Vancouver park board drops plan for bike path through Hadden Park

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      The Vancouver park board has decided not to proceed with a separated bike path through Hadden Park or Kitsilano Beach Park, according to a statement issued today (February 17). 

      “We’ve heard clearly from the public that there is significant concern with any proposed changes to Hadden Park,” park board chair Niki Sharma said in the statement.

      “Tonight, the Park Board gave direction to staff to discontinue proceeding with any options for a new path through Hadden Park, and to communicate that to the petitioner in the B.C. Supreme Court application. The Park Board will not be pursuing a new separated path through Hadden Park or at Kits Beach."

      A hearing on a legal action challenging the bike path, which was launched by Kitsilano resident Megan Carvell Davis, was scheduled to take place in the B.C. Supreme Court next month.

      According to Sharma’s statement, the park board directed staff to look at ways to improve safety on the existing bike route through Hadden Park and Kitsilano Beach Park.

      “Staff will also be relocating the funds from this project to other pedestrian and cycling safety priorities for the Park Board around the city,” she said.

      Comments

      23 Comments

      G

      Feb 17, 2014 at 8:05pm

      No need to continue the distraction once the changes to Point Grey Road started construction. I have no idea what the next cycling red herring will be but it might come soon if the media & public give to much attention to the Hootsuite shenanigans.

      Victor

      Feb 17, 2014 at 10:30pm

      Congrats Kits Point residents on getting Vision Park board to change their direction. Glad they saw the light before it cost us all too much money.

      Too bad it takes all these lawsuits - Community Ctres, Hadden Park, West End STIR/Rental 100 legal challenge and potentially many others in the offing to get this gang to listen to residents. It is simply astounding the media do not appear to be listening to so many who are voicing their firm opinion.

      Wonder how many citizens a group like the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods represents? If each member group has a membership or a tested mailing list of say..1500+ residents that represents 34,500 hard core activists paying attention. They all have several friends, social groups and soon there will be enoough to garner votes to challenge Vision in the next election! Wow! What a concept. a large group of voters turnign out on Election Day. Listen up Vision Vancouver.

      Clown Jespar, twinkle toes Blythe and idiot campbell

      Feb 18, 2014 at 3:10am

      So all three of these idiots are now realizing that they will have look to getting real jobs once they are outed in the November election..!
      Hey clown Jespar, I thought you said it was a done deal...!!!
      Your political career is DONE..!!

      Jim

      Feb 18, 2014 at 6:42am

      I did not really care about this until the residents started comparing themselves to Rosa Parks and going into all kinds of unwarranted rhetorical territory. Unfortunately, how this will be characterized is that those desperate histrionics will now appear to have succeeded. They did succeed. That's not okay.

      Hazlit

      Feb 18, 2014 at 6:49am

      What exactly was wrong with a bike lane through a park?

      Visionless

      Feb 18, 2014 at 8:37am

      The disrespect the Vision Commissioners showed to the public when this controversial proposal was approved suggests the motivation for this retreat was purely as a result of being told that they would lose in court. The Hadden Trust would have been upheld and that would have had implications for the other uses of the Park that represent violations of the Trust, not to mention the EMBARRASSMENT of yet another loss in court for the Park Board.

      The stated reason for the retreat, that "we've heard the will of the public" is pure BS, this was a tactical retreat ahead of an even worse loss in court.

      Visionless

      Feb 18, 2014 at 9:47am

      Hazlit. Paving over green space and effecting rare waterfront green space including the most heavily used in Vancouver is a rather obvious no-no. Particularly when options exist, such as a protected path just a few meters away on the roads, quiet roads that can be made even safer for bikes with a little effort.

      This was a rather thoughtless plan, ham fisted, that wouldn't have got to this stage had the City simply have been as thoughtful as they are in the placement and design of other bike lanes.

      As a cyclist i'm more than a little embarrassed that some of the City's biking advocates were so vocal in their support of throwing the parks under the bus when they more than any other groups should have been aware and advocating for other options. Their uncompromising and aggressive position - thanks for nothing HUB - did little to generate understanding and sympathy for cycling in Vancouver.

      Arno S

      Feb 18, 2014 at 12:51pm

      This path would have been a great amenity for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy a ride a safe ride through these parks as part of a ride on the world famous seaside cycling route. This would have been a great tourist attraction which is lost due to people who don't seem to mind roads and parking lots in their park but do mind if the currently unsafe walking/cycling path is to be upgraded to separate paths. Note that the extra amount of path would have been less than half the area currently paved by roads and parking lots. I am sure that the majority of people in Vancouver would have liked a safer cycling path through these parks. I sincerely hope that a separate cycling path will be built in the future so that this gap in the seawall path will be filled.

      Michael Puttonen

      Feb 18, 2014 at 1:46pm

      @Visionless - right on!

      Had the City gone to court they might indeed have been forced to remove all the violations to the Hadden Trust that they've slipped through over the years. When that part of Kits Beach actually was administered accorded to the original covenant (back in the days of my youth), it was an oasis.

      Yeah right

      Feb 18, 2014 at 2:09pm

      @ArnoS

      So why didn't the 'majority of people in Vancouver' come out in support of the bike path then? It's because the 'majority of people in Vancouver' don't care, whereas the people using the park do care. They cared enough to have the plan stopped in it's tracks and they should be congratulated for sticking up for themselves.