Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[tybuilding]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

1.4 metres is the width of a standard residential side street sidewalk in the City of Vancouver. Add barriers on either side and what you have is really only suitable for people to walk in single file, much less cycle, much less cycle and pass anyone.

Hopefully its a typo, but this has been a highway project from day one and no amount of 'it supports cycling, walking, and transit!' is going to change that.

Looks like it is a typo. A 3.5m pathway on the east side of 156 St. was built last year.

[tybuilding]

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Velo-Talk: A Bike Advocacy Workshop
Monday June 25, 2012
1:00-5:00pm
Britannia Community Centre, Vancouver, BC
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Cost: $30

This interactive advocacy workshop is open to everyone and targeted at bicycle advocates from around the world to come together to talk specifically about moving bicycling into the mainstream and increasing the number of people cycling for transportation. It provides a gathering space for advocates to share successes, challenges, and network to continue supporting each other after the conference.

An optional neighbourhood morning ride is free

[dreambrother808]

Vancouver bike lanes set to expand with Commercial Drive, Point Grey Road under consideration

Alternatives could range from full separated bike lanes similar to the Hornby and Dunsmuir lanes to painted bike lanes and traffic-calming measures

BY Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun, May 17, 2012

Vancouver is considering turning parts of Commercial Drive, Point Grey Road and Cornwall Avenue into bikeways as part of the next phase of its quest to reduce bicycle-vehicle conflicts.

With four of the city's 20 highest-crash intersections for cyclists sited on those three roads, it makes sense to look at a variety of ways to make cycling safer, city transportation director Jerry Dobrovolny said Wednesday.

Those alternatives could range from full separated bike lanes similar to the Hornby and Dunsmuir lanes to painted bike lanes and traffic-calming measures. Public consultations will begin this fall.

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/V...535/story.html

[whatnext]

And here I was worried this thread would go dormant...

If there going to take away parking from Commercial, they better kiss a lot of the businesses goodbye. Though I have no doubt a lot of the residents are delusional enough to believe all their favourite restaurants etc. can survive without people coming from outside the area to patronize them.

And a one-block separated bike lane on Cambie Street near the Langara Golf Course? Where and why? There's already a clearly maked bike lane and on the east side of the street next to no cross streets. Add in the fact the Cambie bike route is barely used, it adds up to a huge waste of money.

I did get a chuckle out of Drobrovolny referencing "public consultation", a term which has become so debased under Vision's misrule it has no meaning.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And a one-block separated bike lane on Cambie Street near the Langara Golf Course? Where and why? There's already a clearly maked bike lane and on the east side of the street next to no cross streets. Add in the fact the Cambie bike route is barely used, it adds up to a huge waste of money.

It's just a short connection between the 59th bike route and the portion of the East-West North Arm Greenway that will be built along the south edge of Langara golf course. It's meant to improve the condition of East-West movements, not North-South.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And here I was worried this thread would go dormant...

Not with your rabid anti-cycling foaming at the mouth.

By all means, please compare the budgets allocated to cycling vs. road maintenance, signal installation and all other car-related costs.

[officedweller]

Well, the Cornwall - Point Grey Road lanes are a no-brainer.

Remove the parking and add painted one-way lanes on each side of the road - those will flow seamlessly from the one-way bike lanes on Burrard Bridge and are more feasible than separated lanes given the large number of residential driveways along the route.

[Metro-One]

Why commercial Drive? I don't understand some of their choices for bike lanes / routes.

Living in south Van now I ride to where I need to go quite often, but why the need to ride on the main streets?

For example, I never ride on Cambie, even if they put in separated bike lanes I would not ride on Cambie, instead I ride on Ontario, which is a beautiful example of how biking infrastructure should be handled.

Instead of shoving all forms of transit onto one route, designate a parallel side route as the bike way.

For me it makes a much more pleasant commuting experience.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Why commercial Drive? I don't understand some of their choices for bike lanes / routes.

1) No one has chosen anything. It's merely being highlighted as an area worth studying.
2) This appears demand-driven. According to the Sun, bikes make up 12% of traffic on Commercial. I would guess that much of that is local traffic, not commuter.

[officedweller]

I agree with Metro-One.

I think the bike lanes on Cambie stem from a political view that wants "visibility" (over safety).

Point Grey Road, while a local arterial, has a different character than a busy arterial shopping street - it is a "seaside route" that is a natural for a bike route.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

For example, I never ride on Cambie, even if they put in separated bike lanes I would not ride on Cambie, instead I ride on Ontario, which is a beautiful example of how biking infrastructure should be handled.

Instead of shoving all forms of transit onto one route, designate a parallel side route as the bike way.

For me it makes a much more pleasant commuting experience.

I ride on Cambie every day. It's a much more direct route between downtown and Richmond (thanks to the Canada Line bridge).

Ontario is nice, but not worth the extra distance.

[Metro-One]

You mean the extra 2 minutes it takes to cycle 3 blocks east / west?

I just simply sneak over 61st or 62nd to get to Cambie for the Canada Line bridge.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

1) No one has chosen anything. It's merely being highlighted as an area worth studying.
2) This appears demand-driven. According to the Sun, bikes make up 12% of traffic on Commercial. I would guess that much of that is local traffic, not commuter.

There is a LOT of bike traffic and a lot of the stores have more bike racks outside than downtown stores do. Yes, a lot of the traffic is local, but the sidewalks are narrow and the street moves slowly. I was surprised at how many bikes there were there on that street.

I would suspect that they would remove one parking lane and put bike lanes in. Given that every second block has a bus stop that already takes up 25% of the space, the number of actual spots lost wouldn't be as great as you would think.

Commercial also has a lot of car-free days and festivals.

An interesting idea, for sure.

[IanS]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

1) No one has chosen anything. It's merely being highlighted as an area worth studying.

Absolutely. I have no doubt, based on past its past practice, that Vision will undertake a completely transparent process of public consultation and will take into account the results of that consultation before making any decisions on the issue.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I ride on Cambie every day. It's a much more direct route between downtown and Richmond (thanks to the Canada Line bridge).

Ontario is nice, but not worth the extra distance.

Then you're one of the few, I know as I drive past it almost every day.

But if money needs to be spent fixing, its not on that little patch, its the places where the lane simply disappears, or where the busses seems to think they can travel along the bike lane rather than turn back into traffic.

As to Point Grey Road, I can see why cyclists would like to claim it, but I'm not sure where officedweller thinks the parked cars will magically disappear to. Despite millionares row on the north side, the south side is home to a lot of people in converted houses. That's Vision's problem, they think that by magically waving their green wand and adding bike lanes or requiring less parking in new buildings, the cars will just disappear.

Given that the merchants on Commercial were vocal in their protests against car free days and how it cost them business, the mayor will have a fight on his hands. Maybe he has info showing they all live outside the city and therefore can't vote.

[flight_from_kamakura]

i'm for almost anything that reduces car traffic in any context, anywhere. but still, i don't know that bike lanes on commercial would be a great idea. for me, the priority on commercial would be to double the width of the sidewalks from venables all the way to 12th, and then have the cyclists ride in traffic if they need to. wider sidewalks on commercial and some better outdoor seating permitting would be very very good for the hood, more than making up for the 40 or so parking spots that would go, and the traffic congestion that the bus stops would cause on the one lane roadway.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

1) No one has chosen anything. It's merely being highlighted as an area worth studying.
2) This appears demand-driven. According to the Sun, bikes make up 12% of traffic on Commercial. I would guess that much of that is local traffic, not commuter.

Nothing will be studied, these bike lanes will be already in the design stage and in place before the end of summer...I would be shocked if that wasnt the case .

As for me, if I cant park near it I likely aint going to it. I have too many responsibilities and too little free and flexible time.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Nothing will be studied, these bike lanes will be already in the design stage and in place before the end of summer...I would be shocked if that wasnt the case .

Given the way they're dragging their heels on the design/consultation phase of the Comox-Helmcken Greenway, I don't see that happening. I honestly don't think there's a clear plan in place yet for the Commercial area, regardless of what newspaper headlines might say.

[b5baxter]

Originally Posted by whatnext

As to Point Grey Road, I can see why cyclists would like to claim it, but I'm not sure where officedweller thinks the parked cars will magically disappear to. Despite millionares row on the north side, the south side is home to a lot of people in converted houses. That's Vision's problem, they think that by magically waving their green wand and adding bike lanes or requiring less parking in new buildings, the cars will just disappear.

The idea that was suggested some time ago (by an NPA Councillor!) was to make the street one way for cars. If I remember right the other lane is converted to a two way bike lane and the parking stays.

[jlousa]

The long awaited bicycle study is heading to council, recommended reading.

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/...ents/ptec2.pdf

Not much of a surprise they aren't recommending any changes, interesting to see they state that car traffic did not decrease but traffic delays were negligible and localized. I don't drive often anymore so I can't comment directly to that, it certainly doesn't look like traffic flows as well along Dunsmir though.
Burrards #'s are up 5%, Dunsmir #'s are up 19% but we don't know what the decrease was along Pender so it's hard to calculate the true gain.