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.