Vancouver Park Board moves ahead with removing temporary bike lanes in Stanley Park

The controversial temporary bike lane in Vancouver's Stanley Park will be removed following a vote by the city’s park board Monday night.

Three proposals for the future of the cycling route were brought forward to the ABC Party majority board, who ultimately voted in favour of the one that will bring pre-pandemic traffic flow back to the park.

Starting this spring, most of the temporary bike lane surrounding the park will be removed, and roads will reopened to traffic.

With a price tag of $330,000, the option the board voted for is the least expensive of the trio and means temporary bike lane materials will remain on 30 per cent of Park Drive. The other two options would cost the city more than $200,000 extra to execute.

Vancouver advocacy group, Love the Lane voiced their disappointment in the commissioners’ decision to remove the bike lane.

"ABC Park Board commissioners have dismissed the interests and concerns of all residents who don't drive, or can't drive, and who prefer to access our city's most beloved park via bicycle or hand cycle," said Lucy Maloney with Love the Lane.

“The commissioners just moved to return us to a 1960s model of vehicle dependence," she added.

The group is concerned the new plan could lead to more traffic and is calling on the park board to invest in more safe cycling routes.

The commissioners are now directing park board staff to collect data and study traffic flows this summer, and report back before November on a new bike lane proposal for the summer of 2024.