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Vision council says: “No more new (separated) bike lanes this term”

October 6th, 2010 · 21 Comments

It’s a year and seven weeks from the election. That means it’s time to stop doing things that get everyone riled up, according to a time-honoured tradition of all governments, and start doing less fight-inducing things.

So it wasn’t surprising to hear from Vision Councillor Geoff Meggs this morning that the Hornby bike-lane vote will be the last of its kind for this term. According to him, the only other bike work that people will see are a non-separated Comox-Helmcken connector to the Central Valley Greenway bike route (originally budgeted in the last administration) and various bits of road work to make some sections smoother to ride along and so on.

(I do have someone emailing me faithfully and persistently this week, however, saying there are another two blocks on Pacific, from Hornby to Davie, that are going to become a separated lane? Anyone know anything about this?)

Now we’ll wait to see what really happens along Hornby — what the impact is on businesses, whether cyclists start shopping en masse downtown, whether city staff and councillors keep tracking “feedback loops,” as the mayor called them, to make sure any businesses having a hard time get some kind of help or adjustments.

Categories: Uncategorized

  • Tiktaalik

    Hornby was particularly contentious and so it makes sense that the city should wait for the dust to settle and to wait until success or failure is clear before immediately starting new projects. As well, for planning new lanes it makes sense to fully evaluate the existing trial ones to get a good grasp of what is working and what isn’t.

    As for what’s on deck, the city separated bike lanes page shows that a lane from Yaletown to Stanley Park along Comox is marked as “planning underway.”

    http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/separated/index.htm

  • Tessa

    Makes sense. As far as I’m aware, there are no other major plans that far through the pipes yet anyway. Where would the next separated bike lane go? Nobody has really sat down to talk about that question yet. The main goal of a connector through downtown is done and it’s logical to go back to planning.

  • Sean

    Hornby was really needed to complete the downtown network. Without it, the Burrard bridge and Dunsmuir routes were largely “lanes to nowhere”. It makes sense to get both of them done so that a reasonable trial can be done.

    Now it’s time to pause a while to see what their impact will be.

  • http://www.nofuncity.org ThinkOutsideABox

    Helmcken great. Comox? What for? Little traffic, waste of money.

    That’s also WEN @#$%ing hacks territory. Unlike the CFIB and Hornby, they have separated the men and women from the girls and boys.

  • IanS

    @ Tiktaalik #1:

    “Hornby was particularly contentious and so it makes sense that the city should wait for the dust to settle and to wait until success or failure is clear before immediately starting new projects.”

    I would agree with that if I had any faith that success or failure would be measured and judged in an objective and open fashion. Sadly, based on what we’ve seen on the Burrard Bridge bike lane trial and so far on Dunsmuir, I doubt that will be the case.

  • spartikus

    Once again I’m confused, IanS. What exactly are you alleging? Data fakery? Sure sounds like it.

    You’ve admitted the Burrard Bridge numbers support cycling.

    You’ve quibbled over the Dunsmuir numbers, but that quibble (which I could see you’re point if I was understanding you correctly) didn’t undermine the fact of large increase in ridership.

    You use the word “objective”. This clearly indicates you feel numbers being measured are “subjective”. That’s clearly not the case – the methodology is stated on the website. You use the word “open”. But the numbers are posted online.

  • Tiktaalik

    Vancouver Sun says that there will be some vote regarding bike lanes in the capital plan for the 2011 election.

    http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Vancouver+plans+more+bikeways+after+Hornby+Dunsmuir+Burrard+Bridge/3635159/story.html

  • IanS

    @Spartikus #6,

    I’ve been posting about this for a while and have set out my thoughts and opinions in numerous posts. If you want to know the basis for my statements, go read what I’ve written. If, after you read what I’ve written, you honestly don’t understand my point, then I don’t have the words to explain it to you.

    And your use of the word “quibble” made me chuckle.

  • IanS

    @Tiktaalik #7,

    Thanks for the link. Interesting article. I particularly like the sound of this: “He said later he wants those projects included in the 2011 capital plan that goes to the voters in the next general election.”

  • http://www.chriskeam.com Chris Keam

    “Where would the next separated bike lane go?”

    Personally, I think it would be great to have a safer route northbound off the Cambie bridge into downtown as it would connect Fairview to the central business part of town.

  • Morven

    @Tiktaalik # 7

    Capital plans for approval in the next election are estimates and are/will be approvals in principle for a range of programs. As always, elected representatives have to vote and approve a specific program budget.

    One consistent element in some of these threads is that just because a program was approved in principle does not mean that specific approval is automatic – officials have to do due diligence, update costs and elected officials then approve (or not).

    As far as separated bike lines are concerned, we are nowhere agreed on what is the appropriate level of due diligence for city officials.
    -30-

  • spartikus

    I’ve been posting about this for a while and have set out my thoughts and opinions in numerous posts.

    You have. But it’s been my view that you often make provocative statements, such as here, and then disown them when pressed.

    This comment, taken on it’s own, could clearly be interpreted as an accusation of unprofessional practices on the part of the Vancouver Engineering Dept.

    But let ambiguity reign.

  • babs

    Can anyone explain why the barriers have to be so ugly? Of course the cyclists won’t notice because they’re speeding past, but we slower moving pedestrians get to see all this ugliness–in abundance. Me? I’ll avoid the street. I already avoid the Burrard Bridge as often as I can.

  • IanS

    @Spartikus #12,

    You write: “But it’s been my view that you often make provocative statements, such as here, and then disown them when pressed.”

    That may well be your view, but it’s news to me that I’ve disowned any statements, provocative or otherwise. When I misstate something or am shown to be wrong on a point, I admit it, if that’s what you mean. In my view, this entire discussion might be a lot more productive if advocates on both sides of the debate took that approach. However, maybe that’s just me.

    As for your profession of confusion, and given that I have written a number of times that I don’t question the data published by the City and, in fact, have recently relied upon that data to show that the City had misrepresented the numbers on the Dunsmuir bike lane, I see three possibilities:

    1. You’re deliberately playing dumb, in order to mischaracterize my position;
    2. You’ve read what I’ve been writing, and honestly don’t understand it; or
    3. You’ve haven’t read what I’ve written or have read it and forgotten it.

    It’s my view, based on your postings here, that you are reasonably bright, but an advocate for one position, so my money’s on number 1.

    However, if it is 2 or 3, I suggest you re read what I’ve written in various threads.

    I note that you used the “play dumb” tactic in a discussion two or three threads ago, on a related topic. While feigning confusion might seem to be an effective tactic in obfuscating an issue and diverting a discussion, I believe, based on what I’ve seen of your postings here, that you can do better. But, perhaps, that’s just one of those provocative statements I’ll have to “disown”.

    As for this: “You’ve admitted the Burrard Bridge numbers support cycling.”

    I’ve done nothing of the sort. I have asserted, based on the numbers you are now attempting to suggest I am claiming are faked, that the numbers show an increase in cycling. (Ironically, IIRC, you argued against that assertion, on the basis of the City’s estimate.)

  • http://flavors.me/situpvancouver James Twowheeler

    “whether cyclists start shopping en masse downtown”

    The Cyclist as the “Other”: An Investigation into the Unhelpfully Divisive Framing of Vancouver’s Leading Journalists, and Its Implications for the City’s Policy Goals.

    Do cities with 10% cycling mode share refer to “cyclists” in contrast to everyone “else”? Or do they just talk about people who most often move on their feet, sometimes give their feet a boost with wheels, and sometimes with an engine?

  • IanS

    And, lest I be accused of making a provocative misstatement which I’ll later be forced to disown, I should clarify that your argument, based on the City’s estimate, was that the increase in cycling was greater than what was reflected in the data I relied upon.

  • Sean

    What these posts really need is less commenting on each other’s statements and more commenting on the issues at hand…

    Oops, just contributed to the melee…!

  • IanS

    @ Sean,

    I couldn’t agree more.

  • http://www.chriskeam.com Chris Keam

    “Can anyone explain why the barriers have to be so ugly? ”

    My understanding is that Hornby St will look more like Dunsmuir St, with planters being the predominant barrier between the vehicle lane and the bicycle lane. Hopefully it will be more aesthetically pleasing than the ‘Jersey Barriers’ used on the Burrard Bridge.

  • A Better Vancouver

    Visions is waiting to after the next election to spring their next separated bike lane, probably on a street like Main. This will be devastating to local businesses who don’t have the same density of residents or business clients that Hornby Street does. Cambie might be a target bu even Gregor might balk at the hypocrisy of stealing parking from Cambie businesses after all the photo ops he did during Canada Line construction, protesting exactly that!

  • IanS

    @ABV #20,

    I don’t know if your predictions are accurate, but it would be nice if Vision was to reveal their intentions before the next election. They have indicated that they plan to install additional separated bike lanes if reelected, but they haven’t yet said where. Hopefully, that issue will be front and centre next election.