Two Thumbs Up For Vancouver's Separated Bike Lanes
Yesterday, I dropped by the public consultation on the Hornby Street separated bike lanes. I have to say I'm very impressed by City Hall taking the initiative here, especially as this is the busy downtown core and there's obviously many variables to work with.
I've only ridden on the newish Dunsmuir separate bike lanes a handful of times (they officially opened on 15 June), but found the experience wonderful.
I didn't fully register that these lanes go in both directions until I actually rode the routes for the first time. Sounds like a strange thing to say perhaps, but the old style of cycle lanes of simply painting a line on the road suppose that cyclists are small cars rather than self-propelled people. So they are uni-directional.
I also didn't realise that there is still quite a bit of experimentation going on in the separation design and appearance until I watched the Vancouver City Hall video.
Clearly, this will be a boon to cycling, especially when the Hornby separated lanes open up providing the South-West link. That design looks great as well, particularly as the separated lanes will be the length of Hornby street and will provide a safe route to the Burrard Bridge, with its now permanent separate bike lane.
If you haven't tried the Dunsmuir bike lanes, across the viaduct and up Dunsmuir street yourself, you should. It's a totally different experience from riding on-road in painted bike lanes. You feel a lot safer. Initially, I didn't think planters along the side would make any difference, but they give an added rustic feel.
Above all, with these new separated bike lanes there's a real sense that the city is not just paying lip service to cycling (as seemed the case with the previous NPA administration). City Hall is actually re-shaping our streets to better accommodate the growing numbers of cyclists.
Comments
Howe Granville and street parking within the city core
We can already see the effects of moving the buses from Howe St. to Granville St.
A number of business on Howe St. have seen a dramatic loss in costumer traffic. The high density of costumer traffic delivered by Transit has been lost.
Upper Granville is a less attractive place for street performers and party goers. The high density of clubs around Robson St. benefited from the Granville pedestrian street.
Was 160 street parking spots really worth it. NO
The fact is street space within the Vancouver city core is simply worth too much. Off street parking is the only practical parking within the city core. And with 10,000 off-street parking spaces within a block of the Hornby the perceived lack of parking space would have been better solved by improved signage marking off street parking.
Improve signage marking off street parking and more street space can be free up for pedestrian and bicycle usage. The many thousands of people who live in the Vancouver city core appreciate the thousands of people who visit the city core daily, but those thousands of people would be better served by off street parking. Street parking not only reduces the street space, it also prevents smooth traffic flow by people entering and leaving parking spots. On street parking is only practical on light traffic flow streets where entering and leaving parking spots will not significantly inhibit traffic flow. Just as the suburbs have low density streets for its residents the city core needs some also. In this, the West End is right in their opposition to higher density housing.
The city core needs access the surrounding suburbs and country side. And the surrounding suburbs and country side needs access to the city core. This requires the high density transit systems to reach out into the surrounding areas. The high density city core can simply not support the low density transit systems of the surrounding suburbs and country side. The sky train is the high density transit system connecting the city. The sky train is the solution to the city core parking and traffic problems with parking at stations with stores at and around the stations for the convenience of drivers and local residents taking transit. Taking transit is far more convenient to drivers if transit stops are also a convenient place for shopping and other activities. Transit connects the local shopping center and offices with every other shopping center and office within walking distance to transit into a super massive shopping center and office complex. This super massive shopping center and office complex connected by high density transit is the city core even though its parts are disconnected by distance.
Off-street parking
Good point about the off-street parking. It certainly would tidy the city up to have all these hunks of metal junking up our streets out of the way.
I suppose the issue then becomes how many off-street parking spaces do you cater for? How much coming and going of those parked cars do you cater for?
One of the potential problem areas in the plans for Hornby is near the junction with Robson street, where there's an exit for an off-road car park. This already gets backed up at rush hour as it's a popular area of town.
I agree about better transit, especially within the wider Metro area. The lower mainland public transit service is really poor. Too much emphasis on building for more personal car use (the Gateway Project for example is madness).
Having stores near Skytrains makes sense for everyone not just drivers. I enjoy using transit and use it every second day or so, but you usually have to drive to the suburbs because there's no other viable option (unless you count highly circuitous bus trips involving multiple changes to get where you want to go).
And don't get me started on Vancouver train travel.
Thanks for posting.