Metro Vancouver Bike & Pedestrian Discussion

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Again, I don't think you'd find many opponents of having bike infrastructure on most side streets. This argument started when the Stanley Park seawall was reduced from two to one; ditto Broadway, which is already losing two lanes to sidewalks (a good thing), and now may lose two of the remaining four to bike lanes (not really a good thing). That's half. Nanaimo and the 7 seem to be doing okay, but that stretch wasn't particularly crowded to begin with.

Given Paris' usual M.O., we can expect most of that new space to be taken up by pedestrian-only streets and bus lanes.

I don't think it's the seawall that had a bike lane added in Stanley Park - it's the road that loops round, and it's not exactly an arterial.

Broadway may or may not lose lanes for bikes; if it does, it would be a change in policy, and would signal that the City are serious about bike infrastructure. It still wouldn't push the amount of road space allocated for bikes close to their mode share.

Paris has a huge program adding permanent, segregated bike lanes starting now, for several years. Their mode share will probably go above 5% quite fast.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Conrad Yablonski

LOL-I just knew this thread would draw some hater of the nastiest most obscure variety out of the woodwork and VOILA!

Also Please Note they're not all Clydesdales there are Grey Shire horses as well as Belgians and Percherons and some people (like me) love them dearly.

If you care about them so much, you'd probably want them to have a better life.

They are slow, stink, and leave piles of — all over the road.

Now they cause the additional headache of being difficult to pass because of the bike lane. I'd rather see them go. If that makes me a "hater", so be it.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Changing City

That's up from 3.8% of trips to work by Vancouver residents made by bike in 2006. The 2021 census data will be affected by the pandemic, but it may still show a higher bike to work proportion; the City's Trip Diary survey collected annually by Mustel showed of those travelling to work, the bike share was 13% in 2020, as it had been in 2019 (Figure E3 page iv).

And looking at the most dense area of the city, where most of the safest and best quality bike lanes are, you have a high percentage of folks that commute by foot, which eats into transit use and bike use - which isn't a bad thing!

I think what it does show is that good bike infrastructure is still largely only available to folks that have an easy alternative, and we have a long way to go to providing good infrastructure to a wider segment of the city both geographically and commuter type.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Question is, how many more converts would you get? Even bike-friendly Paris only has about 5% of mode share (15% walk, 20% drive, 59% take transit)... I guess that's Vancouver's benchmark?

And note that some of the most controversial like Stanley Park aren't commutes at all. There's basically replacing boomer time on the Peloton.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I don't think it's the seawall that had a bike lane added in Stanley Park - it's the road that loops round, and it's not exactly an arterial.

Broadway may or may not lose lanes for bikes; if it does, it would be a change in policy, and would signal that the City are serious about bike infrastructure. It still wouldn't push the amount of road space allocated for bikes close to their mode share.

Paris has a huge program adding permanent, segregated bike lanes starting now, for several years. Their mode share will probably go above 5% quite fast.

Ah, Stanley Park Drive parallels the seawall for half the route. My bad.

Clarification: half the road. Any proportional bike lane on Broadway should statistically be one omnidirectional lane, or two half-lanes. Two full lanes is pretty unnecessary, especially with the ones on 10th and 7th - and yeah, they should definitely be upgraded to triple-A throughout (if that's okay with the ambulances).

I'll remain skeptical - they've been building bike infrastructure for twenty years, and it's still at 5%.

[WarrenC12]

They just spent 2 years upgrading the hospital zone on West 10th Ave. They should stick to that route. It's much more comfortable to ride.

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

They just spent 2 years upgrading the hospital zone on West 10th Ave. They should stick to that route. It's much more comfortable to ride.

Been riding 10th Ave for the last 4 years. UBC to Burnaby. It’s getting improved every single years. It’s actually really really good.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Lexus

Been riding 10th Ave for the last 4 years. UBC to Burnaby. It’s getting improved every single years. It’s actually really really good.

If you don't mind, could you share your route? (Specifically between MacDonald and UBC, the rest I think is very nice and intuitive)

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by chowhou

If you don't mind, could you share your route? (Specifically between MacDonald and UBC, the rest I think is very nice and intuitive)

Not the person you asked the question of, but FYI the 10th Avenue bike route ends at Trafalgar - at that point to continue westbound you jog across Broadway and use 8th Avenue.

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by chowhou

If you don't mind, could you share your route? (Specifically between MacDonald and UBC, the rest I think is very nice and intuitive)

I take most direct route and continue on 10th Ave that eventually becomes University Blvd. The safer route would be to take Trafalgar St to 8th Ave all the way to Blanka St. Hope it helps.

Untitled by Lexus LX570, on Flickr

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Lexus

I take most direct route and continue on 10th Ave that eventually becomes University Blvd. The safer route would be to take Trafalgar St to 8th Ave all the way to Blanka St. Hope it helps.

Thanks!

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Lexus

Been riding 10th Ave for the last 4 years. UBC to Burnaby. It’s getting improved every single years. It’s actually really really good.

Yeah I much prefer that kind of route (and Ontario North/South) than putting separated lanes on busy roads.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Yeah I much prefer that kind of route (and Ontario North/South) than putting separated lanes on busy roads.

I think of the bike lanes on Broadway as solving "last furlong" problem where cyclists want to access the many services and businesses on Broadway.

That being said, what I do right now is to use 10th Avenue to the nearest cross street, access Broadway from the cross street, and then just walk my bike along the sidewalk on Broadway for the last 1/2 block.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I think of the bike lanes on Broadway as solving "last furlong" problem where cyclists want to access the many services and businesses on Broadway.

That being said, what I do right now is to use 10th Avenue to the nearest cross street, access Broadway from the cross street, and then just walk my bike along the sidewalk on Broadway for the last 1/2 block.

The first comment is akin to customers wanting car parking directly in front of a retail storefront, or those who circle a mall parking lot to get the closest space. I don't think it's necessary.
A short walk from where you park your bike or car isn't a big deal (esp. for those cycling, as they are likely physically able).
Your approach is very sensible.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The first comment is akin to customers wanting car parking directly in front of a retail storefront, or those who circle a mall parking lot to get the closest space.

Yup, that's exactly why you see cars circling the block or just plunking themselves down in the rightmost through lane waiting for someone to vacate a parking spot...

[Migrant_Coconut]

Give the drivers a parking lane, they use it to become pedestrians. Give the bikers a bike lane, they use it to become pedestrians. Seems like the lane should just be a sidewalk that's useful for everybody.

[FarmerHaight]

I would like to point out that some of the bike lanes do not have priority, so you often come to a four-way stop every couple blocks. A lane on Broadway would come with the priority of a main street.

The cheaper and easier solution than adding cycle lanes to Broadway would make all bike routes the priority road, unless they interreact with another cycle lane or a truly busy arterial like Broadway, Main, 4th, Victoria, etc.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

The cheaper and easier solution than adding cycle lanes to Broadway would make all bike routes the priority road, unless they interreact with another cycle lane or a truly busy arterial like Broadway, Main, 4th, Victoria, etc.

If you did that then you'd need to install barriers to prevent cars from taking the same route, otherwise it would turn into an arterial for all practical purposes.

45th Avenue between Victoria Drive and Boundary Road is a case in point. It was fairly busy with car traffic when it was designated as a bike route - they tried installing a trial diverter at 45th and Clarendon/Elliot, but the neighborhood voted it down so they ended up installing speed bumps all along 45th Avenue. It didn't do all that much to discourage the cars...

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

If you did that then you'd need to install barriers to prevent cars from taking the same route

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

I would like to point out that some of the bike lanes do not have priority, so you often come to a four-way stop every couple blocks. A lane on Broadway would come with the priority of a main street.

The cheaper and easier solution than adding cycle lanes to Broadway would make all bike routes the priority road, unless they interreact with another cycle lane or a truly busy arterial like Broadway, Main, 4th, Victoria, etc.

What cyclist stops at stop sign? Slow down at most and go through if safe.