Drivers who use the Burrard Street Bridge daily to commute into downtown Vancouver gripped their steering wheels tighter on the first official day of a dedicated bike lane on the span.
The morning commute went off without a hitch with traffic on the bridge light with only a few problems as thousands of drivers get used to new traffic patterns.
Traffic moved without any major delays Sunday but that could all change as homeward-bound drivers -- normally used to three lanes -- squeeze into two, as cyclists take over the third southbound lane.
The bike-only lane trial on Burrard Bridge is set to last three months into the fall.
Take note
If you are a driver heading downtown Vancouver across the Burrard Bridge, you will still have all three lanes available. Bikes will ride on the east sidewalk and pedestrians must walk on the west sidewalk.
If you are leaving downtown in a car, you will only see two lanes available to you. The remaining lane is reserved for bikes.
For alternative routes to head in and out of the downtown core, use the Granville St. and Cambie St. Bridges.
Robertson's ride
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson took a ride Sunday on the new bike lane on the Burrard Street Bridge on the eve of its grand opening.
Robertson wanted to experiment first hand what it will feel like for hundreds of cyclists going in an out of downtown Vancouver sharing one of the city's busiest bridges with vehicles starting Monday.
"I have to say, I've been riding this bridge all my life and that's the first time I really felt safe crossing on my bike," Robertson said.
Mayor Robertson, who took office last December, is a known bike enthusiast. His proposal to create the bicycle-only lane on Burrard Bridge is only one of many initiatives he expects to implement in order to get more Vancouverites on two wheels.
The mayor expects some criticism on the part of drivers, but is confident that the city's growing number of cyclists will like the safer ride downtown.
In any case, Robertson thinks it is about time car drivers get used to sharing the road with cyclists. After all, he says, "It's all part of the West Coast lifestyle."
Your Commute
Think the Burrard Bridge bike experiment should be make permanent now? Or do you feel it should never have been started in the first place? Watch CTV News at Six tonight to see a first hand commute from a cyclist and drivers perspective. Leave your comments below.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry
