cycling

Even detractors have had to admit that the Burrard Bridge lane reallocation trial has worked. The sky did not fall in. Cars kept moving. Pedestrians enjoy the extra space on the bridge's West sidewalk. Cyclists have to admit that it's a fair compromise that makes crossing the bridge safer. At least, most of the time.

The Burrard Bridge bike lane trial looks set to become permanent after the Olympics in February - a Vancouver City survey found bike traffic was up, accidents were down, and there was general support (45% supported the bridge changes versus 21% against) for the single-lane compromise.

Transit and driving will get more expensive next year. Metro Vancouver mayors approved Translink's plan to raise fares after the 2010 Olympics on FareSaver tickets and monthly passes, and also to increase gas and parking taxes.

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 latest installment in the Burrard Bridge saga took place today at City Hall (watch the City Hall video stream). The decision has been put back to Thursday, so that speakers who were not able to speak today can present to Council.

Kevin Falcon, B.C. Transportation Minister, no longer wants to twin the Port Mann Bridge. Unfortunately, it's not because he's had an epiphany, seeing that there's no place for massive road infrastructure projects in a future with peak oil and climate change.

Saturday saw yet another public meeting on the Burrard Bridge bike lanes, but this time things seem to be moving forward. City Hall, now under the guiding hand of mayor Gregor Robertson and Vision, is moving head with a lane reallocation trial promised in his election campaign.

During his campaign to get nominated as Vision leader, Gregor Robertson spoke to cyclists before April Critical Mass about what he'd like to see for cyclists. Here's a video of what he said.

As a post-script to my previous post about the Burrard Bridge, I was at CBC Radio 1's mayoral candidates meeting last night and it was interesting to hear both Gregor Robertson and Peter Ladner say they would look at building a new bridge. Robertson seemed much more emphatic about it. Ladner mentioned it as a possible solution in a non-committal way.

It's municipal election day in Vancouver on Saturday. Voters must be feeling a sense of deja vue: we're still being asked to vote on what to do with the Burrard Bridge, the 6-lane, art deco bridge that forms a gateway to downtown Vancouver.