Today in the Globe and Mail, Frances Bula wrote about the movement in Vancouver to have bike lanes protected by concrete barriers to encourage riders that don’t feel safe on the road. Bula’s article is a result of the City of Vancouver calling a motion this week for a bike lane protected by a concrete barrier on the Dunsmuir Viaduct at the cost of $300,000.
The report on the Dunsmuir Viaduct is expected to be passed at council tomorrow and also asks for approval in principle to create a route through the downtown to connect the Burrard Bridge and Dunsmuir Viaduct.
According to the article, if engineers can work out an acceptable concrete barrier solution, the next challenge for the city is a barrier-protected bike lane down Cornwall Avenue and Point Grey Road to the Westside.
Question: What’s wrong with cyclists using the the ad-lib Burrard Bridge to York (or West 1st, West 2nd, or West 3rd) to the existing Seaside bike route to go West and vice versa?
Last modified: February 3, 2010
Unfortunately the Seaside bike route between Burrard and Trafalgar is nice for tourists, but more than doubles the distance if you’re actually trying to get somewhere, as it actually runs down by the water. Then at Trafalgar (where Cornwall becomes Point Grey Road) until Alma the official bike route runs along 3rd avenue, which happens to be very hilly and not very pleasant or safe to ride on due to conflictual intersections. The speed is limited to 30 km/h (at least on Point Grey Road), it is a gradual slope, offers a good line of sight and has few or no conflictual intersections, which make it ideal and somewhat safe for cycling.
Note that Point Grey Road and Cornwall were not intended to be a 4th avenue bypass to the Burrard Street Bridge, otherwise the speed limit wouldn’t be 30 km/h. Personally I don’t mind sharing the road, both as a cyclist and as a motorist. If I’m stuck behind a cyclist for five or ten seconds, I just wait until it’s safe to pass.
Awesome. More congestion on Cornwall! These people who make these decisions don’t live in these neighborhoods and have no idea what the traffic is like during rush hours or on weekends, or during the Canucks home games. They don’t live in these neighborhoods and they don’t care. They will build it, cars will idle, and bikers will ride by breathing in exhaust.
I can’t even get my 1960s old school cruiser bike up the hills on the West 3rd bike route. I could get off and walk, but then what’s the point of riding your bike? Also, Brigitte (above) has offered an excellent explanation, especially in regards to the conflictual intersections and the line of sight. York, West 1st and West 2nd all have very poor lines of sight and are so tight with parked cars on each side that it necessitates weaving in and out of parked cars so that driving cars can get by you (or riding on the sidewalk). Maybe a barrier on Cornwall is not the best idea either but it seems better than the alternatives at this point.
As far as I’m concerned I think downtown Vancouver should be car free except for four or five arteries allowing transit through the Lions Gate. Considering the relatively small area of downtown Vancouver, this is not a silly granola-crunch idea, but something doable that would make sense and bring Vancouver forward as an innovative city.
Spending $300’000 for some wall to protect part of a road is not an idea or a solution, it’s a useless fix.
So much whining by so few.
Erica-I’m twice as old as you and can breeze up the 3rd Ave hill-time to Man Up Erica!
“weaving in and out of parked cars so that driving cars can get by you”
More nonsense-vehicles share the road and some streets are narrower than others that’s City Living.
Much agree with Sully-it’s a lot of make work by fourth rate ‘planners’ and their hangers on.
Cornwall is an arterial roadway and needs to remain one.
As to the idea about a car free downtown-In Your Dreams Hippie!
Who’s going to use a handcart to deliver the Coffee and Sushi you crave?