Vancouver park board votes to immediately remove temporary Stanley Park bike lane
The Vancouver park board has voted to immediately remove the temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive that has been in place since early in the pandemic.
Removing the lane was a promise ABC Vancouver candidates made during the recent civic election and now that they have a majority on the board they have followed through on it at Monday night's Park Board meeting.
"We're taking everything into account and it's a hard decision. But I think it's time to move forward but then also come back with a better solution for the bike lane," said Angela Haer, the commissioner who brought the motion forward.
The motion to remove the lane passed 6 – 1 with all ABC commissioners in favour.
Cycling advocates say the separated bike lane on the roadway was a safer option than sharing a lane with traffic, or riding on the seawall which can get very crowded.
"It's just such a joy to be able to safely ride through the forest," said Lucy Maloney with Love the Lane, an advocacy group formed by people who wanted to see the lane made permanent.
"The bike lane is wide enough that you can ride side by side and chat to a friend and there's still plenty of room for faster cyclists to pass you."
The motion also directs staff to begin exploring how to create a permanent bike lane on Stanley Park Drive that is less disruptive to other park users.
Haer said it is ABC's intention to move forward with that plan in a way that maintains two lanes of traffic for motor vehicles.
"Our goal is to keep the two lanes of traffic -- just like pre-COVID -- just like we had previously, and bring in another bike lane," Haer said.
Given the confines of the roadway and the close proximity of hundreds of large trees along Stanley Park Drive, it is not clear if that ambitious goal will be possible.
Haer said it will up to Park Board staff to figure out if it can be done.
"The engineers that work with our Park Board and the City of Vancouver, they're brilliant," Haer said.
"And we trust them. They're going to come back with an even better solution than this."
Maloney said she would have preferred for the park board to maintain the existing lane and make changes to sections of it over time rather than remove it now and then replace it in the future.
"They could leave it in place and make incremental improvements," Maloney said. "Leave it in place so cyclists are safe and Vancouverites have a healthy low impact option for outdoor exercise."
Many business operators in the park blame the lane for a drop in customers, saying it creates additional congestion and the cones and signage around entrances and exits to parking lots has been confusing.
Gerry O'Neil, owner of Stanley Park Horse Drawn Tours, says the bike lane forces his carriages to share a single lane with cars.
In the years since it's been in place, he has seen numerous impatient drivers swerve dangerously into the bike lane to get around his carriages rather than wait for a safe opportunity to pass.
"I feel really good. I am cautiously optimistic. The devil is in the details," referring to the possibility a new permanent cycling lane could soon be on the drawing board.
Work to remove the barriers, cones and signage for the bike lane is set to begin immediately.
It's not clear when, or even if, a new permanent replacement will be built on Stanley Park Drive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.