Vancouver council okays $2 million for Burrard Bridge upgrades, permanent bike lanes
Burrard Bridge.
Vancouver city council has voted unanimously to approve spending $2 million for the design of upgrades to the Burrard Bridge that include permanent cycling barriers.
Vision Vancouver councillor Heather Deal moved the motion, claiming in chambers today (July 8) that upgrading and making permanent the infrastructure put in place for the lane-reallocation trial will be good for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
“The world won’t end and everyone will get to work and play safely,” Deal told council.
All councillors present, including NPA councillor Suzanne Anton, voted in favour. Vision councillors Geoff Meggs and Tim Stevenson were absent for the vote.
“What this configuration has shown is that all three forms of transportation can be served,” Deal said earlier on in chambers.
However, Anton stated that the plan is a “real loss for pedestrians”, as they have not had use of the east sidewalk on the span since July 13 of last year, when the trial began. One southbound vehicle lane has been allocated to cyclists, while all pedestrians have to use the west sidewalk, which can mean extra traffic light crossings for them.
Council adopted Anton’s friendly amendment to the motion, leaving open the possibility that the sidewalk will be given back to pedestrians.
This jibed with a united message from Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition president Arno Schortinghuis and Friends of Burrard Bridge member Ned Jacobs.
Jacobs commended council’s political courage for getting the trial off the ground, but added “you’ve only done half the job, and now we need to do the rest”.
“Return the eastbound sidewalk to pedestrians and dedicate a lane northbound to cyclists,” Jacobs said in chambers. “Bicycle use is only going to grow and grow rapidly these next few years.”
Assistant city engineer Jerry Dobrovolny confirmed that 6,000 cyclists are using Burrard Bridge per day, with rush hour traffic showing counts of between 500 and 800 bikes per hour across the span.
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Google
Comments
The money for the Burrard Bridge rehabilitation and the bike lanes as well as all other roads in the city comes from property taxes which everyone, including those who ride bikes pay.
Car insurance only pays for all the injuries and property damages caused by reckless and careless drivers, it does not pay for roads.
IMO a tax should be put on the purchase of buying all bike related products in order to fund bike lanes and upgrade. After all riding a bike is a choice.
So cyclists who drive little or never are actually helping to subsidize the habits of frequent car driver.
What is next, road tests, insurance, licensing and helmets for pedestrians. That would be ridiculous and so is insurance and licensing for cyclists. Driving requires insurance and licensing is required because cars are deadly devices that kill 400 and injure 28,000 people in BC including innocent cyclists and pedestrians. On Vancouver bike routes, reckless and careless motorists are responsible for 70% of crashes between motorists and cyclists. Meanwhile, careless cyclists as well as careless walkers are mainly a danger to themselves.
If drivers want peace of mind on the roads, they should slowdown and follow the rules. They should also push for better cycling facilities so cyclist and motorists do not have to share lanes on busy roads.