Local experts grade Lower Mainland's cycling infrastructure

Vancouver

Bonnie Fenton, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition

Availability of options C+

“These days, you can generally find a route to most places in the city that’s mainly on designated bike routes or traffic-calmed streets, but there are still lots of places where you find yourself stuck at a busy road with no safe way across it.”

Safety C+

“Overall, it’s been demonstrated that the best way to increase the safety of cyclists is for there to be more cyclists on the road.”

Overall effectiveness C

“This grade is lower because the bike-route network can’t really be effective if people don’t know about the routes, and there’s currently almost no promotion to let people know what’s out there. Vancouver has these cool, and free, pocket-size bike route maps of the city but most people don’t know about them. Contact 604-871-6070 or bicycle@vancouver.ca to ask for one.”

Tri-Cities

Alexi Zawadzki, VACC Tri-Cities

Availability of options D

“Due to an unfortunate combination of hilly topography and poor planning by the previous generations, the Tri-Cities engineering departments have a very challenging job of planning and building functional cycling infrastructure suited for a broad spectrum of users.”

Safety C–

“The new route on David Avenue in Coquitlam defines what safe cycling infrastructure should look like. However, there are some very dangerous areas in the Tri-Cities, such as Coquitlam Centre, Lougheed, downtown Port Moody, and North Road–Clarke Road.”

Overall effectiveness C

“The cycling plan for the Tri-Cities will be very effective once completed. For example, we are excited about the potential extension of the Central Valley Greenway into Coquitlam, and the opportunity to include a cycling route adjacent to the Evergreen Line.”

Burnaby and New Westminster

Joe Foy, Wilderness Committee

Availability of options Burnaby C+, New Westminster C+

“The Central Valley Greenway project in New West needs to be completed to allow access along the busy Columbia Street corridor the length of the New West riverfront.”

Safety Burnaby C+; New Westminster C-

“Much of Columbia remains a terrifying narrow, dangerous throughway plagued with large trucks. The cyclist is left to choose between death by semitrailer on the road, or the sidewalk, where dangers such as cars darting out from driveways and
alleys lurk at every turn.”

Overall effectiveness Burnaby B; New Westminster C+

“The stretch of bikeway along the Brunette River between Cariboo and Columbia is an amazing slice of wilderness in the city. Three runs of wild salmon—coho, chum, and pink—can be seen in the river at various times of the year. All manner of waterfowl, coyotes, heron, and even a black bear all make the forest home from time to time.”

North Shore

John Fair, VACC president

Availability of Options City of North Van C; District of North Van E; District of West Van E

“CNV gets a better grade because of their policy of adding bike lanes whenever possible and they also have more residential streets that are useable and relatively flat.”

Safety City of North Van C; District of North Van F; District of West Van E

“DNV policy of shared lanes on busy streets is not safe.”

Overall Effectiveness: City of North Van C; District of North Van F; District of West Van F

“DNV and WV have more difficult terrain to deal with, but, to date, they have not been willing to build safe cycling infrastructure where possible. They also both have a lack of secure bike parking availability.”

Surrey

Gordon Scott, Newton resident

All categories F

“There is the greenbelt on the Hydro line that goes from Surrey Memorial Hospital pretty much all the way out to Tynehead Park.”

Langley

Langley gets an I for “incomplete”, according to longtime Walnut Grove resident and cyclist Patrick Meyer, who said only “insane” people travel by bicycle in Langley.

Comments

1 Comments

dude

Aug 6, 2010 at 2:12am

you forgot richmond