This week is the last chance for Vancouver residents to have their say on how traffic should move through Stanley Park before the fall election.
The decision, to be made during a meeting Monday night, will be in effect at least until a new park board is voted on in October.
One item on the agenda is a Stanley Park mobility study that includes a dedicated bike lane through the park, a concept that has divided many Vancouverites.
It also divided the park board commissioners. Tricia Barker has long opposed it because of the difficulties it creates for the elderly and those with mobility issues seeking access to the park.
“We still have access to get into the park, but pushing a wheelchair a mile to get anywhere is not easy access,” Barker said. “Yes, it’s access, but it’s not easy access.”
There is also the price tag. Last fall, CTV News was provided the cost of the bike lane, which came to $815,000 for public studies, consultation and implementation. In addition, Barker said there is about $2 million in lost parking revenue
“Right now we can’t even afford to mow all the lawns, we can’t afford to pick up the trash, and we’re spending money and time and energy on something that I don’t think most people want in Stanley Park,” Barker said. “I think it should have been stopped a long time ago.”
Commissioner John Irwin, on the other hand, is one of the bike lane’s strongest advocates.
“I think it was a really good success,” he said, adding that it was a step toward addressing climate change.
“I think the point is, in a situation where we’re in a climate crisis — and it’s going to take a long time to get carbon-producing cars out of our system — we have to think hard about how we get people around,” Irwin said. “The pandemic was and seemed to be the urgent emergency of our time, but from my perspective … the bigger crisis is the climate crisis.”
Irwin said there is also a vision to implement an electric bus through the park for tourists operated by TransLink.
“It might be two or three smaller public buses, right? Or ideally smaller electric shuttles,” he told CTV News. “TransLink can pitch it as, ‘This is our new direction for community shuttles.’
The segregated bike lane has existed since the early days of the pandemic, initially to move cyclists away from the wall and allow for greater physical distancing. In October, the Vancouver Park Board voted to extend the project until the Stanley Park Mobility Study is completed.
The lane configuration through Stanley Park includes one-way traffic on Beach Avenue, meaning cars can only exit at Georgia Street, creating exit bottlenecks when vehicles leave during peak hours and on some weekends.
BUSINESSES ARE STRUGGLING
Gerry O’Neill is president of Stanley Park Horse Drawn Tours and this year the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
2022 is also the first summer in two years that tourists visit the park, meaning O’Neill’s business is back in business. But in addition to the shortage of staff experienced in the business across British Columbia, O’Neill and his staff also struggle with the wagons having to share a lane through the park with other vehicles.
“People are behind us and they’re screaming and screaming, so unfortunately it’s unpleasant,” O’Neill said. “We already had two employees leave this year, two drivers, they just had it.”
In addition to causing delays to other vehicles, O’Neill said his wagons also create challenges for paramedics and fire crews called to the park.
“The first responders (had to) wait behind us for five minutes, 10 minutes,” he said. “We’ve taken this issue to the staff, we’re just being ignored.”
O’Neill said he asked Park Board staff if wagons could also use the bike lane, but that request was denied by staff, citing safety concerns. He thinks the setup of bike lanes should be more flexible, especially on weekends when the park is busy.
“You can fire a cannon in the middle of the day, on a weekday, and you’re not going to hit anybody in the bike lane,” he said.
The Vancouver Park Board meets Monday night and residents can still sign up to speak.
Add Comment