NPA mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton promises a moratorium on new separated bike lanes downtown

by Charlie Smith on October 2nd, 2011 at 11:50 AM

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The highest-profile challenger to Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson says she will include a "moratorium" on separated bike lanes downtown in her party's platform for the November 19 civic election.

In a statement issued today, NPA councillor Suzanne Anton declared that mayors and councillors from her party "created hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes across Vancouver over the past two decades without any neighbourhood turmoil".

"Gregor Robertson has destroyed that goodwill by imposing new separated lanes downtown," she added. "We need to hit the pause button on these controversial trials, re-engage neighbourhoods and businesses and regain the community consensus we enjoyed before Vision Vancouver mishandled things so badly."

Vision Vancouver councillor Raymond Louie told the Straight that the NPA announcement is "another example of Coun. Anton flip-flopping on the issue".

In its time in power, the NPA steadfastly refused to set aside a lane on the Burrard Street bridge or downtown for cyclists, despite heavy lobbying from the cycling community. A former NPA councillor, Gordon Price, promoted a trial on the bridge, but the results caused one of his colleagues, George Puil, to heavily condemn the idea.

"[Former NPA councillor] Peter Ladner was also in favour of a dedicated bike lane as well, and ultimately had to flip-flop himself on the matter," Louie commented. "Now that he's out of political office himself, once again, he's very strongly in favour of this happening, as is Gordon Price."

Anton also promised that her party's platform will include "a rapid and non-partisan review" of separated bike lane trials on Hornby Dunsmuir, and Burrard streets.

"The goal of the review will be to recommend improvements that can be made to the trial design to improve safety and mitigate negative impacts on neighbouring residents and businesses," she said.

Anton voted in favour of grade-separated bike lanes on Hornby Street and on the Burrard Bridge. She missed the vote on the Dunsmuir Street lane.

Now, she's saying: "What we can’t fix, we will take out. Initiating this moratorium and the rapid non-partisan review will be on the agenda of our first NPA-led City Council meeting following this November’s election."

Louie retorted that "her statement that she will pull out what she can't fix is opposite of what she said just last week, where she said we are going to leave it in place".

"It's not so different from what we've been saying all along," Louie added. "We're going to work to improve this lane and try to find ways to make it work because ultimately, if it doesn't work, we'll have to pull it out. But certainly the data so far shows that it is working."

NPA council candidate George Affleck claimed that Vision Vancouver is "imposing a new one on Drake Street residents".

"I am very worried that more bike lanes like this will be forced on citizens without the proper consultation they deserve," he said in an NPA statement.

Louie responded that the Drake and Comox street bike lanes were approved when the NPA was in power. "This is an NPA program that after a decade, still has not been completed," he noted. "What we're doing is going through a full consultation period."

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

Comments

15 Comments

@suzannne

Oct 2, 2011 at 2:02pm

Suzanne, I'll be voting for you. Still, the bike lanes by NPA were a cop out, and the Burrard Bridge was a nightmare for everyone before the barriers went up.

Rather than come up with compromises, the answer was a new dedicated bike bridge for pedestrians and cyclists (Brisbane, Edmonton, London...).

There is sympathy for businesses which were railroaded by the COV "engineers" who are the ones who created the turmoil.

The separated bike lanes are not the problem, the COV engineers who have no respect for people are the problem.

Anton is out of touch

Oct 2, 2011 at 2:16pm

We already conducted an expensive review at Anton's request. It found that problems were minimal and would reduce over time. It is now or never with these bike lanes, we are not going to grow Vancouver with more car traffic, not to mention we should be reducing car traffic downtown.

The city's transportation plan places pedestrians, cyclists, transit takers, goods movement, THEN private motor vehicles as the hierarchy of importance. Anton is just blustering looking for votes. We need the bike lanes and for more people to travel sustainably; it costs us less in health care and infrastructure.

It's time private car drivers started paying their own way instead of getting those of us who don't drive to subsidize them.

Emily Cat

Oct 2, 2011 at 2:36pm

Don't forget folks it was the previous NPA administration that was seriously considering to remedy the need for separate bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge by adding 'out-rigger' suspended bike lanes. This would have not only impaired the heritage values of the Burrard Bridge, but also it was estimated to cost taxpayers $60-million dollars. A completely reckless proposal!

mvdl

Oct 2, 2011 at 3:16pm

Maybe Anton should get off her high horse and bike to work? Can we not agree yet that a city that promotes cycling is more livable? Amsterdam, Copenhagen and even Montreal are far surpassing Vancouver in bike infrastructure and have moved beyond the narrow minded attitude displayed by Anton and have extended bicycle ridership to professionals, children, elderly and anyone who can benefit from being outside, active and getting around for free - moving away from the automobile nightmare found in many North American centres. Lets concentrate more energy and improving all alternative transportation in Vancouver, be it bicycle, sky-train, bus or pedestrian. This will improve businesses, neighbourhoods and a sense of community not more space for cars or the misguided effort on looking at the past and not to the future...

Lawson1945

Oct 2, 2011 at 3:22pm

Yes no expansion, also fees for bike lanes must be included, toll burrard street bridge $5.00 one way, Hornby Street $ 6 one way, Dunsmuir $6 two ways on week days only, Weekends $10 one way, Stanley Park access $5.00 one way, Sea Wall $10.00 per day. Bike Registration at City Hall $25.00 per bike. What did I miss? Oh bike parking $3 per hour.

?

Oct 2, 2011 at 5:46pm

It is so easy to identify you, "Ken" Lawson1945, by the absolute insanity of your posts.

I've yet to read anything you have written that contains even the smallest amount of coherent thought. I fear you have lost touch with reality.

Clearly no one is ever going to charge a toll for the bike lanes, access to Stanley Park or the Sea Wall. Although a toll on roads leading into downtown for cars is a very plausible idea as has been successful demonstrated in London.

@emily cat

Oct 2, 2011 at 7:36pm

We're living in a democracy. It isn't up to fascist bike fanatics or fascist transit fanatics to decide what is good for the majority.

By the way, I cycle and use the separated bike lanes, but if the COV can't do something right, don't do anything at all.

canadianveggie

Oct 2, 2011 at 7:41pm

So disappointing. It's a shame that Suzanne Anton, who has traditionally supported bike lanes, has been forced to oppose bike lanes by the financial backers of her party, like Rob Macdonald.
I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes a bike lane supporter again, after she loses this election.

Morty

Oct 2, 2011 at 10:28pm

"Gregor Robertson has destroyed that goodwill by imposing new separated lanes downtown," where by "imposed" she apparently means "championing with the support of council, myself included." She did vote _in favour_ of them, remember? How dumb does she think we are?

Wait; don't answer that.