Bike lane on Dunsmuir Viaduct opens Wednesday morning

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      The new separated bike lane on the Dunsmuir Viaduct will officially open on Wednesday morning (March 10).

      Mayor Gregor Robertson will use the two-way lane at 8 a.m. as part of a photo op for the media.

      On February 4, Vancouver city council unanimously approved spending up to $300,000 on the bike lane.

      The viaduct, which carries traffic into downtown, will continue to have two westbound lanes for motor vehicles.

      Council also approved in principle on February 4 connecting the Burrard Bridge and Dunsmuir Viaduct to the downtown core with additional separated bike lanes.

      In July 2009, the city reallocated one traffic lane on the Burrard Bridge to cyclists.

      You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

      Comments

      12 Comments

      Alexwarrior

      Mar 9, 2010 at 2:55pm

      Will be opening? But I rode across it already many times this and last week to get into downtown! I guess this will be the official grand opening with the photos and such.

      DS

      Mar 9, 2010 at 4:05pm

      Fine and dandy but to spend that kind of money on a bike lane the people who use this should have to get insurance and br taxed for the use of it the same rate as the rest of us who drive cars.

      Alexwarrior

      Mar 9, 2010 at 4:29pm

      @DS: I ride a bike. I did not know that I could get out of paying taxes. Please let me know how. But I don't see how a protected bike lane would require insurance now, since the protected barrier would make it less likely the insurance would ever been required...

      Alexis

      Mar 10, 2010 at 1:08am

      I don't quite understand this really strong anti-car pro-bike thing. Its like people in this city hate drivers for being able to own cars.

      politics101

      Mar 10, 2010 at 6:50am

      DS - many of us who use bikes to get around the downtown core ALSO own cars and pay insurance - some of us even own a home and pay city taxes and even renters are paying for the costs through their rent.

      Stephen.

      Mar 10, 2010 at 11:34am

      I drive for a living and bike for excercise and this really puts me out having to come into downtown every day.

      ds

      Mar 10, 2010 at 4:28pm

      what I meant by taxes is the .05 cents extra on gas to pay for all this stuff

      RodSmelser

      Mar 12, 2010 at 8:04am

      So the bike lanes are in operation, a good thing. I wish we had more true bike routes in Maple Ridge, instead of the odd painted line.

      Hopefully someday bike riders will in downtown will stop using the sidewalks, and stop charging thru cross walks full of people at top speed, and then swearing at them and threatening them with violence if they object in any way.

      I wonder what this bike lane means to the longer term prospects for the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts? Is there still a demand that they be torn down to make way for more $600+/sf condo suites? Or is the City Engineering Dept and City Council more interested in getting Fed/Prov money for the Malkin Connector?

      Rod Smelser

      BikerCK

      Mar 13, 2010 at 9:29am

      Protected bike lanes are one of the most cost-effective ways to deal with traffic congestion, by creating a safe space for willing but cautious cyclists to adopt biking as a means of transportation to work/school/etc. This move was good idea that was long overdue. More will come. It will make our city a better place for one and all. Remember how the Burrard Bridge bike lane was supposed to be the end of civilization? Instead, it has encouraged some folks to try cycling and made it safer to people of all ages to be able to ride across the bridge from the West Side to family friendly destinations such as Stanley Park, the Roundhouse CC and David Lam Park, etc. IMO, the shift towards cycling-friendly infrastructure has huge long-term benefits that shouldn't be passed up just because a single occupant vehicle user has to spend a few extra minutes getting into town. If traffic congestion is a huge issue for you, by all means take action. Talk to your neighbours, find out who works near you, set up a car pool for a couple of days a week (or more) and you can be part of the solution. Expecting to be able to race around town unimpeded at 60 kph is just unrealistic, despite what those sexy car ads full of sexy people on strangely empty city streets would have you believe.

      rob_

      Mar 14, 2010 at 10:20pm

      DS wrote: "...taxed for the use of it the same rate as the rest of us who drive cars..."

      one of the most persistent myths of modern society - that cyclists aren't paying their fare share for road use.

      In fact private car ownership is one of he most subsidized aspects of our society. In Metro Vancouver taxpayers subsidize car owners to the tune of $6.6 billioin per year (http://bc.transport2000.ca/learning/background/transport_2021/cost_repor...). In places like Ontario it is even higher.

      So cyclists who drive little or never are actually helping to subsidize the polluting habits of frequent car drivers.