Vancouver city council to vote on separated Dunsmuir bike lane
Cyclists could be pedalling through downtown Vancouver along a new separated bike lane by June.
A city pilot project would see one of the westbound traffic lanes removed along a stretch of Dunsmuir Street to make way for the two-way cycling route.
“Dunsmuir Street is a good candidate for a separated bike facility because it is already designated as a bike route and has few conflicts with transit,” reads a city staff report.
The proposed lane will allow cyclists to travel both east and west between the existing separated bike route on the Dunsmuir Viaduct and the Hornby Street area.
The bike lane would be installed on the north side of Dunsmuir, separated from other traffic by a mix of parking, plants, and a median.
Council will vote on the proposal tomorrow (May 20).
Once the $800,000 pilot project is approved, the bike lane could be in place within four weeks.
Separated bike lanes were created on the Dunsmuir Viaduct in March and on the Burrard Bridge in July 2009.
Eventually, the city hopes to create a cyclist-friendly corridor that extends from the Burrard Bridge, through the downtown business district, and to the Dunsmuir Viaduct.
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Comments
7 Comments
Adrian Harris
May 20, 2010 at 7:27am
Every morning from my apartment living room, I sit and watch the mess that is the Georgia Viaduct. The hoards of cars, slowly creeping along. The wide, clear bike lane that obviously nobody uses. Up ahead, at Dunsmuir and Citadel, clear as day. Seriously. No reason for the congestion on the bridge. Oh wait, there's that huge slab of pavement that the city spent 300K on! That must be why everyone is just idling away, waiting to make it past. I honestly wonder why anyone takes the viaduct anymore, as it looks like a freaking nightmare, at least from where I'm sitting. Your usual morning rush, as well as a 2pm, 4pm and 8pm gridlock. You can literally count the few cyclists that pass. If this continues down Dunsmuir, does nobody see how bad this will get?
Let us review where we're at since the Olympics:
- Higher parking costs
- Higher transit costs
- Less transit service (heard they are cutting down! Wonderful!)
- Expensive, useless bike lanes.
Go, Canada, Go!
Adrian Harris
May 20, 2010 at 7:33am
FURTHERMORE --- it was just reported that city workers already started installing signals for this new "proposed lane" YESTERDAY-- before a vote had even taken place!! This just proves that decisions have already been made, there is no "vote" we have no choice!
Taxpayer
May 20, 2010 at 10:55am
The congestion on Dunsmuir has been caused by construction on Beatty, not the bike lane on the viaduct. During Canada Line construction, 10 east west lanes of traffic were closed for a year or two and no one seemed to even notice. Reallocating one lane on Dunsmuir will not cause a problem and make downtown safer for cyclists.
Ratepayer
May 26, 2010 at 1:00pm
Oh, we noticed.
Bob Simons
May 28, 2010 at 7:20pm
This mayor is running amok like a dictator of a banana republic. There has been absolutely no consultation from motorists and downtown business owners on these bike lanes. You can be certain that at the end of this "6 month trial" regardless of what type of usage this lane gets it will be permanent. Time to put a halt to any more bike lane expansion.
Vincent
Jun 1, 2010 at 12:18am
OLD thinking please MOVE ASIDE! This new method of improving the flow of traffic in the lower mainland via a combination of vehicular traffic, public transit, and bike traffic may just work. Give it a shot before you knock it... unless of course you want to live in "Los Angeles NORTH" 10 years down the road? Adrian Harris, I see the crawling traffic down the viaducts from my apartment as well! I consider it poetic justice since I get honked by those very motorists as I cross an intersection by FOOT on my way to work in the attempt to make THEIR commute better = )
Gary White
Jun 11, 2010 at 12:16pm
I just drove over the Dunsmuir viaduct and could not believe my eyes when I saw first-hand yet another ridiculous empty bike lane... on a road that is the main artery into downtown... in a city already lacking in quick access to downtown. I now believe that that mayor Robertson has truely lost all sense of reality and should not be left in charge of a post-Olympic city that should be trying to capitalize on world exposure and become a world-class progressive city. Where on earth does he think these cars are going to go now that we've lost another vital traffic lane? Can't wait to see what happens once hockey season starts up again at GM Place. Maybe then he'll have his 'ah hah' moment.