Burrard Bridge bike trial off to smooth start
Cyclists pleased, but some want a long-term approach to creating infrastructure.
Former city councillor Fred Bass admitted he was “shocked” when he saw how smoothly traffic was moving at 5 p.m. on July 13, the first day of the Burrard Bridge lane-reallocation trial.
“It’s not a problem,” Bass, a two-term Coalition of Progressive Electors councillor and avid cyclist, exclaimed in a phone interview with the Georgia Straight. “In fact, you can quote me and say the Burrard Bridge is quite boring, for the first time. It’s only before the act, you know? If sex was like the Burrard Bridge, there would be no population in the world, because it would be all foreplay and nothing much later.”
However, Bass maintains that Vancouver still has a long way to go before it matches the kind of infrastructure cities like Copenhagen are providing for their cyclists.
“Copenhagen is behaving like a world city, and we’re not,” Bass said, having recently attended a presentation in Vancouver by Niels Tí¸rslí¸v, that city’s traffic director. “One of the major problems that we have is that we do things on a project-by-project basis. So we fight a series of wars, a series of skirmishes that amount to building up a war, rather than taking an overall view and having a well-planned, long-term, well-funded, and well-laid-out plan, instead of expectations.”
In 2004, 36 percent of Copenhagen residents were cycling to work or school, and another 20 percent were walking. (The City of Vancouver’s cycling goal is 10 percent by 2010.) Copenhagen has charted and calmed trouble spots where accidents are frequent, Bass claimed. As a result, the city reduced the number of serious cyclist injuries to 230 from 569 over a seven-year period from 1998 to 2005.
“So number one, they count,” Bass said. “They’ve made a serious investment in measurement. Their measurement leads to their investment. Here, we talk about measuring after we get around to deciding what the project is.”¦We are talk and little action. But we finally did something on Monday [July 13].”
Dean Frusher and Alison Kilpatrick, both visiting from Calgary and riding northbound on the bridge’s east sidewalk on day two of the trial, said they appreciated the small step Vancouver has taken.
“We actually said it’s very bike friendly here,” Kilpatrick told the Straight. “We’ve been very impressed with it.”
Added Frusher, “We’ve ridden from Jericho Beach this morning, and it’s been very good along the waterway [on the Seaside Route], plus across the bridge it’s been pretty good.”
When asked what he would say to motorists upset about the trial, Frusher said, “Jump on a bike and ride to work.”
At the on-ramp from Pacific Street the same day, driver Greg Lowen said the traffic wasn’t too bad, even though the trial has reduced the number of southbound vehicular lanes from three to two. “It’s my first time over it [since the trial began], but it doesn’t seem too bad so far,” Lowen said.
In an interesting twist, Christopher Richardson, a Vancouver Traffic Authority special constable, was directing cars by A Kettle of Fish restaurant that day. Richardson failed to capture a seat on the park board as an NPA candidate in 2008. In 2005, NPA councillors cancelled a two-lane trial spearheaded by Bass. However, Richardson told the Straight he was happy to be helping out with the trial.
Comments
6 Comments
Trial by exhaust
Jul 16, 2009 at 11:11am
Just turn your head an look towards the Granville Street bridge and you will see where the traffic went. It's been backed up all week!
Maybe it's time the city consider a special electric vehicle lane!
smooth start says who ...
Jul 16, 2009 at 12:26pm
Smooth start, says who? Last night an apparent disgruntled pedestrian or motorist threw some tacks on the bike lane heading south. I ended up getting a flat and walked home, taking me one extra hour.
Thanks for creating more animosity amongst pedestrians, motorists and cyclists in this city. You don’t disadvantage some to benefit others if you know what you are doing, and the ones who are responsible for this lane trial clearly do not know what they are doing.
Matthew Burrows
Jul 16, 2009 at 2:42pm
"Last night an apparent disgruntled pedestrian or motorist threw some tacks on the bike lane heading south. I ended up getting a flat and walked home, taking me one extra hour."
smooth start says who, we need to talk!
Skeptic
Jul 17, 2009 at 11:41am
Methinks "smooth start says who" might be making the tacks up to dissuade bikers. There are more and more cyclists on the road each year so I really don't see the huge issue with cars having to give up one measly lane.
Pedestrian
Jul 18, 2009 at 5:47pm
Take a look down Pacific Street to see what a "smooth start" this is. It is a nightmare for cars trying to squeeze into one lane on the bridge. I agree much more animosty amoung everyone. Pacific Street is at a standstill and the parking restrictions have not been altered. I don't drive a car, I walk every day every where. Crossing an extra 20 lanes of traffic to get to my desitination is with respect "Skeptic" a huge issue for me.
I for one would rather see a separate bridge for bikes and pedistrians and am willing to pay an increase in my property tax for it.
JR_VAN
Jul 19, 2009 at 2:52am
I bike, run and drive on the Burrard Street Bridge. I would drive a lot less if I could trust that my bikes won't get stolen if I leave them locked. The police and the attorney general could do so much to encourage cycling by catching and locking up bike thiefs for a very long time. Here are my observations so far:
As a runner, I find that groups of pedestrians are spreading out more taking up the whole sidewalk. Previously, moving bikes kept them to the side, and on the lookout. They seem a bit more oblivious to what is happenning around them now. It is a bit of an inconvenience, but it is nice to see walkers enjoying themselves. Also there seem to be a lot more walkers over the bridge than there used to be, and not just because two pedestrain paths have been merged into one.
As a cyclists, it is great. I never realized how stressful it was to ride on the old path until the first time I rode on the protected bike paths. One can move comfortably, without worrying about the possibility of hitting a pedestrian or falling into car traffic traveling at 80+ K/hr (posted speed limit is 60 K/hr). It is also great to see a lot more and happier cyclists than usual crossing the bridge. It is very inspirational.
As a driver, I do not see any major difference. Some people seem to forget that there always were backups coming from Pacific from the West into the bridge. That has always been a stressful intersection trying to merge into lanes that are constantly being fed cars from Burrard North and Pacific East by traffic lights, as well as looking out for cyclists coming down from Burrard southbound, for those of us drivers who pay attention to cyclists. Also there have always been backups of cars leaving the bridge into Pacific Eastbound. There really is no major difference for drivers between the old crossing and the new one.
Some drivers look at the number of cyclists crossing and say that they do not need all that much space. If each cyclist on the bridge during rush hour was driving a car, the Bridge would be backed up solid across. Some people don't seem to realize that bikes do not take all that much room to move a person, compared to a car.
By the way, I have riden over the bridge many times over the last week. I have yet to see taks or to get a flat. Having said that, if I see taks or glass being thrown into the bike path by a passing vehicle I will chase them down to the next red light and make sure they will not do that again. You are forewarned.