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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.