Metro Vancouver Bike & Pedestrian Discussion

[jollyburger]

One of the hairiest stretches of the North Shore for cyclists is about to become a lot safer.

District of North Vancouver contractors have begun construction on a cycle track running along the north side of Main Street between Harbour Avenue and the Lynn Creek bridge.

People commuting on bikes from the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrow Crossing or east of the Seymour River currently have a bike route that runs along Barrow Street but it terminates at Harbour, meaning cyclists have no choice but to take Main Street, which is both a major arterial and a truck route.

The new cycle path will be built up on the existing boulevard alongside the sidewalk.

“You’re going to be separated from traffic. You’re going to be more comfortable. It’s going to feel safer,” said Peter Cohen, deputy general manager of engineering for the district. “Ultimately, it’s going to try to help achieve more toward the goal of getting more people out of cars and getting them into active forms of transportation.”

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/work-b...ugh-north-shores-scariest-street-8320964

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/work-b...ugh-north-shores-scariest-street-8320964

My first time being hit by a car while cycling (and my first concussion) was along that stretch. Memories…

[GMD]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/work-b...ugh-north-shores-scariest-street-8320964

Nice to see this going ahead, little bit by little bit, the city makes progress...

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by GMD

Nice to see this going ahead, little bit by little bit, the city makes progress...

Yes, good news indeed. One minor correction, the project is in the District of North Vancouver, not the City. Travelling along Main Street, the boundary is at Lynn Creek.

[idunno]

Agreed - this was one of the most terrifying segments (in my experience). Now they just need to replace the bridge with something for bikes and transit (which I think is in the works!)

[GMD]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Yes, good news indeed. One minor correction, the project is in the District of North Vancouver, not the City. Travelling along Main Street, the boundary is at Lynn Creek.

I meant 'the city' as in Metro Vancouver, not city of North Van. But it is nice to see the NV District doing something useful, as it is quite rare.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by GMD

I meant 'the city' as in Metro Vancouver, not city of North Van....

Fair enough, although I'd suggest that most people don't think of Metro as "the city" given that it comprises more than twenty different and independent municipalities.

[Migrant_Coconut]

They're pretty interchangeable for me in a non-SSP context: when somebody says "just outside the city," I don't think "Burnaby," I think "Abbotsford."

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

They're pretty interchangeable for me in a non-SSP context: when somebody says "just outside the city," I don't think "Burnaby," I think "Abbotsford."

Maybe it's a newer thing, or reflective of increased immigration from elsewhere in Canada combined with the rebranding from GVRD to Metro? It's not something I've heard often from locals over the half-century I've been here - and certainly not common on the North Shore.

[chowhou]

In my extremely humble opinion, "Vancouver" means anything from Lion's Bay, to Tsawwassen, to Aldergrove (and in some contexts possibly even Mission/Abbotsford). "The city" means the strict borders of the City of Vancouver.

[GMD]

Originally Posted by chowhou

In my extremely humble opinion, "Vancouver" means anything from Lion's Bay, to Tsawwassen, to Aldergrove (and in some contexts possibly even Mission/Abbotsford). "The city" means the strict borders of the City of Vancouver.

Seems a little Vancouver-centric to say that 'the city' refers to Vancouver when we are talking about something happening on the North Shore

[mcj]

Originally Posted by GMD

Seems a little Vancouver-centric to say that 'the city' refers to Vancouver when we are talking about something happening on the North Shore

New Westminster is the original "city" in British Columbia, clearly "the city" should refer to New West and New West only. Vancouver took 10 years after New West became "the city" to even be established.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by GMD

Seems a little Vancouver-centric to say that 'the city' refers to Vancouver when we are talking about something happening on the North Shore

Love it or hate it, Metro Vancouver is a little bit Vancouver-centric.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Love it or hate it, Metro Vancouver is a little bit Vancouver-centric.

And if anything, most people outside the area consider West or North Vancouver to be just as much part of Vancouver as East or South Vancouver is.

And practically speaking, it is.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

And if anything, most people outside the area consider West or North Vancouver to be just as much part of Vancouver as East or South Vancouver is.

And practically speaking, it is.

i find that hard to believe. the north shore is so physically disconnected. 2 under sized car bridges and no rail transit. there are less lanes of traffic for the north shore than there is for richmond.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i find that hard to believe. the north shore is so physically disconnected. 2 under sized car bridges and no rail transit. there are less lanes of traffic for the north shore than there is for richmond.

That's probably largely due to the fact that there are only a few limited places where it's feasible to build a fixed link crossing, and the challenges to build a fixed link crossing are greater.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i find that hard to believe. the north shore is so physically disconnected. 2 under sized car bridges and no rail transit. there are less lanes of traffic for the north shore than there is for richmond.

Richmond is also a gateway for everything past Richmond. Richmond is also where Vancouver's airport is, the main ferry terminal in Tsawassen, not to mention Seattle. The Northern part of Metro Vancouver is just the gateway to Squamish and for all intents and purposes dead-ends in Whistler.

Also... Richmond's population is larger than the entire North Shore... so there's that.

[CanSpice]

New Westminster and TransLink are upgrading parts of the BC Parkway:

TransLink and the City of New Westminster are announcing major upgrades to a section of the BC Parkway. The 737-metre section of Stewardson Way, between River Drive and 14th Street, will receive significant improvements for all modes of active transportation.

The Stewardson Way upgrades will include:

* Closing a gap in the BC Parkway between 5th Avenue and 14th Street.
* Widening the existing path to feature separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians.
* Repaving intersections along the route.
* Adding pathway lighting, new retaining walls, and new traffic signals at 5th Avenue.

Construction is beginning this week!

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/work-b...ugh-north-shores-scariest-street-8320964

District of North Van - Main Street Cycling Improvements Project web page

Project report to council Apr 2023

Apparently they are going with Option B - "Fix a bit of it up, fast" and Option A - "Fix it up good and proper" is on the horizon, but may have a five year time frame due to the time to move BC Hydro poles, etc.
Auto Pars" is in the map and the parking lot to the west.

[chowhou]

In related but different news...

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/spirit-trail-eastern-extension-north-shore-deep-cove

The easternmost end of the Spirit Trail pathway for pedestrians and cyclists on the North Shore could finally be realized.

The District of North Vancouver is currently in the preliminary stages of identifying the potential route and design of the full eastward extension of the Spirit Trail, which currently ends on the west side of the Seymour River on Seymour Boulevard next to the area’s Superstore.

Construction on the first segment of the eastern extension between Seymour River and Windridge Park will begin in late 2024 or early 2025 for a completion later in 2025, which includes a new protected bike lane along Windridge Drive.

https://www.dnv.org/streets-transportation/spirit-trail-eastern-extension

https://www.dnv.org/sites/default/files/edocs/STEE-Open-House-Boards.pdf