Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[red-paladin]

Both videos are great... both bike paths are great.
Going to be sufficient with both sides of the bridge complete.
Man you're right the Burnaby approach looks sketchy as hell. One side swipe and you are off the cliff!

[TransitJack]

Thanks for adding the vids. Haven't cycled on the new path or Lower Road yet. Way more inviting than before. Have to head out there soon.

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by TransitJack

Thanks for adding the vids. Haven't cycled on the new path or Lower Road yet. Way more inviting than before. Have to head out there soon.

Just an FYI, that approach is still in Vancouver. Anything West of Boundary Rd. is still in CoV.

[st7860]

I wonder when the path between 29th avenue and Joyce will be finished(its being torn up and flattened rightnow)

[logan5]

I've been noticing lately that pedestrians seem oblivious to emergency vehicles trying to get through intersections. The ambulance literally has to stop and wait for people to get out of the way. People just stand there in the middle of the street. That's my mild rant for the day.

[Large Cat]

Originally Posted by st7860

I wonder when the path between 29th avenue and Joyce will be finished(its being torn up and flattened rightnow)

I went past it yesterday and it looks like it's almost done! As if the pavement just needs to dry now. Not sure about the lighting enhancements though.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Large Cat

I love the new full-length safety wall...

Really? I think it looks terrible. As the video makes clear, when you try to look ahead at the mountains, the prison-like bars of the "safety fence" blend together to create an opaque wall, destroying what had hitherto been a glorious, unobstructed view of Vancouver's scenic beauty. I consider this unnecessarily high fence a needless loss. I pray there are no plans to replicate such a fence on Lions Gate Bridge.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I consider this unnecessarily high fence a needless loss. I pray there are no plans to replicate such a fence on Lions Gate Bridge.

I am with you. It's an unnecessary cost and suiciders can take their lives so through many ways. At least they could have made it shorter and only half as dense as it is, and it would have still served the same purpose for a smaller cost.

Having something like this on Lions Gate Bridge would be horrible.

[go_leafs_go02]

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_rele...022-000349.htm

Province to fund Stanley Park Causeway safety improvements
VANCOUVER – As part of B.C. on the Move, the Government of B.C.’s new 10-year transportation plan, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone has announced a $7-million commitment toward improving pedestrian and cyclist safety along the Stanley Park Causeway.

The proposed upgrades will include widening the pathways and installing safety fencing on both sides of the causeway. This project is an important safety project, which also provides more transportation choices for people travelling in Metro Vancouver.

[Klazu]

[officedweller]

At least the Province has the sense to paint pictograms o the pathway - unlike the City of Vancouver
(which only posts signs too high for people to notice) - here they have BOTH.
Plus their pictograms are double sided for 2-way traffic and have directional arrows.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Klazu

i think it looks quite nice. and it looks like its high enough incase one was to fall off their bike. a concrete barrier would have looked bad. this looks quite nice indeed.

Originally Posted by officedweller

At least the Province has the sense to paint pictograms o the pathway - unlike the City of Vancouver
(which only posts signs too high for people to notice) - here they have BOTH.
Plus their pictograms are double sided for 2-way traffic and have directional arrows.

well what do you expect when Vancouver City Hall is full of idiots. hopefully they actually do paint those pictograms in reality and it isn't one of those things in the render that ends up never showing up.

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i think it looks quite nice. and it looks like its high enough incase one was to fall off their bike. a concrete barrier would have looked bad. this looks quite nice indeed.



well what do you expect when Vancouver City Hall is full of idiots. hopefully they actually do paint those pictograms in reality and it isn't one of those things in the render that ends up never showing up.

or never maintained.

[WBC]

While the are upgrading those bike/pedestrian paths they might want to renovate playgrounds and especially washrooms and change rooms in Stanley Park. The supposed jewel of Vancouver has washrooms that look like something out of a 3rd world country. I don't know whose budget that comes out of and I don't care, but those facilities are an absolute embarrassment for the city especially given the number of tourists using them.

[idunno]

Well, somebody died last year when they fell into traffic. It really is pretty dangerous.

Actual deaths > Being ticked off at uncleanliness in terms of funding priorities.

[WBC]

Originally Posted by idunno

Well, somebody died last year when they fell into traffic. It really is pretty dangerous.

Actual deaths > Being ticked off at uncleanliness in terms of funding priorities.

I don't disagree with the need for the path upgrade. Overall, given the importance that Stanley park has to Vancouver in terms of tourism and local value I think it is utterly neglected on many levels.

[Large Cat]

A few BC Parkway updates (pictures to come soon I hope):

-the path between Joyce and Rupert should be finished within days. Honestly I don't know why the fences are still up.

-path segregation and refinishing at Patterson station looks to be complete. Not extremely helpful yet given the state of the path (bumpy and too narrow) between Patterson and Willingdon, but it's a good start.

-the stairs connecting the multi use pathway to Slocan have been replaced with a smooth asphalt slope. It should no longer be necessary for cyclists to connect via 29th and penticton, which reduces the grade problem significantly. Awesome! It took me a while to notice this one though, so this might have been done for a while. Now all that remains is to build a short stretch of pathway on the east side of slocan and a safe crossing (perhaps with curb inlet?) for pedestrians, as shown in the BC parkway plan documents.

-they finally did something about the cluster chicken at nanaimo! They did something incredibly smart and took a bite out of Nanaimo St itself to provide a separated cycle track up to the stoplight. The concrete barriers are already in place, and it looks like they are still going to paint a short striped bike crossing across the bus loop from the multi use pathway to the cycle track. It also looks like they are installing a bike button at the light at the end of the cycle track, although the post is still taped over. I think this is the upgrade I'm most excited about this summer!

[WBC]

Originally Posted by Large Cat

A few BC Parkway updates (pictures to come soon I hope):

-the path between Joyce and Rupert should be finished within days. Honestly I don't know why the fences are still up.

-path segregation and refinishing at Patterson station looks to be complete. Not extremely helpful yet given the state of the path (bumpy and too narrow) between Patterson and Willingdon, but it's a good start.

-the stairs connecting the multi use pathway to Slocan have been replaced with a smooth asphalt slope. It should no longer be necessary for cyclists to connect via 29th and penticton, which reduces the grade problem significantly. Awesome! It took me a while to notice this one though, so this might have been done for a while. Now all that remains is to build a short stretch of pathway on the east side of slocan and a safe crossing (perhaps with curb inlet?) for pedestrians, as shown in the BC parkway plan documents.

-they finally did something about the cluster chicken at nanaimo! They did something incredibly smart and took a bite out of Nanaimo St itself to provide a separated cycle track up to the stoplight. The concrete barriers are already in place, and it looks like they are still going to paint a short striped bike crossing across the bus loop from the multi use pathway to the cycle track. It also looks like they are installing a bike button at the light at the end of the cycle track, although the post is still taped over. I think this is the upgrade I'm most excited about this summer!

Nanaimo upgrade sounds awesome...I was always perplexed by that one and where exactly I should ride with a bike.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by idunno

Well, somebody died last year when they fell into traffic. It really is pretty dangerous.

Actual deaths > Being ticked off at uncleanliness in terms of funding priorities.

If I put on my logic hat I don't think anyone cares about the death nearly as much as they care about permafying the Causeway through the park, in anticipation of a possible fight with a rouge city hall trying to remove it in 15 years.

[Large Cat]

Originally Posted by cornholio

If I put on my logic hat I don't think anyone cares about the death nearly as much as they care about permafying the Causeway through the park, in anticipation of a possible fight with a rouge city hall trying to remove it in 15 years.

If that fight could be won by putting better cycling infrastructure on an elevated roadway, the Dunsmuir viaduct would already be considered permanent. But Vision itself is the one now proposing to remove the viaducts.