Vancouver's assistant city engineer, Jerry Dobrovolny, has recommended to city council that staff come back after the 2010 Winter Games with options for permanent configurations for the Burrard Bridge.

Dobrovolny's report, which goes to the transportation and traffic committee on Tuesday (November 3), also recommends that none of these options include widening the six-lane  bridge.

In 2008, the Straight reported that it would cost $57 million to widen the bridge, citing estimates presented to city council by staff.

As a result of a lane-reallocation trial that began on July 13, the western road lane and the eastern  sidewalk  are reserved for cyclists. The western sidewalk has been set aside for pedestrians.

Dobrovolny wrote that most feedback from pedestrians has been "positive" and that feedback from cyclists has been "overwhelmingly positive".

He stated that between July 13 and September 30, there were 70,000 more cycling trips over the bridge than would have occurred had there been no lane-reallocation trial.

There has been no appreciable change in vehicle traffic over either the Burrard Bridge or the Granville Bridge, he added.  Dobrovolny  noted that transit has appeared to have been unaffected, and downtown businesses don't appear to have noticed any difference as a result of the trial.

The report stated that there  have been two unnamed  local businesses on Hornby Street  that saw a loss of business. Appleton Galleries and Art Knapp Urban Garden have both publicly complained about the lack of a right-hand turn for eastbound  Pacific Street traffic  onto Hornby Street.

These two businesses  have asked for right-hand turns to be allowed, but Dobrovolny wrote that the current  ban offers the "safest possible" arrangement.

He also pointed out in his report that traffic is moving more slowly along Pacific and Thurlow streets since the trial began.