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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.