
But conversely, I'm not walking my bike for multiple blocks either.

Go on Caroline or Regina, you say?
Caroline has bike lanes, and Regina wide streets.
Well, yes and no.
See the pic of Caroline Street.
Wow, that bike lane goes for almost, what, 2 whole blocks!
That is ALMOST useful.
Of course, it doesn't reach William Street, which is suddenly very tight indeed, since they stuffed in an extra lane that doesn't fit.

As for Regina, half of it wasn't street swept.
In fact, there is a whole block near University that is pretty much steady broken glass.
Meaning, if I am on a bike on Regina,
1) I am looking down instead of up
2) I am suddenly and without warning swerving into traffic to avoid a 20 buck tire change, if I am in a hurry.
I spent about 100 bux last year on flat tires.
I figured it out, and allowing for various expenses, I didn't in fact save money compared to buying a buy pass all summer.

With bike lanes, it is not enough to put in some 2' narrow sections, with other sections missing entirely, and many parts of town being totally inaccessible.
Build it WELL and MAINTAIN it, and then the cyclists will come.

So we have Caroline, King and Regina, side by side, none of which are very bike friendly.

The car is only king cuz we treat automobiles like royalty.

Cycling doesn't hafta suck, but presently for much of K-W it does.