Cyclists' Gain Is Pedestrians' Loss in Burrard Bridge Decision

Vision Vancouver, the party in power at City Hall, managed to keep its election promise today by voting to introduce a lane reallocation trial on the Burrard Bridge.

However, the party that has claimed that it wants to make Vancouver "the greenest city in the world," chose a one-lane reallocaton option that will ban pedestrians from crossing the Burrard bridge on the east side.

The vote went along party lines: Mayor Gregor Robertson and all his Vision councillors voted for the one-lane trial.

COPE councillors David Cadman and Ellen Woodsworth voted against a one-lane and for a two-lane reallocation, and Suzanne Anton, NPA, was absent from the meeting.

The decision came as a surprise to many in the public gallery. Virtually all the public speakers were in favour of a two-lane reallocation trial and deemed it the safest option. There was a general sense that given what transportation pundit Gordon Price called the choice of "a Club Med or two leper colonies" councillors would chose the former.

It was not to be.

The trial will start in mid to late June and it is expected to last about six months.

The City staff report describes the option that Vision voted for as such:

"Option 3 would convert one southbound vehicle lane to a bike lane, but would direct all pedestrians to use the cyclist-free west sidewalk, allowing the east sidewalk to be provided for the sole use of northbound cyclists. This option also improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists and also mitigates the impact on transit, goods movement and other vehicular traffic. However, it does create inconvenience for pedestrians normally using the east side of the bridge."

COPE councillors Ellen Woodsworth and David Cadman were strongly opposed to this one-lane trial option. Woodsworth moved unsuccessfully for an amendment to introduce a trial which would have reallocated two car lanes for cyclists and given pedestrians exclusive use of the raised sidewalk on both sides of the Burrard Bridge.

Cadman criticised Vision's political pragmatism for lacking boldness and pandering to car users while making crossing the Burrard Bridge less safe and less pleasant for pedestrians.