Vancouver park board to vote on 'immediately' removing Stanley Park bike lane
Vancouver's park board is set to vote on the future of a controversial bike lane in Stanley Park.
Commissioner Angela Haer is bringing a motion to Monday's meeting that would remove the lane and direct staff to "immediately restore the pre-COVID traffic and parking configuration on Stanley Park Drive."
A separated bike lane on Stanley Park Drive has been in place since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, initially to move cyclists off the seawall and allow for greater physical distancing.
Those who support the bike lane say it improves access and safety for cyclists and is a measure that encourages more climate-friendly transportation choices by serving to limit the overall number of vehicles that descend on the popular park.
Those who oppose it include frustrated motorists, business owners who say it has impacted their bottom line, and advocates who say limiting access for cars has a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities and mobility issues.
The motion says the configuration which allows one-way traffic only along Beach Avenue, is not working.
"The current reallocation of road space in Stanley Park represents an inadequate response to the needs of some park users, whether they be cyclists, motorists, or other park users," it reads.
"A solution that better meets the demonstrated needs of all park users, and park partners, is required."
The ABC Vancouver party, of which Haer is a member, won a majority on the board in October's election. Getting rid of the bike lane was a campaign promise.
The previous board voted to keep the lane in place until the Stanley Park Mobility Study is complete. Haer's motion also asks for that study, which had an explicit goal of reducing private vehicle traffic, to be "reframe(d) and otherwise repurpose(d)."
The motion also asks city staff to come back with a plan for permanent, dedicated cycling infrastructure by February of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Anti-war protest ruffles University of Michigan as demonstrations collide with graduation season
Protesters chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan's commencement Saturday, as student demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war collided with the annual pomp-and-circumstance of graduation season at American universities.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.