Public remains divided over future of Stanley Park bike lane

A bike lane in Stanley Park has been a contentious issue since it was first implemented in the early days of the pandemic, and with the Vancouver Park Board now considering three options for its future, the public remains divided.

For cyclist Lisa Maloney, who is a member of Love the Lane, a group advocating for the lane to stay in place, the current set-up on Stanley Park Drive the allows her to cruise through the area with peace of mind.

"It provides a wide, dedicated bike lane with physical protection which has done a really good job for the last couple of years," she said, adding she hopes it will be made permanent.

“It’s not the bike lane that’s the problem here."

Last month, the park board partially reversed its decision to remove the bike line entirely, backpedalling on a promise made by the majority ABC party during the municipal election campaign.

A motion to retain some parts of it passed unanimously and now the board is looking at three options: either making the current set-up semi-permanent, removing most of it and/or building a semi-permanent lane on the west side of the street.

The current set-up has been in place since 2020, with its initial purpose to reduce crowding and the seawall and promote physical distancing.

While cyclists like Maloney welcomed the addition, drivers, business owners and other critics have said it creates traffic bottlenecks, reduces parking, and makes it harder for people in cars to access the park.

“Remove the bike lane," said Bonnie MacKenzie, spokesperson for Stanley Park for All.

"It wasn’t broken before they put the bike lane in. Everything was working fine. The cyclists, the disabled, the tourists, everybody, they had access to the park. There were no issues," she continued.

While she agrees there should be a permanent bike lane for cyclists, she said the current location just isn’t working.

The report detailing the options will be debated and voted on by commissioners on Monday.