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
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.