Vancouver park board votes to immediately remove temporary Stanley Park bike lane
Vancouver park board votes to immediately remove temporary Stanley Park bike lane
The Vancouver park board has voted to immediately remove the temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive that has been in place since early in the pandemic.
Removing the lane was a promise ABC Vancouver candidates made during the recent civic election and now that they have a majority on the board they have followed through on it at Monday night's Park Board meeting.
"We're taking everything into account and it's a hard decision. But I think it's time to move forward but then also come back with a better solution for the bike lane," said Angela Haer, the commissioner who brought the motion forward.
The motion to remove the lane passed 6 – 1 with all ABC commissioners in favour.
Cycling advocates say the separated bike lane on the roadway was a safer option than sharing a lane with traffic, or riding on the seawall which can get very crowded.
"It's just such a joy to be able to safely ride through the forest," said Lucy Maloney with Love the Lane, an advocacy group formed by people who wanted to see the lane made permanent.
"The bike lane is wide enough that you can ride side by side and chat to a friend and there's still plenty of room for faster cyclists to pass you."
The motion also directs staff to begin exploring how to create a permanent bike lane on Stanley Park Drive that is less disruptive to other park users.
Haer said it is ABC's intention to move forward with that plan in a way that maintains two lanes of traffic for motor vehicles.
"Our goal is to keep the two lanes of traffic -- just like pre-COVID -- just like we had previously, and bring in another bike lane," Haer said.
Given the confines of the roadway and the close proximity of hundreds of large trees along Stanley Park Drive, it is not clear if that ambitious goal will be possible.
Haer said it will up to Park Board staff to figure out if it can be done.
"The engineers that work with our Park Board and the City of Vancouver, they're brilliant," Haer said.
"And we trust them. They're going to come back with an even better solution than this."
Maloney said she would have preferred for the park board to maintain the existing lane and make changes to sections of it over time rather than remove it now and then replace it in the future.
"They could leave it in place and make incremental improvements," Maloney said. "Leave it in place so cyclists are safe and Vancouverites have a healthy low impact option for outdoor exercise."
Many business operators in the park blame the lane for a drop in customers, saying it creates additional congestion and the cones and signage around entrances and exits to parking lots has been confusing.
Gerry O'Neil, owner of Stanley Park Horse Drawn Tours, says the bike lane forces his carriages to share a single lane with cars.
In the years since it's been in place, he has seen numerous impatient drivers swerve dangerously into the bike lane to get around his carriages rather than wait for a safe opportunity to pass.
"I feel really good. I am cautiously optimistic. The devil is in the details," referring to the possibility a new permanent cycling lane could soon be on the drawing board.
Work to remove the barriers, cones and signage for the bike lane is set to begin immediately.
It's not clear when, or even if, a new permanent replacement will be built on Stanley Park Drive.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Hundreds of tenants at a midtown Toronto apartment building have been without heat for a week now, and many are worried with the arrival of bitter-cold temperatures.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) is drawing their line in the sand on the controversial Saskatchewan First Act, calling it “bad news” for the environment, economy, and the province’s energy future.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
Gillian Burnett was almost finished her work day on Jan. 24 when she received a terrifying call about her young son. Waylon, 20-months-old, was found submerged in an outdoor pool at a home daycare near Petrolia, Ont.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
