Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by David

LOL well wasn't it the first time the VPD chose to announce that people should avoid the downtown core because of Critical Mass? Giving the media something to pounce upon...

Yes that was the start. The June meet is the main one of the year, so it was the largest (I think) and caused a lot of concern for the July one, not to mention other events in the city at the time.

[fever]

Canwest might have been trying to bury some other story. Maybe the run-of-the-river vs. the BC utilities commission. I saw the headline but it's been a while since I've looked at a Canwest paper.

If you look for it, you'll occasionally find important stories omitted or stuck deep in the middle of the paper.

[biketrouble]

I'd wondered the same about the Critical Mass media blitz. Stephen Rees mentioned a plausible theory about this in a comment on his blog:

"Steve Kisby suggests that the controversy over the Critical Mass was deliberately fomented by the VPD as a way to distract attention from the shocking court case, where a police officer was given a slap on the wrist for beating up a newspaper delivery man when drunk and off duty. "

[racc]

Originally Posted by b5baxter

TransLink welcome’s you to join us at the opening of the Canada Line Pedestrian Bicycle Bridge, Friday August 14th at 1PM. The event will involve a ribbon cutting and cyclists are invited to come from the Vancouver or Richmond sides. From Vancouver access the bridge via the south end of Ash Street at Kent Avenue. From Richmond via Van Horne Way at River Road. This 1 km long bridge is the longest traffic separated bridge ever built to serve pedestrians and cyclists in Metro Vancouver.

If you are going, please RSVP with [email protected]

[racc]

Another great column by Rod. We are looking kinda goofy. Are we really ready for the Olympics?

Vancouver's bike shorts in a knot for nothing
Rod Mickleburgh
Last updated on Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009 10:28PM EDT

What is it with Vancouver? Mere days after the local media and citizenry worked themselves into a ludicrous lather over the closing of a single lane on the Burrard Bridge, oops, they did it again.

This time, hysteria levels were raised to a fever pitch about the Critical Mass bike ride destined to bring civilization as we know it to an end last Friday, with several thousand cyclists refusing to stop at red lights and being purposefully vague about where they were going. The horror, the horror.

More at:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1244003/

[DKaz]

Anyone planning to participate in Critical Manners Friday August 14th? This is one event I would definitely support.

http://criticalmanners.wordpress.com/

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by DKaz

Anyone planning to participate in Critical Manners Friday August 14th? This is one event I would definitely support.

http://criticalmanners.wordpress.com/

I fully support it, but unfortunately will be out of town.

[fever]

With a route that follows arterials and regular city streets, the ride will quickly devolve into a bunch of uptight people disagreeing over the proper way to make left-hand turns. The group will be perplexed at the first left-hand turn they encounter. Most will give up on making the turn on their bike, and instead be found walking their bikes through crosswalks. Others will still be engaged in a heated discussion about how to dismount legally without blocking traffic. Some will argue that dismounting in no stopping zones is dangerous and illegal, as it certainly is in the right-most lane of six-lane arterials. Some will argue that riding in the crosswalk or on the sidewalk is not that dangerous, but still illegal. Anyone who had intended to go on a bike ride will have made the left-hand turn somehow and left.

[officedweller]

Buzzer Blog pics of the North Arm Bridge bike path opening. Check out the lighting - no exposed conduit (the guideway beam is hollow) - not bad!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebuzz...7622040897294/

[Ayreonaut]

I have no clue where to ask this, but I'll just post it here.

I'm on the island right now, and sometime next week I'll be heading back to the interior. I'd like to do a walkabout in Vancouver on my way back through (haven't done so in about 15 years). Where would be some decent places for me to park for a few hours while I walk around? I'm just trying to avoid the hassle of driving around trying to find a place to park.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

[GoogalieBear]

With the commence of CanadaLine, I decided it is time to finally get back on my bike commuting to work. I live in Vancouver and work in South Richmond, just off the Massey Tunnel. When I started investigating into the best route to take, I was genuinely surprised at the lack of good cycling routes in Richmond. There are short sections here and there, and even some of those that are branded "cycling route" are highly debatable, in particular the section of Shell south of the Highway 99 offramp. I recently found this article from Stephen Ree's blog regarding the state of cycling in Richmond :

http://stephenrees.wordpress.com/200...-in-vancouver/

While I don't always agree with Mr Ree's opinions, I think this particular article is spot-on !! Please oh please, tell me Richmond has big plans to improve cycling big time soon, it is such a shame that a city with such friendly terrain has so little forethought in encouraging its citizens to cycle.

[tybuilding]

I biked 50 km in Richmond on Saturday. Westminster Highway is a good east/west route along with the North Dyke Road.
Garden City is a good North/South Route.

Originally Posted by GoogalieBear

With the commence of CanadaLine, I decided it is time to finally get back on my bike commuting to work. I live in Vancouver and work in South Richmond, just off the Massey Tunnel. When I started investigating into the best route to take, I was genuinely surprised at the lack of good cycling routes in Richmond. There are short sections here and there, and even some of those that are branded "cycling route" are highly debatable, in particular the section of Shell south of the Highway 99 offramp. I recently found this article from Stephen Ree's blog regarding the state of cycling in Richmond :

http://stephenrees.wordpress.com/200...-in-vancouver/

While I don't always agree with Mr Ree's opinions, I think this particular article is spot-on !! Please oh please, tell me Richmond has big plans to improve cycling big time soon, it is such a shame that a city with such friendly terrain has so little forethought in encouraging its citizens to cycle.

[tybuilding]

Winnepeg has a beautiful pedestrian bridge. I rode it in September. There is a restaurant and bathrooms in the centre of it.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/24845110
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5843856
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/787388

[deasine]

That's quite cool! It kind of reminds me of that bridge proposal for streetcars/cyclists/pedestrians for Portland.

[GoogalieBear]

Originally Posted by tybuilding

I biked 50 km in Richmond on Saturday. Westminster Highway is a good east/west route along with the North Dyke Road.
Garden City is a good North/South Route.

Sorry haven't checked in for a while. I too used Garden City going North/South, and Westminster Highway going east/west. The fact is if you want to go a distance, there are very few routes you can choose. Having to cycle next to several lanes of often heavy traffic isn't particularly pleasant and certainly isn't going to attract new cyclists to commute.

Take for example the intersection at Garden City and Granville, if you are going south, you have to cross two lanes of traffic to get to the left most lane in order to cross that intersection, there isn't even an option for a pedestrian light crossing at that side of the street if you are willing to walk your bike.

Or how about the Shell road trail, the trail itself is great except at the short breaks where it crosses a regular road. There are crosswalks so technically you are supposed to dismount and that's a major pain as it happens every 5 minutes. If you don't dismount, a lot of motorists just ignore you without stopping.

Now I just use Garden City even though the air is not as nice, at least the rules of the road are clear and when needed I take the road as a vehicle. Again it's not something that most new cyclists will be comfortable to do,.

I am not familiar with various urban planning concepts, but my impression is Richmond is made up of cul de sacs, it's great for discouraging cars from shortcutting through residential neighborhoods, but it also makes it difficult for a cyclist or pedestrian for that matter to get from point A to point B without being on a busy road breathing in exhaust.

[tybuilding]

Yah I was going northbound on Garden City, southbound did look more confusing at Granville. Richmond should put a traffic circle there!

Originally Posted by GoogalieBear

Sorry haven't checked in for a while. I too used Garden City going North/South, and Westminster Highway going east/west. The fact is if you want to go a distance, there are very few routes you can choose. Having to cycle next to several lanes of often heavy traffic isn't particularly pleasant and certainly isn't going to attract new cyclists to commute.

Take for example the intersection at Garden City and Granville, if you are going south, you have to cross two lanes of traffic to get to the left most lane in order to cross that intersection, there isn't even an option for a pedestrian light crossing at that side of the street if you are willing to walk your bike.

Or how about the Shell road trail, the trail itself is great except at the short breaks where it crosses a regular road. There are crosswalks so technically you are supposed to dismount and that's a major pain as it happens every 5 minutes. If you don't dismount, a lot of motorists just ignore you without stopping.

Now I just use Garden City even though the air is not as nice, at least the rules of the road are clear and when needed I take the road as a vehicle. Again it's not something that most new cyclists will be comfortable to do,.

I am not familiar with various urban planning concepts, but my impression is Richmond is made up of cul de sacs, it's great for discouraging cars from shortcutting through residential neighborhoods, but it also makes it difficult for a cyclist or pedestrian for that matter to get from point A to point B without being on a busy road breathing in exhaust.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by tybuilding

Yah I was going northbound on Garden City, southbound did look more confusing at Granville. Richmond should put a traffic circle there!

As if people can handle one. And you are suggesting it to put in Richmond...

[b5baxter]

Today the construction site at SE False Creek appears to be directing cyclists
on the Ontario Bike route to use the sidewalk on 2nd avenue as a detour. Asking
cyclists to use this narrow sidewalk is both dangerous and illegal. This is
clearly in an inadequate cycling facility for a city that claims to be promoting
cycling as part of it's "Greenest City" imitative,


According to maps published on October 14th
(http://www.cknw.com/Other/2009_10_14...ayered_map.pdf) the city was
supposed have a marked detour in place using 3rd Ave and parts of Quebec street.
It is now two weeks later and this route is still not marked.


According to the Host City Olympic transportation plan
(http://olympichostcity.vancouver.ca/...ber%202009.pdf), page 4,

"Some bike routes will be temporarily altered during the 2010 Winter Games to
accommodate operational and security needs. Wherever possible, bike route
closures will be accommodated by safe and well-marked alternatives."


The current route is neither "safe" nor "well-marked".


When will city be addressing this problem?


Is the Olympic Transportation plan already failing?

[Millennium2002]

If the city markets a sidewalk as being bike-legal temporarily, it probably is.

BTW I don't think you're taking into account bicycle improvements elsewhere... and this is supposed to be a temporary measure. O.O

[josiebug]

http://www.surrey.ca/NR/rdonlyres/22...ithblowup2.pdf