Tag Archives for Point Grey

Cornwall Separated Bike Lanes – Balsam to Arbutus

The City is doing a fantastic job improving Point Grey Road west of Trafalgar and the Burrard Cornwall intersection making them much safer and more comfortable for people of all ages to cycle on. These great facilities have the potential to encourage many people of all ages to cycle if there was a safe obvious direct connection between them. York may work well for commuters but it does not connect to Kits Beach nor will it appeal to people wanting to  enjoy the view.

The separated bike lanes on Burrard Bridge and Hornby Street are well designed and have the capacity to handle thousands more bicycle trips per day. Connecting them to the vastly improved cycling facilities along Point Grey Road with separated bike lanes along Cornwall is the best solution for ensuring the safe access to the Seaside Greenway west of Trafalgar.

According to ICBC collision reports, this is the most dangerous section of Cornwall. The staff presentation on the Seaside Greenway states that 28 of the 51 reported collisions (including dooring)  from 2008 to 2012 involving motor vehicles along Cornwall/Point Grey occurred on Cornwall East. Of the collisions on Cornwall East, the vast majority of them occurred from Balsam to Arbutus with the most dangerous intersection being Vine. As cycling traffic will likely increase on this section of Cornwall, the number of collisions will likely increase unless improvements are made even if some of the bicycle traffic is diverted to York. As bicycles can pick up some speed on this downhill stretch, it is especially important to provide separate paths for the safety of people walking and cycling.

With the plans for a bike path in the Kits Beach Park not looking good at all, now is the time to look for alternatives. With Point Grey Road down to two lanes of traffic further west, it is likely that four lanes of traffic are not needed between Balsam and Arbutus.

A two way separated bike lane could be created on the north side of the street by reallocating a lane of traffic on Cornwall from Balsam to Arbutus. In addition, the curb lane on the south side of the road could be made a bit wider perhaps reducing the risk of dooring. No trees would be lost and no green space in the park would be affected although some grass in the Cornwall right-of-way would be lost mainly to create parking bays.

Cornwall - Balsam to Yew - Tree

As there would still be three lanes of traffic, off-peak parking could still be maintained on the south side of the street. By allowing off-peak or 24 hour parking on the north side between Yew and Arbutus, the total number of parking spaces would be increased (9 more is a rough estimate) more than compensating for ones that are lost between Balsam and Yew.

Cornwall - Balsam to Yew - Parking

All the bus stops could be maintained so there would be minimal impact on transit users. By encouraging more people to cycle on the bike lane instead of the road and by enabling more people to cycle instead of drive, bus travel times could even be slightly improved.

Completing this badly needed connection will help ensure that lots of people will enjoy cycling along this route for both transportation and recreation. Without this connection, the number of people cycling along Point Grey will likely be significantly lower. There will also likely be more sidewalk cycling, people cycling in the road along Cornwall and more people cycling on the narrow shared paths in Kits Beach Park creating conflicts with pedestrians and motorists increasing the chances of pedestrians and cyclists being injured.

The section of Cornwall from Arbutus to Cypress is more challenging. Some options will be discussed in the next issue of WeCycle.

Please write City Council mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca thanking them for the improvements to Point Grey Road and the Burrard Cornwall intersection and encouraging them to make further improvements along Cornwall.

Kits Beach for All

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Cycling is one of the most popular forms of recreation enjoyed by residents and visitors of all ages. By Science World, over 5,000 people cycle past on a nice day. As with all the paths by the water, many people cycle along Kits Beach with their children. Sadly, with even neighbourhood streets having fast moving traffic, these paths are the only places many feel safe cycling with their families.

With the Seaside Greenway improvements further west along Point Grey Road due to be finished soon, most likely many more people will want to cycle and walk along Kits Beach making the path even more crowded. The rough path worn in the grass is a clear sign more space is needed.

Sharing the narrow path along the beach and through Haddon Park is not great for people walking or cycling. When passing, riders should let walkers know by ringing their bell or with their voice. But when there are so many people walking and cycling, the constant bell ringing and “on your lefts” can be very annoying for everyone. People also like to walk side by side chatting in groups of 3 or 4. That just is not feasible sharing a narrow path.

A separate bike path will make the park more enjoyable and safe for many people. Two decades ago, a separate bike path was build by Sunset Beach and English Bay. This is a solution that we know works.

It is people that make an urban park. Many of those people enjoy activities on paved and cement surfaces. Yes, grass would look nicer than the tennis or basketball courts but without the tennis and basketball players Kits would not be the same. It would lose part of what makes it exciting, vibrant and attracted; people.

The survey of people using the park, found that 42% of people cycle in the park and 93% thought that separated cycling and walking paths would be a good idea. The planned cycling path will only occupy around 3% of the total park space. As so many people cycle and walk in the park, this seems like a good use of this space.

The City’s Physical Activity Survey found that 20% of adults cycled on a regular basis, 5% played tennis. Basketball did not make the top 18. For children, biking was at 10% while basketball was at 16%. Tennis did not make the top 21. Surely if space can be made for these activities, the same can be done for cycling.

I’m one of the lucky ones who live near the beach walking down there pretty much everyday. Most people are not so fortunately. Given that only so much parking near Kits Beach, cycling is one of the only options that many people can realistically use to get to the beach. Judging by the large number of bikes at the beach, many people do just that. More people cycling instead of also decreases the impact on the neighbourhood and the chances of people driving, walking or cycling getting injured in a crash.

There are many options to significantly or reduce the net amount of grass lost in the park. Part of the path could be placed on Cornwall or Arbutus Streets. Parking space in the park can be reclaimed. Some of the existing paths can be narrowed or reclaimed as greenspace.

Over at Sunset Beach, more and more of the parking lot gets reclaimed for other activities as time goes by. Part of the Kits north parking lot would make a great picnic area. It is nice and flat and close to the beach. Maybe it is possible to redesign the larger south parking lot to fit the same number of cars in less space.

While sadly, it is impossible to be sure how Harvey Haddon, the philanthropist who generously donated the park to the people of Vancouver, would have felt about the bike path. The deed does state that improvements can be made for people to enjoy recreational activities safely while keeping it as close to a natural state as possible. Who knows for sure but it is indeed possible if he could witness all the families cycling along the water around, that he would approve such a path.

So, instead of lawsuits, it would be great if everyone including Park Board, the City of Vancouver, beach user groups and area residents sat down to work on solutions. Lets make Kits Beach great for everyone walking, cycling, jogging, playing tennis, shooting hoops, picnicking, swinging, climbing or just enjoying the view.

Please write City Council mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca and Park Board PBcommissioners
@vancouver.ca encouraging them to find a solution.

Seaside Greenway Well Under Way

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Even with the construction not complete, lots of people are enjoying cycling, walking and jogging along Point Grey Road giving us a small glimpse of what it will be like this summer once the separated bike lane is completed along Point Grey Road between Trafalger and Macdonald. As was the case with Burrard Bridge, Hornby Street and Dunsmuir, the traffic chaos that some predicted just did not happen.

The Burrard Cornwall intersection cycling and walking improvements are almost completed with only the bike path on the west side of Burrard left to pave. The York Bikeway is under construction and construction on the separated bike lane along Point Grey east of Macdonald should begin soon. Be careful if you check it out as there is active construction.

Without the speeding traffic, the birds, bikes and joggers now are just so noisy now!

A good idea to send a quick thank you to city council mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca thanking them and staff for the improvements to the Seaside Greenway.

York Bikeway Approved

Along with the Seaside Greenway along Point Grey Road, city council also approved the York Bikeway as an option for commuter cyclists to access Point Grey Road from the Burrard Bridge.

York Bikeway and Seaside Greenway - City of Van

York Bikeway and Seaside Greenway – City of Vancouver

As part of the project, York will get separated bike lanes from Chestnut to Maple. Along York, most of the stop signs will be reversed so that people cycling on York do not have to stop at every cross street. To reduce traffic, York will be alternating one way for motor vehicles on the blocks from Vine to Maple. In response to resident concerns regarding loss of parking, the final plans do not include bike lanes From Yew to Maple. The result is that there will not really be enough space to comfortably cycle when there is oncoming traffic.

Stephens will be closed to motor vehicle traffic and a bicycle pedestrian signal will be added at Point Grey and Stephens so that cyclists can safely connect to the Seaside Greenway along Point Grey.As part of the improvements to the Burrard Cornwall intersection that council just approved, there will be a bicycle path through Seaforth Park from Burrard and Cornwall to York at Chestnut.

The majority of cycling experts who addressed council recommended separated bike lanes on Cornwall over the York Bikeway as research indicates that people tend to prefer cycling routes that are flat, scenic and direct. As the safety concerns along Cornwall have not been addressed yet, if a large number of people chose to continue to cycle on Cornwall instead of York, high numbers cycling crashes will likely remain a serious problem. Sidewalk cycling was one of the main concerns of pedestrians and transit users and needs to be monitored to determine if it remains a problem.

While York is a relatively convenient option for eastbound cyclists as no additional crossings of Cornwall are required to access Burrard Bridge, it makes little sense for westbound cyclists to wait and cross busy Cornwall twice especially if they are going to Kits Beach or the Seaside Greenway. This will take more time and crossing Cornwall may actually expose them to greater risk than just cycling along Cornwall.

Councillor Carr acknowledged these concerns and put forward a motion to delay the approval of York pending further study. This motion was not approved. However, Council did direct staff to report back one year after completion of the Seaside Greenway and York Bikeway with any recommendations necessary adjustments so hopefully any unresolved safety issues will be addressed then.

More information:

Point Grey Road – Cornwall Avenue Greenway | City of Vancouver

Separated All Ages Bike Lanes Needed on Cornwall

Pt Grey Cornwall Greenway Slam Dunk for Tourism, Businesses

The Point Grey Cornwall Greenway, by completing the Seaside Path, will open up the West Side waterfront enabling people of all ages and abilities to enjoy Vancouver’s beautiful scenery by bicycle while giving both locals and visitors access to Kits Beach, Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks.
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Further on there is the Museum of Anthropology, UBC Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden, Wreck Beach, Pacific Spirit Park and paths along the Fraser River. Hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists cycling along the Greenway will help boost business at restaurants, cafes and stores in Kits.
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Vancouver’s $3.7 billion tourism industry is critical to our economy. Vancouver’s new Tourism Plan identifies, Cycling, the Seawall & Beaches and Health/Wellness as part of its recommendation to initiate a product development strategy. The Plan also identifies Public Bike Share as part of the transportation infrastructure needed to support tourism. Cycling tourism in Oregon accounts for $400 million of the state’s $9 billion tourism industry. There is likely similar potential in B.C.

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Cafe packed with cyclists on Cornwall

Pretty much every article on what to do when visiting Vancouver, mentions getting on a bike. The most common recommendation is cycling around Stanley Park but more and more are mentioning the separated bike lanes and exploring other parts of the city by bicycle. Judging by the number of people taking photos from the Burrard Bridge and looking at maps along Pt Grey Cornwall, this part of town is getting to be a popular place for visitors to cycle to.

Vancouver, B.C., has idyllic and easy urban biking for all ages | Outdoors | The Seattle Times

Ride the Seawall, a paved route for bicyclists and pedestrians, in the heart of the city.

For adult fun, veer off the path into the trendy Yaletown neighborhood that’s packed with restaurants, coffee shops and bars.

Hungry? Stop for a bite at the trendy Cactus Club, which opened this spring right on the sand at English Bay Beach.

Thinking of a cycling vacation? Ocycler Jeff Mapes has some worldly ideas for you | OregonLive.com

The city has now steadily expanded the bike network to circle the entire West End and two bisecting cycletracks now offer comfortable riding through downtown.

On another day we headed east to Commercial Drive, a lively eating-and-drinking street that reflects the city’s rich immigrant diversity.

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Vistors looking at a map at Balsam and Cornwall

Seems like everyone except the businesses that would benefit the most are noticing Vancouver’s cycling tourism potential. Even tourism operators in other city as witnessed by this article More and more travellers taking a spin on bicycle tourism in Montreal.

All the possibilities clearly have Mayer thinking of exporting the bike-tourism concept to other cities in Canada and beyond. … Vancouver is a market that clearly has his interest. “We have better climate, longer seasons,” he said of the coast city.

A recent visitor from Melbourne really said she really liked Vancouver’s bike lanes.

I was dreading the trip through the city but the separated bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge and along Hornby made this part of the trip most enjoyable and I felt safe. Judging by the number of people we saw on bikes poring over a map, this is becoming a popular tourist activity. What a wonderful way to see Vancouver and get some exercise.

Great for Business
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Given the economic importance of tourism, it is rather surprising that Pt Grey Cornwall Greenway is not more strongly supported by the Kits Chamber of Commerce and some of the local business that stand the most to gain from more visitors and locals cycling by. Instead of worrying about losing a few parking spaces on Cornwall (which is not even in the current proposal), they should be really upset that the city is attempting to divert all these stomachs on wheels up York away from their businesses.

This is perhaps not entirely unexpected as the City has yet to integrate tourism into its bicycle route planning. In this case, tourism is not featured anywhere in the City’s materials on Cornwall Point Grey.

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Businesses Are Taking Advantage of Bike Lanes

When the separated bike lanes come, some businesses look to take advantage of the full advantage opportunity. Jeweliette Jewellery (love the name), on Hornby between Nelson and Helmcken has a pink bike parked in front with flowers in the basket. Owner Madalena Corsi loves having bike lanes in the neighbourhood and says many customers arrive by bicycle.

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Musette Caffè is a bicycle friendly cafe that ironically is in the middle of an auto lot on the alley between Hornby and Burrard north of Drake. They serve great coffee and baked goods and are a popular meeting spot for people on bikes.

Bike rental shops are also popping around the Convention Centre up at the north end of the separated bike lanes. Once the Pt Grey Cornwall Greenway is complete, businesses will likely take advantage of that opportunity as well.

Which Way to the Beach?

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Jam packed bike racks by Kits Pool

Unfortunately, it does not appear as if tourists, many local recreational cyclists or beach goers have yet been really considered in the planning process. It is not apparent how people will cycle from Burrard Bridge to Kits Beach and back again. I suspect most will just ride on Cornwall battling the traffic or ride on the sidewalk. Detouring up to York for just two blocks crossing busy Cornwall twice doesn’t seem likely.

Direct Obvious Routes for Visitors

Having got really lost cycling around Paris a couple of times, I can attest to the importances of obvious direct bicycle routes when visiting a city. Signage and maps are great but they are no substitute for obvious. York It is not very likely that tourists will use or even find York. They will also want to grab a snack or have a drink at the businesses along Cornwall.

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Crowded bike racks at Wreck Beach

Burrard Bridge Popular with Visitors and Beach Goers

There are great views of the city, mountains and ocean from Burrard Bridge. It is quite common to see people taking photos from the Bridge sidewalks. Burrard Bridge is a much faster route from hotels downtown to the beaches. The bicycle traffic levels on Burrard also peaks in July and August at almost 6,000 trips per day while Hornby and Dunsmuir are fairly steady from June through September indicating that a lot of beach and recreational trips are made on Burrard. Many sure look like they are going to the beach.

Seaside Path Needs a Lot of Work

The Seaside Path around False Creek from Sunset Beach to Kits Beach also needs tens of millions of dollars in improvements to address safety and capacity issues including creating separate bicycle and pedestrian paths in many sections. Not really a great idea to encourage more people to use these sections until improvements are made. Meanwhile, the Hornby and Burrard Bridge separated bike lanes have plenty of capacity, are separated from pedestrians and with the exception of Burrard and Pacific, have relatively few cycling collisions. Providing a direct cycling connection along Cornwall to Point Grey seems like the least expensive short term solution for cycling tourists.

In Barcelona, shared bikes are a very popular way to get to the beaches. From Granville Station, Kits Beach is a nice quick ride away via Dunsmuir, Hornby, Burrard Bridge.

Bike Sharing Big for Bikes and Businesses

Bike sharing, which will be going in early next year, should prove to be a game changer for bikes and businesses. In other cities, businesses have clamoured to get a station near by. A University of Minnesota study found that bike share users in the Twin Cities make more trips to and spend more money at nearby businesses including restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, and grocery stores. When bike sharing does finally appear later this year, businesses, including those along Cornwall, might indeed be wishing they had separated bike lanes in front of them to encourage bicycles, shared and otherwise, to deliver customers to their doors.

Take Action

So, please encourage the City of Vancouver to build the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway now and speed up the implementation of other badly needed all ages and abilities cycling and walking improvements. Lets realize the health, safety, environmental, social and economic benefits of as soon as possible! Tell them the problems that you have experienced along Point Grey & Cornwall and let them know what the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway would mean to you, your family and community.

More on Point Grey Cornwall

Photos around UBC and along the Fraser

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Speed Up Building the Bike Network Starting with Pt Grey Cornwall

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The Point Grey Cornwall Greenway will mark the completion of the Seaside Path in the West Side of Vancouver. As with the rest of the Seaside Path, every year it will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors of all ages bringing customers to businesses in Kits and Point Grey.

The well funded and organized opponents of the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway are complaining that the city is moving too fast and want them to slow down the implementation of these badly needed improvements.

The reality is that the city is not moving very fast at all in the implementation of bike lane and greenway networks. A greenway along Point Grey and Cornwall was recommended way back in the 1995 Greenway Plan almost two decades ago. Bike lanes on Cornwall Point Grey were included in the city’s 1997 Transportation Plan way back when Philip Owen was Mayor. The plan also included bike lanes on several arterial roads including Commercial, Victoria, Kingsway, Nelson, Smithe, Howe, Seymour and Beach. Today, 16 years later, none of these streets have bike lanes yet. The Plan also included bike lanes on Burrard from the Bridge to 16th, Alma from Point Grey to 4th The 1999 Bicycle Plan also included bike lanes on 16th, 49th andKing Edward

1997 Transportation Plan Bike Lanes and Bikeways

Twelve years after the 2001 False Creek Pedestrian & Cycling Crossings Study recommended improvements to all three bridges, Burrard Bridge is the only one that has been improved.

So, by slowing down, what do the opponents of all ages cycling on Point Grey Cornwall mean? One year, five years, twenty years? Never?

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Child cycling on Point Grey Sidewalk

Today’s children should be able to cycle safely around the city while they are still children.

Other cities are moving way faster than Vancouver in implementing separated bike lanes that are safe and comfortable for people of all ages including children and seniors.

Seville
Seville perfectly demonstrated the advantages of rapidly building cycling facilities. In four years, they invested $42 million to complete a network of 78 km separated bike lanes throughout the city. In addition, they also installed a 2,500 bicycle bike sharing system. As a result, bicycle mode share increased from 0.2% to 6.6% and cycling trips increased from 2,500 to 70,000 per day. Perhaps more importantly, it is now quite common to see children cycling in the city.

Sydney, Australia
The City of Sydney is investing $71 million over 4 years to build a 200km cycling network including 55km of separated cycleways. Currently one per cent of trips into the city are made on bicycle – the city aims to increase this number to 10 per cent by 2016.

Take Action

So, please encourage the City of Vancouver to build the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway now and speed up the implementation of other badly needed cycling improvements. Lets realize the health, safety, environmental, social and economic benefits of cycling as soon as possible! Tell them the problems that you have experienced along Point Grey & Cornwall and let them know what the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway would mean to you, your family and community.

Separated All Ages Bike Lanes Needed on Cornwall

The City of Vancouver has released its proposed improvements for cycling and walking on the Point Grey Cornwall Corridor.

The good news is that the plans includes an upgrade of Burrard Cornwall intersection with separated bike lanes west to Cypress and separated bike lanes on Point Grey between Balsam and Macdonald. An option including closing Point Grey between MacDonald and Alma to motor vehicles would also be great for cyclists of all ages. I’m particularly pleased with the proposed closure of Chestnut at Burrard to motor vehicles. The Park Board will be planning improvements in Kits Beach Park that could include a bike path from Balsam to Arbutus along Cornwall.

The bad news is that absolutely no improvements are planned on the section of Cornwall from Arbutus to Burrard either for all the people that current cycle on Cornwall or for all the people of all ages that will be attracted to the separated lanes east of Balsam. Instead, they are proposing to detour cyclists to York Street and upgrading York with some traffic calming and separated bike lanes by the school. Problem is that the hill on York is much longer than Cornwall and York does not have the lovely views of the oceans and mountains. In spite of the fact that York has much less traffic than Cornwall, many more people currently choose to cycle on Cornwall. Diverting cyclists up hilly routes really has not worked here or anywhere else in the world. It certainly did not work for the Seaside Bikeway that routed cyclists up Trafalgar then along York for a bit.

Please write Mayor Gregor Robertson and Council <mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca> supporting separated bike lanes on Cornwall and the improvements along Pt Grey. Tell them about your experiences along Cornwall and what the improvements would mean for your family, friends and community.

Please also sign HUB’s petition.

Cornwall a Great Cycling Route – Will Build on Success
Cornwall has all the elements of a great bicycle route. It is very scenic with great views of the mountains and ocean, relatively flat and has popular cycling destinations including Kits Beach and Kits Pool. It is far more popular than other streets in the area in spite of high levels of speeding traffic. With separated bike lanes, it will become one of the most popular bicycle routes in the city for commuters to Downtown and UBC as well as residents and tourists looking for a great ride on a sunny day.Cornwall will build upon the success of Burrard Bridge, Dunsmuir and Hornby providing people of all ages with a great cycling experience from Chinatown to Jericho Beach and beyond. Such great bicycle routes are critical to provide people with affordable transportation choices. Cycling to work in Vancouver east of Dunsmuir has increased by 40% since the opening of the separated bike lanes. Such bold initiatives are required for the city to meet its transportation and Greenest City goals. Separated bike lanes on Cornwall as the first project since the completion of the Transportation Plan will ensure that there is positive momentum to move the plan forward.People in cars who are considering cycling will see happy people like them cycling along Cornwall with their families. They will be tempted to give it a try themselves. Tourists will be easily able to find their way to and from Burrard Bridge and the Beaches without maps or signage that they likely will miss. The cafes and restaurants will be happy to have all these stomachs on wheels cycling near their front doors. If experience elsewhere holds here, these businesses will want bike sharing stations close by.

Separated Bike Lanes Benefit Everyone
Most people use a variety of modes to get around. Even though the majority don’t cycle daily, they may cycle often enough to prefer the safety, comfort and convenience benefits of separated bike lanes on Cornwall. Or they likely have friends and family who cycle. Whatever their reasons, significantly more people supported measures including the reallocation of lanes of traffic on Burrard Bridge and the separated bike lanes on Hornby in spite of widely held perception that motor vehicle travel times would increase.

Bus Bike Lane
Both to improve the street for transit and make it safer for everyone, a 24 hour 7 day a week bus bike lanes in addition to a separated all ages cycling facility would be a great idea. The city has not been really that proactive on transit priority measures. This would be a great place for them.

A bus/bike lane would speed transit and provide a safer, more comfortable space for those people who want to continue to cycle on the street. On off-peak hours, the second lane only seems to encourage aggressive driving as drivers quickly make lane changes to pass cars travelling at the speed limit, buses and cyclists.

This is a good idea even if (or especially if) there is an all ages path or lane on Cornwall as it will encourage faster moving cyclists to use the road decreasing conflicts and reducing congestion on the path especially with the packs of sport cyclists that are often using Cornwall. This will allow the path to be narrower as well.

Cycling in the Door Lane
Almost all the cyclists I have observed on Cornwall, cycle in the lane with the parked cars and are way to close to the doors. Especially on the long downhill stretch from Larch to Arbutus, cycling in this door zone is especially dangerous as cyclists are traveling faster and the breaking distance for cyclists and motor vehicles is greater. As dooring accounts for between 10-15% of cycling collisions, this is a very critical safety concern.

If there must be on street parking from Larch to Arbutus in particular, it all should be moved to the north (up hill) side of Cornwall. Cyclists will be going much slower and will hopefully have a separated path right next to them that they can easily access. Even then, I’d recommend widening the lane where there is parking to get cyclists out of the door zone.

Less Stress and Conflict
Separated bike lanes decrease conflicts between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians making travelling around the city more pleasant and less stressful for everyone.

People driving may get frustrated being stuck behind a slower moving cyclist or they may worry about hitting a cyclist. Switching lanes to pass cyclists increases the risk of collisions as well in addition to creating more congestion.

Dramatically Less Sidewalk Cycling, Better Pedestrian Environment
One of the main concerns of pedestrians and transit users on Cornwall is sidewalk cycling. There is strong evidence for Hornby and elsewhere that separated bike lanes along a street dramatically reduces sidewalk cycling. Separated bike lanes on Cornwall will also make walking much more pleasant by increasing the distance between the sidewalk and the fast-moving traffic especially on the narrow section between Maple and Arbutus

Travel times will likely decrease for everyone in off-peak hours due to people cycling instead of driving and fewer people cycling on the road slowing down buses. This transit time reduction benefit will be greatest on the hot summer days when congestion is worse due to beach traffic. Beach weather is great cycling weather. Overall, this could even result in faster transit times on average. This is also when aggressive beach traffic is likely to be on York looking for parking.

Safer for Everyone
Separated bike lanes also tend to reduce collisions and injures among all road users. On Hornby, the reduction in collisions was 20%. In NYC, the reduction in collisions was 33.60% and injuries was 26.4% http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2011_columbus_assessment.pdf. On Cornwall/Pt Grey-Burrard to MacDonald, from 2005-2009, there was an average of 106.6 collisions and 38.8 injuries per year.

While not ideal, increased congestion does reduce motor vehicle speeds decreasing the severity of collisions.

Both collisions and injuries have significant time costs on both traffic and transit. It is estimated that 25% of congestion is caused by collisions. The time cost is much greater on those involved in the collisions. Hundreds of hours can be spent dealing with the impacts of collisions and injuries. I suspect when people are made aware of the impacts and give a choice, many would prefer longer travel times.

The longer downhill sections on York will likely increase cyclist speed increasing the chances and severity of cycling collisions.

I also looking at traffic count data on VanMap and there appeared to be between 20%-30% more motor vehicles crossing intersections with York than Cornwall. This could mean there is an increased likelihood of cycling collisions on York although the streets and the treatment are totally different so this would be hard to say for sure without more research. Motor vehicles are also heading down very steep hills crossing much of York. This could also increase the risk and severity of cycling collisions.

Cycling in Cities
Cycle tracks or separated bike lanes Cornwall score better on 3 of the top 4 motivators for cycling than York: “The route has beautiful scenery”, “The route has bicycle paths separated from traffic for the entire distance”, “The route is flat”, while “The route is away from traffic noise and pollution” is the top motivator, A cycle track along a major street still is a more desirable route than a residential street with traffic calming according to Cycling in Cities.
This is backed up by the current usage of Cornwall and York. A major street with parked cars rates the lowest of all infrastructure (16th) for cycling while a residential street with no traffic calming rates 5th. In spite of this, more cyclists chose to cycle along Pt Grey Cornwall than York. This is strong indication that there is little desire for most people to cycle on York. No amount of engineering or traffic calming will fix this.
Tourists and Recreational Cyclists
As they are out for a nice ride to enjoy the scenery, they are not likely to use York. They will want to cycle by Kits Beach Park to Arbutus or Yew. Both Yew and Arbutus are busy streets in the summer. It is not likely that people will use them to get up to York for only 2 or 3 blocks to get to Burrard Bridge. The same for people cycling to Kits Beach or Kits Pool. This increase will likely be a boon for many area business.

Congestion
If people switch from driving to cycling, there may be reduced congestion other places in the city which might benefit transit travel times. Research indicates that even small reductions in motor vehicle traffic (3%) can have a significant impact on congestion.

Meeting Transportation Targets
While increased transit trip times due to congestion are not great, they will most likely not negatively impact the City’s transportation goals as motor vehicle travel times are similarly impacted. If anything, both the increased motor vehicle and transit travel times will encourage more cycling and walking helping the city to met its ambitious transportation targets. Indeed, many measures all around the city to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety and reduce travel times will almost certainly increase transit and motor vehicle travel times. I suspect it will be impossible for the city to meet its transportation and Greenest City targets without such measures.
 

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