Tag Archives for Cycling

Burrard Cycle Tracks Worth Considering

The upgrades to the Burrard Cornwall intersection are almost finished. The improvements include separated bike lanes from the Bridge along Cornwall to Cypress and along Burrard south to 1st Avenue. These badly needed improvements are fantastic and will help encourage more people of all ages to ride bicycles both for daily trips and recreation.

Sewer, water and road construction work is scheduled on Burrard from 1st Avenue to 16th Avenue starting in 2015. This presents an idea opportunity for the City to improve Burrard Street for cycling and walking building upon the great work on Burrard Bridge and the Cornwall intersection.

Currently, Burrard south of 1st is a miserable place to cycle and walk. Typically, the narrow sidewalks are right next to the speeding traffic. In spite of the traffic, a significant number of brave souls still cycle on Burrard. For some trips, it is more direct than the alternatives plus there are many businesses and shops along it.

Cypress, the current bike route is not much better north of 4th Avenue. At Cornwall, there are almost 500 vehicles on Cypress in the afternoon peak hour. This around the maximum traffic volume acceptable over 24 hours for a road to be safely and comfortably accommodate cyclists of all ages. Many of vehicles are making turns that will cause conflicts and pose a danger to people cycling.

According to ICBC, both Burrard and Cypress have fairly high levels of cycling collisions. From 2008-2012, there was at least one collision at each intersection from 10th to Cornwall. In 2012, there were 7 collisions from 12th to 1st along Burrard while there were three on the same section of Cypress. In 2011, both streets had five each from 16th to 1st.

2011 Census Cycling Commuting Mode Share - City of Vancouver

2011 Census Cycling Commuting Mode Share – City of Vancouver

As shown in the map, the cycling mode share in areas served by Burrard, Pine and Cypress (6%-9%) is significantly lower than other areas (9%-15%) of Vancouver similar distances from downtown. Moreover, while cycling in the areas east of the Dunsmuir Separated Bike Lanes increased significantly from 2006 to 2011, areas to the south of the Hornby and Burrard Separated Bike Lanes did not increase over this period. This is likely due to the lower quality of the bike routes feeding Hornby and Burrard compared to Adanac Bikeway.When Burrard/Pine/Cypress are improved, it would be reasonable to expect cycling levels to increase to 10% to 15%.

Upgrading narrow local streets like Cypress and Pine to accommodate all ages cycling quite challenging. Either enough traffic needs to be diverted off it to reduce volumes to 300-500 vehicles per day or separated bike lanes need to be added. Especially with the diversions introduced with the York Bikeway, diverting traffic off Cypress may be difficult while maintaining basic access for residents and businesses. Furthermore, with the high turnover of customer parking, it may not be possible to reduce levels enough. To add separated bike lanes, parking would need to be stripped from one side of Cypress and the street would need to be converted to one way. Some residents and businesses won’t be too keen on this either.

Burrard, on the other hand, is wide enough to accommodate separated bike lanes while maintaining access and parking at least during off-peak hours. While the number of travel lanes between intersections would need to be reduced from three to two, right turn lanes would help maintain vehicle capacity near current levels.

Burrard - South Side of 4th

Possible lane configuration for Burrard just south of 4th Ave

One option worth considering is one-way separated bike lanes (cycle tracks), on both sides of Burrard from 1st Avenue to at least 10th Avenue. On two-way streets with a lot of cars turning at intersections and driveways on boths sides, cycle tracks can be safer than a two-way path on one side.

Burrard - South Side of 5th

Possible lane configuration for Burrard just south of 5th Ave. On-street parking could be allowed evenings, weekends and off-peak weekdays.

Burrard provides obvious direct connections to Burrard Bridge. Using either Cypress or Pine will result in cycling longer for some trips and may involve crossing busy Burrard more times. People that drive who are considering cycling will know that Burrard is a bicycle route. They may never realize that side streets like Cypress are bike routes.

Having the cycle track between the traffic and the sidewalk will make Burrard much more pleasant to walk along. And, as with the case with Hornby, collisions will likely be reduced making the street safer for everyone, including people in cars. The City should quickly study options for improving Burrard, Pine and Cypress to determine the best options before the planned work starts on Burrard.

Take Action A good idea to write Mayor and Council, mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca, thanking them for the Burrard Cornwall intersection improvements and encourage them to make Burrard, Cypress and Pine better for all ages cycling.

SkyCycle: Would it Fly in Vancouver?

Riding along elevated bicycle highways passing over busy roads without having to stop. Imagine the Dunsmuir Viaduct without any motor vehicle traffic. A SkyCycle in Vancouver would be really wonderful. For the most part though, unlike London, there is typically space available near rail lines here making elevated paths on top of them unnecessary. Still, there are a few spots where elevated structures would make cycling a lot better.

Central Valley Greenway

A 750m elevated walking and cycling path from Grandview Hwy North and Clark to near the Home Depot over the False Creek rail yards was seriously considered a decade ago as part of the Central Valley Greenway. Unfortunately, it was killed for budget reasons leaving cyclists to contend with the 13% grade up to Clark by VCC and forcing them to cross two legs of the busy Clark and 6th intersection.

Since it follows the railway, the Central Valley Greenway has a lot fewer stop lights than parallel roads like Broadway and Lougheed Hwy. Last time I used it, I didn’t hit a red light between Caribou Road and Rupert Street. Little would be gained elevating this section. On the narrow section between Lillooet and Boundary, the SkyTrain is elevated leaving space on the ground for the Central Valley Greenway.

Portside Greenway

With the completion of the Powell Street Overpass this summer, the section of Powell Street between Clark Drive and Wall Street will be the only missing link in the Portside Greenway. An elevated path over the railyard in the Port is certainly one possible option. A less expensive solution would be to reallocate a lane of traffic on Powell Street to create a separated bike path.

Low Level Road

The new Low Level Road currently under construction in North Vancouver will include painted bike lanes on both sides of the road. However, with high vehicle speeds and lots of trucks, it will not be a great cycling route for people of all ages and abilities. On the north side, cyclists will be sandwiched between the traffic and a tall concrete retaining wall. Yikes! The Spirit Trail is the alternate route. Unfortunately it is much longer, very hilly and is further from the water.

A bicycle and pedestrian path over the rail yard would be a much better option. Hopefully they will built it soon once they realize that people really want bicycle paths separated from traffic that are flat and by the water.

London SkyCycle – Mass Transportation for a Massive City

The main barrier to cycling short distances is lack of safe infrastructure such as cycle tracks. For longer trips, the big barrier is time, effort and distance. Typically, the average distance that people will cycle to work is around 6km. In Germany, they have found that this increases to 9km with electric bikes.

While it is not possible to reduce distance, time and effort can be significantly reduced by eliminating the need to stop at intersections. Many cities have old railways that have been converted to bike paths with overpasses and underpasses eliminated the need to stop. Paths following rivers, oceans and railways typically have fewer intersections. Bike paths outside of city centres in the Netherlands often have underpasses and overpasses where they meet highways. A great example of this  is the Hovenring in Eindhoven, Netherlands. This spectacular circular overpass enables cyclists to safely cross a roundtable without stopping.

Image: Gizmodo

Dutch and Danish towns and cities that have great on-street cycle track networks in their cores, often have bicycle paths with limited stops between communities. These paths compliment the on-street cycle track network delivering shoppers and commutes to the town centre.

Even the largest cities, Amsterdam and Copenhagen in these cycling friendly countries are not much over half a million people in regions of around two million. It is does not take that long to get out of the city to the countryside where there is plenty of room for bike paths. Contrast this to mega cities such as London with over 8 million people. And growing. It takes a long time to get out of the city.

Space is at a premium in cities like London. The railways are definitely not abandoned. They are carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers a day. And they are building more rail.

The elephant in the room for transport in London is the growth of population and the resultant increase in population density. Transport for London boasts that Crossrail will add 10% to London’s transport capacity, but London’s population is growing faster. The urgent need for another one or two new Crossrail lines should not be underestimated.

Added new rail in London is very expensive and can take decades to complete. Crossrail is Europe’s largest infrastructure project. The 118km line, which is currently under construction, includes 42km of new tunnel at a cost of £14.9 billion. Cost estimates for the proposed Crossrail 2 range from £9.4 to “only” £12bn. Crossrail has been in the works for 40 years. Stations also have to be rather deep to avoid existing tunnels and other stuff underground.

So, cycling is just about the only option to improve transportation capacity in London especially in the short term. This is one of the main reasons why they have spend hundreds of millions of pounds on bike sharing and have committed around a billion pounds to creating cycling routes including Cycling Superhighways named after their Tube lines.

It is within this context that Exterior Architecture, Foster + Partners and Space Syntax have proposed SkyCycle:

The proposed SkyCycle network follows existing suburban rail services and provides over 220 kilometres of safe, car free cycle routes which can be accessed at over 200 entrance points. Almost six million people live within the catchment area of the proposed network, half of whom live and work within 10 minutes of an entrance. Each route can accommodate 12,000 cyclists per hour and will improve journey times by up to 29 minutes.

The first planned route, from Stratford to Liverpool Street Station, is estimated to cost around £220 million for 6.5km, $59 million per km.

Early studies of a SkyCycle system indicate that it provides capacity at a much lower cost than building new roads and tunnels.

Light Rail running along city streets will cost around $100 million per km when the costs of the vehicles and vehicles storage facilities needed for 12,000 passengers per hour are included. The cost jumps to around $200 million per km for elevated sections and $300 million per km and up for underground rail. Emphasis on up. That said, both elevated and underground rail typically have greater capacity than SkyCycle.

Foster says that SkyCycle would allow cyclists to raise their average speed from 10mph (16.1 kph) to 15mph (24.1kph) in the city, protect their lives and cut journey times significantly.

With stops or stations km apart, the same distance proposed between SkyCycle ramps, street level light rail averages between 20kph to 30kph while elevated or underground rail  averages around  40kph. However, with cycling, there is no waiting for the train, walking to the stop or transferring so the door to door travel times for SkyCycle will be competitive for many  trips and perhaps even more important, more predictable.

In a big city like London, where many trips are greater than 6km, this should dramatically increase the number of trips within the time and distance people are willing to cycle. Electric bikes could increase the distance even further while making quick work of the long ramps up to SkyCycle.

Some people are concerned that SkyCycle is a substitute for cycle tracks on city streets. It is not an either or though. Busy high streets are great places for slow city cycling. People ride there to see and be seen. With a lot going on and people wandering about, not great places for fast commuting, fast recreational cycling or training though. That is where long straight paths with no intersections like SkyCycle are perfect.

To be successful, SkyCycle will need comprehensive networks of cycle tracks along city streets to attract people on bikes to it. Door to door safe fast transportation. SkyCycle should also make it politically easier to build cycle tracks on city streets once businesses realize that the combination of SkyCycle and cycle tracks will deliver customers to their door.

Like any city, London has many sections of streets that are interesting to walk and cycle on. However, like any city, it also has long sections of streets and even parts of town through industrial or even residential areas that are not very interesting or attractive or safe for that matter.

While I don’t know London and the specific routes well enough to say for sure that what is proposed would be successful, the SkyCycle concept can definitely make sense in city like London where space is at a premium as long as it is accompanied by investment in on-street cycle tracks.

 

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.

Burnaby Leads in Including Separated Bike Lanes in Street Plans

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The City of Burnaby has had the foresight to include separate bike lanes in its street plans for Lougheed and Willingdon in Brentwood Town Centre. As new developments are completed, the separated bike lanes are built adjacent them. As shown, in the photo, the first section on has been completed on the south side of Lougheed a block or so west of Lougheed.

This is a cost-effective method to adding bike lanes that doesn’t impact other users that much if at all. The downside, of course, is that it can take decades to complete the bike lanes leaving gaps in the meantime.

In this respect, Burnaby is leading Vancouver which has yet to include separated bike lanes in the street plans for the majority of arterial streets although there proposals to include them on the streets adjacent to Oakridge Mall and along Great Northern Way as part of the Central Valley Greenway. Still, there are no plans to include separated bike lanes on obvious streets such as Main and Kingsway. Main has a high number of cycling crashes which should make it a priority for improvements. Kingsway, along with streets including Burrard south of 1st, Nelson and Smithe were identified as candidates for bike lanes way back in the 1997 Transportation Plan. Burrard south of 1st will be torn up in 2015 for waterworks. This would be an ideal opportunity to add separated bike lanes at a low cost while minimizing traffic disruption.


As the majority of shops and businesses as well as an increasing number of homes are on main streets, separated bike lanes along them are critical to enable people of all ages to safely, conveniently and comfortably use bicycles in their daily lives.

Kits Beach Bike Path Safer for Everyone

Cycling is very popular. A recent BCCC poll found that 70% of adults cycle at least once a year. Bicycle paths along water and through parks are attractive places to cycle with 66% saying such paths  would encourage them to cycle more often. Separated paths are even more important for parents with children. A 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.

Anyone who has cycled or walked along Kits Beach on a sunny summer day should realize that the current narrow shared path leaves much to be desired. Heading downhill from the Maritime Museum onto a path covered with sand dunes crowded with people more interested in looking at other people than lookout out for bikes can be quite dicy. Judging by the bicycles parked all over the place at Kits, many people already bike to the beach, pool, tennis courts and the basketball courts. The soon to be completed Seaside Greenway improvements west of Kits Beach will likely result in more people cycling on the Kits Beach path increasing conflicts if no action is taken.

With this in mind, the plans for the Seaside Greenway presented to the public earlier this year included bike paths through Kits Beach and Haddon Parks. After the parts of the Greenway on city streets were approved by council back in July, Park Board staff consulted the people using the parks on improvements for people walking and cycling. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority thought that separate paths for cycling and walking would improve safety.

Realizing that the path along the beach is very busy and a lot of people walk across it or stand and chat in it, the bike path was routed way from the beach, the basketball court and the playground to near Arbutus Street.

Some have suggested that people on bikes should use the road instead. While this might be fine for experienced adult cyclists, clearly this is not an good option for children and less experienced adults. In the summer, the roads near the beach are crowded with cars. Drivers are more focused on looking for parking or at the pretty people walking than children on bikes.

Separate bike paths along the water have been very successful in Vancouver at reducing conflicts between people cycling and walking including fifteen years ago along English Bay and Sunset Beach. Fifteen years from now, people will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Some opponents try to paint this bike path as a high-speed highway where speeding cyclists will endanger other park users. The reality is that the path will be mostly used by residents and visitors cycling responsibly with their families enjoying the spectacular scenery. The vast majority of people on bikes are careful not wanting risk injury to themselves or other people. Those who want to ride fast will continue to ride on the road. Yes, like with any form of transportation, a few people on bikes behave recklessly but it really unfair to punish everyone else on bikes for the actions of a few.

There are bike paths in parks around Vancouver and the world that pass by playgrounds and picnic areas without any major safety issues that I am aware of. The path will be further away from the playground than the current path that cycling is allowed on. It is hard to see how this path in anyway will endanger children or anyone else in the park.

The bike path will also take the long route around the hill creating a more gradual downhill slope helping to minimizing the speed of bicycles further improving safety for everyone.

Fortunately, on October 7, Park Board approved the bike path and pedestrian improvement to Kitsilano and Haddon Parks. Commissioners Constance Barnes, Sarah Blyth Aaron Jasper and Trevor Loke voted in favour of the bike path. Commissioners John Coupar and Melissa De Genova voted against the bike path. Commissioner Niki Sharma was not present.

Take Action

A good idea to send a quick thank you to Park Board, PBcommissioners@vancouver.ca in support of the cycling and walking improvements in Kitsilano and Haddon Parks.

More Info

Seaside Greenway Improvements – Park Board Report

In the Media

Park board chair says bike path painted at Kits Beach is made up | Georgia Straight

Bike lane at Kits Beach won’t destroy the world | Georgia Straight

Kits bike path route not yet finalized – Commissioner says path might be tweaked

Park board chair responds to Kitsilano Beach Park bike path controversy | Georgia Straight

Committee will address rumours over Kits Beach bike lane – Misconceptions include trees being cut down

Pete McMartin: Over-the-top reaction to Kitsilano bike lane marks disturbing trend

SEEN IN VANCOUVER #471 | Bike Lanes, Or The Fascist Nightmare Destroying Kitsilano : Scout Magazine

Kudos and Kvetches: Kits Bike Lanes and Other Important Complaints

POLL: Do you support the new bike and pedestrian path linking Hadden and Kits Beach parks?

Over the Top Anti-Bike Rhetoric Done Well

Taking two-wheeled demons and the hellions who ride them to task – Blogs – Vancouver Courier

The Classic! Video – Death by Bicycle — Dorothy Rabinowitz on New York City’s new bike-share program

Driving to Work Down 16% East of Dunsmuir

Driving to work by Vancouver residents east living of Dunsmuir is down by 16% since 2006! According to the 2011 Census results, the number of people driving to work in the area bounded by Main, 1st Avenue, Boundary and Burrard inlet went from 13,915 to 11,685, an decrease of 2,230. The driving mode share dropped from 57% to 48.7%. For comparison, overall in the City of Vancouver, commuting by driving fell from 51% to 48%.

While the total number of commuters decreased by 435, as detailed in Cycling to Work East of Dunsmuir Up 40%, a significant portion of this decrease in driving is likely due to 530 more people cycling to work.

This decrease in driving reduces congestion and improves the safety of everybody walking, driving and cycling around the City. Yet another example of the Vancouver’s polices of encouraging cycling, walking and public transit improving the quality of life in the city. More evidence supporting faster implementation of all ages cycling improvements and the removal of the Viaducts.

Thanks to Chad Skelton of the Vancouver Sun for the great maps of the Census results. Interesting to poke around:

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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Everyone Will Enjoy $300 Million Pt Grey Views

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Thanks to the vision and leadership of previous generations, the people of Vancouver today are able to enjoy the many parks along our waterfront. These parks make Vancouver a wonderful city to live in and visit. A hundred years ago, the water was lined with private houses leaving the public with limited access to the water. Over the decades, these houses were acquired by the city and converted to parks. This task was completed years ago along English Bay. Today these parks are on land worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Along Point Grey, some properties were purchased but the prices started really going up so we essentially gave up. Today, by my quick estimated, the parks lining Point Grey Road would cost around $300 million to acquire. Currently, these parks are rather isolated and difficult to access. Point Grey is not very safe to cycle on nor very pleasant to cycle, walk or run along. Certainly not a pleasant or even safe family outing. There is little free parking so people can’t easily drive there either. The noise of the speeding traffic makes the parks less enjoyable to spend time in. People driving and cycling by would likely get harassed and honked at if they tried to slow down to enjoy the view. Certainly, the we are not able to get fully value of this gift from previous generations with Pt Grey as a commuter route.

Point Grey Cornwall Greenway proposal to divert commuter traffic off Pt Grey making the street much more comfortable to cycle, walk and run along will give far more people access to these parks. People walking and cycling will be able to enjoy the $300 million views from the parks as they pass by or stop to relax, picnic or enjoy a sunset. To get there by transit, people can jump off the bus at Macdonald and Pt Grey.

While the Sun’s headline screams Vancouver’s Point Grey Road set to become a ‘park for the rich’ with new plan restricting traffic, the reality is anyone rich enough to afford a bike, a pair of shoes or a $2.75 bus fare will be able to enjoy the new Point Grey Road. According to a recent survey by the BCCC, almost 80% of people own or have access to a bicycle. Pretty sure nowhere 80% of people in B.C. are rich. For those without a bicycle, there is Vancouver’s new bike sharing system where using the bikes will only cost $5 a day and $95 a year, hardly a fortune. For those who can’t ride a bicycle, separated bike lanes are proving popular with people propelled by power wheelchairs, e-bikes and mobility scooters.

With only 50 or so homes along the Point Grey waterfront, not even most millionaire can buy a piece of the view. With the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway, everyone will be able to enjoy the fantastic $300 million views!

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

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Pt Grey Plans Safer for Residents Children Walkers Drivers & Cyclists

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Van and bush totally blocking view of driveway on busy Pt Grey

The City of Vancouver’s proposed Point Grey Cornwall Greenway improvements for Point Grey Road from Balsam to Jericho Beach will be much safer for everyone including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, children and residents.

Although it is popular with some, on-street parking is dangerous especially for children. Removing parking, as proposed for some sections of Point Grey, can reduce all collisions by around 25%.

By providing safe space for people of all ages to ride bicycles, the planned improvements will reduce conflicts between people cycling, walking and driving making Point Grey safer, more enjoyable and less stressful for all.

Safer for Residents Exiting Driveways

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Parked Van Obscuring Car Driving by on Point Grey

Those who will likely benefit the most from the safety improvements are the residents along Point Grey, some of whom are opposing the plans. They will no longer have parked vehicles blocking their view of speeding traffic when they are pulling out of their driveways. When they are walking, there will be less risk of being run over by some else entering a driveway who didn’t see them walking on the sidewalk because of a parked van, SUV or truck.

Less Aggressive Driving and Speeding

According to the proposal, Point Grey between Trafalgar and Macdonald would be reduced to one lane in each direction. This will reduce speeding aggressive driving such as passing on the right and other lane changes. Around 4% of motor vehicle crashes occur during lane changes and merges. The road will be safer for people driving, walking, cycling and exiting their driveways.

Sidewalk Cycling

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Parent Cycling with Child on Pt Grey Sidewalk

Sidewalk cycling is not safe for pedestrians or cyclists. It is one of the main concerns of pedestrians and transit users along Cornwall and Point Grey and is not allowed under the Motor Vehicle Act. The sidewalks are way too narrow for cyclists and pedestrians to safely share. That said, it is hard to fault people with children for not wanting to cycle on the road with the speeding traffic. Sidewalk cycling has decreased by 80% on Hornby since the opening of the separated bike lanes. A similar decrease should occur along Point Grey as well.

Less Driving Makes Cities Safer for All

The proposed Pt Grey improvements will increase the number of people choosing to walk and cycle instead of driving. Thus, the total vehicle kilometres travelled during a year will decrease resulting in fewer collisions, injuries and fatalities to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The Netherlands, for instance, annually has 5.6 fatalities per billion kilometres while Canada has 8.2 fatalities per billion kilometres, 1.6 times the rate. However, the chanced of dying in a motor vehicle crash in the Netherlands are significantly less with 3.9 fatalities per 100,000 people verses 9.2 per 100,000 people in Canada, 2.6 times the rate. The difference is obviously the people in the Netherlands drive less.

Commuters on Dunsmuir

Commuters on Dunsmuir

As a result of the Dunsmuir separated bike lanes and other improvements, cycling to work is up by 40% in areas east of Dunsmuir in Vancouver. An addition 530 people are cycling to work in this part of the city. This does not include people cycling for other reasons. The increases will likely be similar for Kits and Point Grey as Pt Grey Rd and Cornwall are the missing links in the all ages and abilities cycling network connecting residents to places of work downtown.

The Point Grey Cornwall Greenway will also be very popular in the summer with many people using it to get the beaches, parks and events like the Folk Festival, again reducing the amount of driving during the times when there is the most traffic congestion on Pt Grey and Cornwall.

Cycling Safety

As shown in the chart below from Bicyclists’ Injuries and the Cycling Environment study, separated bike lanes (cycle tracks) and residential streets with traffic diverters calmed streets as proposed for Point Grey have been proven in Vancouver and other cities to be safer people cycling. These facilities are also likely to attract more people of all ages and abilities to cycling.

Bicyclists’ Injuries and the Cycling Environment study. M A Harris et al.

While it is fine to state how safe a type of cycling facility is, it is important to evaluate it along a proposed route to determine if it will be a safe option.

Point Grey Has No Busy Intersections

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Little Ones on Hornby with Mom Watching from Sidewalk

Around 50% of cycling crashes occur at intersections, so routes that have few busy intersections will be safer. Point Grey has very few intersections that cyclists will have to cross so it should prove to be pretty safe.

Driveways can also be a problem for cyclists but it is important to note that residential driveways do not generate much traffic so the risk is much less than even low volume intersections. A single family house generates around 10 trips per day. There are 14 driveways accessing 15 houses on Pt Grey from Balsam to Trafalgar. This would generate around 150 trips per day. There is one townhouse with a driveway. Townhouses generate around 6 trips per day so the 8 units would generate around 48 trips a day. From Trafalgar to just passed Macdonald, there are 10 driveways serving 13 houses generating around 100 trips per day. So the total from Balsam to Macdonald would be almost 300. This is far less traffic than most residential streets and the parkades downtown accessed from Hornby generate. Given that these residential street intersections in Vancouver and driveways across Hornby cause few collisions, these driveways along Point Grey should prove to be a low risk to cyclists.

An opponent of the Point Grey Cornwall Greenway has claimed that that separated bike lanes are more dangerous based on ICBC collision data. However, what is not mentioned is that the majority of these collisions are at the intersection of Burrard and Pacific. Upon examining collisions in ICBC’s map, it becomes clear that the Hornby and Dunsmuir separated bike lanes are rather safe compared to other routes like Burrard Street. Hornby performs better than Dunsmuir perhaps because busy right turns across it are signalized. Both appear to be as safe or safer than many of the residential street bikeways around the city.

Even the comparison between the separated bike lanes downtown and Point Grey is not really valid. The separated bike lanes downtown have hundreds of thousands of vehicles crossing them per day and even then, the crash rates are not that large. As detailed above, Point Grey will only have a few hundred per day crossing the section between Balsam and Macdonald so the risk due to intersections (there are none) and driveways is much much less.

For the section of Point Grey between Macdonald and Alma, the Portside Greenway along Wall St is a good comparison should option 2a, diverting the traffic off Point Grey, be chosen. Wall is along the waterfront so it has no streets crossing it. It also has houses on the north side with driveways. The driveways likely have more vehicles accessing them as there are a few apartment buildings on Wall. Wall Street no cycling collisions reported from 2008 through 2012 perhaps the only bicycle route in the City to hold that distinction. This bodes well for the safety of this section of Point Grey.

Point Grey has Fewer Cyclist Crashes than 3rd Avenue

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Family Cycling Along Pt Grey

The current Seaside Route along 3rd Avenue is less than ideal. It is narrow with parked cars on both sides creating a risk of dooring. There is little room for cyclists to get by on-coming vehicles making riding more stressful and less comfortable. Cyclists also have to cross busy Macdonald and Alma Streets. The access to 3rd Ave from the east is hilly, indirect and not obvious so people are less likely to chose it or even find it at all. The current Seaside route from Trafalgar to Jericho has cyclists crossing 18 intersections. The proposed route on Pt Grey will have cyclists crossing only one intersection, Alma. As around 50% of cycling collisions occur at intersections, Pt Grey will be a safer option.

From Macdonald to Jericho during 2007-2011 according to ICBC stats compiled by the city, there were two cycling collisions on Pt Grey Rd and four on 3rd Ave. So, even with the higher levels of automobile traffic, Pt Grey had fewer collisions. With the planned traffic diversion, traffic calming measures and separated bike lanes from Alma west, Pt Grey should be pretty safe for people of all ages to cycle on.

Point Grey Safer Option than 1st Avenue

Some people have suggested using 1st Avenue as the bicycle route west of Balaclava with a path on the south side of Pt Grey between Macdonald and Balaclava leaving Pt Grey still open to high levels of speeding traffic. This proposal has many of the problems that 3rd currently has. Cyclists would have to cross busy Pt Grey at Macdonald then cross busy Alma and then cross Pt Grey again at Wallace. Cyclists would have to face 10 intersections on 1st instead of only one on Pt Grey dramatically increasing the risk of injury. 1st is hillier than Pt Grey and is much less scenic making it a route that cyclists are not very likely to chose. While 1st looks like a direct route on the map, the hill and all the intersections would make it a slower, less efficient and more dangerous route than Pt Grey.

Hills are More Dangerous

Research has found cycling downhill to be more dangerous than cycling on flatter routes. Pt Grey is a much flatter route than any other options including the current Seaside route on Trafalgar, York, Stephens and 3rd.

On-street Parking is Dangerous for Everyone

Pedestrians

European priorities for pedestrian safety,European Transport Safety Council page 13

Invisibility Pedestrians can be difficult to see: They are small compared to a car, and can be hidden by one. At night the problem is more severe. A parked car is the most commonly cited source of obstruction.

Parked cars are a traffic hazard for pedestrians, particularly children. Research has shown that prohibiting on-street parking improves safety. The number of accidents is reduced by about 25% in streets where on-street parking is prohibited.

From European Commission, Directorate-General Transport and Energy, page 16

Pedestrian crashes often occur when people are trying to cross the street on links outside pedestrian crossings or where no pedestrian crossings exist. One of the causes is the driver’s difficulty in perceiving pedestrians because of darkness and/or parked cars. In the United Kingdom, nearly 90% of the injuries to older pedestrians which are caused by motor vehicles happen under such conditions. In over 10% of cases, the driver cannot see pedestrians because of parked cars.

Vehicle speeds were slower in the presence of occupied on-street parking bays compared to the other two environments; however, the speed reduction was insufficient to compensate for observed impairments in drivers’ hazard perception and slower response to the pedestrian in this condition.

Cyclists

On-street parking is dangerous for people cycling due to dooring, conflicts with automobiles pulling in or out of parking and reduced visibility of vehicles pulling out of driveways. All three of these problems exist on Point Grey Road.

Parents Cycling Along Pt Grey in Door Zone

Roads with parked cars pose greatest risk for cyclists: UBC study

It concluded that the greatest risk to cyclists is when they share major streets with parked cars, with no bike lanes present — such as on Broadway in Vancouver — and that without a designated space on the road, cyclists face a greater risk of injury from moving cars and car doors opening.

In contrast, the study concluded, roads with infrastructure designed for cyclists — including bike lanes on major streets without parked cars, residential street bike routes, and off-street bike paths — carry about half the risk, while physically separated bike lanes carry about one-tenth the risk.

Teschke noted that while accidents involving parked car doors — “doorings” — were on the greatest route risk for cyclists, such accidents are responsible for 10 per cent of all accidents involving cyclists.

Dooring is Dangerous to Cyclists

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Cyclist in Door Lane. Would Driver Have Time to React?

Almost all people cycling along Point Grey are riding in the “door zone”, too close to the parked cars to avoid being hit by a door. This is especially dangerous on downhill sections where cyclist and motor vehicle speeds are higher and breaking distances are longer. Doorings have proven tragic in Vancouver, In 2001, 40 year-old actor Keith Provost was killed riding his bicycle as a result a driver opening a car door in front of him.

Dooring is Dangerous to Drivers

Being forced to suddenly brake or swerve to avoid hitting a fallen cyclist is dangerous for motorists as well. In an attempt to avoid hitting the woman cyclist who fell off the Stanley Park Causeway, the bus skid from the curb lane to the centre lane. It is fortunately a collision with another vehicle did not occur.

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Parked van blocking view of male cyclist at driveway on Pt Grey

Lack Visibility at Driveways

Currently, parking is allowed too close to driveways along Pt Grey often totally blocking the visibility of cyclists and drivers exiting their driveway. The removal of the parking proposed in the City’s plans will eliminate this problem and make Pt Grey safer for everyone.

The sight distances along Pt Grey are far less than recommended by the provincial government.

Driveways, Parking, Bicycles, and Pedestrians: Balancing Safety and Efficiency

Current practices permit the longitudinal placement of on-street parking too close to driveways. Roads with bike lanes should exclude on-street parking when speeds exceed 30 mph (50 kph) so as to provide adequate sight distance without creating sporadic on- street parking spacing. Roads that do not have bike lanes present should exclude on-street parking when speeds exceed 25 mph (40 kph).

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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 safety, health, 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.