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Vancouver: Burrard Street Bridge to lose 2 lanes to cyclists

Jun 20, 2005
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The Wet Coast
link: Bike lanes approved for Burrard Bridge

Vancouver city council has voted overwhelmingly to close two of the six lanes on the Burrard Street Bridge to motor vehicles – turning them into dedicated bike lanes.

The closure will begin next April on a one-year trial basis.
City council is also considering widening sidewalks – either inside or outside the current bridge structure – at a cost of $13 million.
 

Kev

New member
May 13, 2002
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No worries. It won't last. Well it will for 6 months and then the city will realize that...............they fucked up.

Closing two lanes for a few bicyclists?

What fucking retard elected that wingnut? I love to be on my bike but there is no way they should do what is proposed.

Lets shell out the cash and widen the dam sidewalk if thats what it takes.
 

dexi

New member
Feb 28, 2004
270
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van
Rather than all or nothing, they should take strides to make the city a little more hospitable towards small motorized vehicles. Scooters, Vespas, etc.

Frankly, I can list on on hand the people I know who want to commute to work on their bicycle. You show up to work all sweaty and then have to change your clothes. And most workplaces don't have shower facilities, or they charge you for them. They'll even charge you to "park" your bike. It's a fucking hassle of the highest order.

However, most people don't want to drive scooters either because of the proliferation of shit-kicker bohemoth vehicles that are everywhere on our roads now. I wouldn't want to be the dude on the Vespa who gets his ticket punched by some soccer mom doing her makeup in her Yukon, or some testosterone case lane hopping in his Ram 3500 Quad Cab.
 

vancouverman

old PERBERTs never die
Jan 19, 2005
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Kev said:
No worries. It won't last. Well it will for 6 months and then the city will realize that...............they fucked up.
hope you are right. and where is that idiot who changed one-way streets near Yelltown, to two way??????? shoot the bastard. The traffic there now is just a killer, cost of gas, cost to environment, cost to us in wasted time, cost to the city in making the change... for nothing. DAM IDIOTS
 

greenvalley

New member
Sep 19, 2004
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This is more stupid, oh lets be enviromental from the idiots at city hall. When really all of them down the drive.

Has anyone asked what happens to all these new cyclists using the bridge, especially on the south side of the bridge. It just takes one cyclist to grind cornwall to a near halt. If they want they should put a bike lane there first(forcing the loss of the parking lane along cornwall) or they will have to force cyclist along another street. Going up burrard can't be great for cyclists also.

The only reason this should be considered is if there are so many cyclists using the bridge that they are having problems. I don't know about you guys but its only rarely you see even a few cyclist using the cycling lane they already have there.

Its more of this, if they build it, they will come. Well I have another one for them. Why doesn't city hall lead by example. We will get rid of their two large parking lots that the staff there uses for free and keep just a few spots for couriers and such. Then we will turn the two parking areas into a nice park with an area for them to park their bikes that they ride into work everyday. hahaha showing us all how enviromental we can be. Maybe give the inspectors bikes to go out and check jobs. Wow sounds utopian doesn't it.
 

vancouverman

old PERBERTs never die
Jan 19, 2005
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greenvalley said:
This is more stupid.
I take your "stupid" and raise it .......







I know where this place is .....

So, if anybody has any hopes for ANY inteligent decisions from ANY city council .... look at the above pictures once again.
 

Jodie

B.Bj, M.Sog, Fs.D
Mar 14, 2004
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greenvalley said:
Going up burrard can't be great for cyclists also.
No, but unfortunately, cyclists need to get over the bridges into downtown just like motorists do, plain and simple.

greenvalley said:
The only reason this should be considered is if there are so many cyclists using the bridge that they are having problems. I don't know about you guys but its only rarely you see even a few cyclist using the cycling lane they already have there.
And with extremely good reason. First of all, the sidewalk is a mere 6 feet wide, shared by both pedestrians and cyclists. The current setup is not safe for either. Pedestrians (who often walk three or more abreast and infringe on the bike lane) are constantly at risk of being hit by cyclists. Cyclists are at risk of falling off the raised sidewalk and into traffic while trying to dodge pedestrians (yes, this has happened, and in fact, a cyclist was killed on that bridge last summer by that means). As well, the speed limit for cyclists, due to the shared-use sidewalk, is only 15 km/hr. Most skilled cyclists travel two to three times that speed. It would be akin to having the speed limit for cars set at 20-30 km/hr on main roads - wouldn't that be frustrating?

What it comes down to is this: The only remotely safe options for cyclists to get into downtown (Cambie Bridge and the bike route near the Georgia St Viaduct) are much too far east to be practical for anyone living on the west side. A safe route for cyclists from the west side to get into downtown is long overdue, and is a necessary part of Vancouver's sustainable development plan. The three bridges are under capacity anyway, according to the city's Engineering Department, so why not use the solution that requires the least amount of work, least amount of money, and causes no damage to the beautiful heritage structure of the Burrard Bridge?

And to everyone else who wants to whine about the state of traffic in this city, I say this: Get out of your car. Walk, take transit, cycle. Quit being a part of the very problem you complain about and start contributing to the solution.



Now let the flames begin... :D


P.S. Thanks a lot for getting me all riled up. Now I'm going to be late for work!! ;)
 

Marvin

Banned
Oct 28, 2002
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between her thighs
Jodie makes great points here. When I lived in Kits, I used that brigde alot and enjoyed the use of the dedicated single bike lane the city had a few years back. It certainly prevented many accidents ... I know because I have been hit by cars on three seperate occassions. I don't think drivers realise how many cyclist related accidents happen daily. Just yesterday, I was cut off again by an idiot driver making a right turn on HER red light. When I rode up beside her to let her know she didn't see me, she nearly had a heart attack.

I sympathise with the drivers but like Jodie has observed, there are way too many single occupant vehicles in the city nowdays so if you choose to drive downtown, then I think it is reasonable to expect to deal with the delays.
 

Herb_The_Perb

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2005
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vancouverman said:
I take your "stupid" and raise it .......







I know where this place is .....

So, if anybody has any hopes for ANY inteligent decisions from ANY city council .... look at the above pictures once again.
This isn't stupid -- it's very considerate of cyclists since it assures that the bike path will be well-lit at night. It also gives them something to chain their bikes to, every dozen meters or so.
 

dexi

New member
Feb 28, 2004
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I do take transit. Unfortunately, it's a bus, that (you guessed it) goes over the Burrard street bridge.

Just this past month or so, my trip to work is at least 10 minutes longer with all of the construction on Burrard downtown.

Traffic grinding to a halt affects transit users as well, who are trying to be a part of the solution to the congestion problem. Unless you're on a train route, we still need uncongested roadways to get around.
 

gotsome2004

Bun wrapped wiener
Oct 15, 2004
453
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Montreal
Jodie said:
And to everyone else who wants to whine about the state of traffic in this city, I say this: Get out of your car. Walk, take transit, cycle. Quit being a part of the very problem you complain about and start contributing to the solution.
Excellent post! Absolutely agree 100%.
Cycling in Vancouver makes better sense than driving. The weather all year round is ideal and the view is terrific.
I've cycled over there last fall and cannot believe how bad the drivers are. Accidents are going to be inevitable and therefore glad to see the city making a safer alternative for cyclists
 

James

Member
Jul 22, 2002
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It's something of a shame that they didn't look at the wide sidewalks on each side of the bridge and do something intelligent like cyclists on one side and pedestrians on the other. This decision will cause far more pollution and greif than it will solve.

I guess I'd have more sympathy for the cyclists if they actually obeyed the rules of the road. Before I get seriously flamed here, I guess that I'd have a shitload more respect for my fellow drivers if they obeyed the rules of the road.
 

Cock Throppled

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2003
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Upstairs
vancouverman said:
hope you are right. and where is that idiot who changed one-way streets near Yelltown, to two way??????? shoot the bastard. The traffic there now is just a killer, cost of gas, cost to environment, cost to us in wasted time, cost to the city in making the change... for nothing. DAM IDIOTS
I think the bridge plan is worth a look, but I agree the changes to one way streets downtown is a nightmare. Cambiie, in particular is almost impassable most times of the day between Hastings and the Bridge. Traffic flow is actually impaired, so what was supposed to be the upside?
 

Jodie

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Mar 14, 2004
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dexi said:
Frankly, I can list on on hand the people I know who want to commute to work on their bicycle. You show up to work all sweaty and then have to change your clothes. And most workplaces don't have shower facilities, or they charge you for them. They'll even charge you to "park" your bike. It's a fucking hassle of the highest order.
This is true to an extent, but it's changing quickly. More and more companies are jumping on the "socially and environmentally responsible" bandwagon, and are trying to encourage employees to both partake in physical activity and to consider alternatives to car commuting. Cycling achieves both these objectives.

There are a number of office buildings in the downtown core that now provide free, supervised bike parking to the public. Just go down into any attended parkade and have a look around - there are almost always bike racks available, and many are free.

Showing up at work all sweaty can be an issue, but I found a solution that costs less than a monthly parking pass, let alone insurance, fuel, maintenance and car payments. I bought a basic membership for a gym near my workplace, so I have a place to shower, change and store my clothes for the day. And I can even work out there if I am so inspired.
 

Jodie

B.Bj, M.Sog, Fs.D
Mar 14, 2004
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Vancouver, BC
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dexi said:
I do take transit. Unfortunately, it's a bus, that (you guessed it) goes over the Burrard street bridge.

Just this past month or so, my trip to work is at least 10 minutes longer with all of the construction on Burrard downtown.

Traffic grinding to a halt affects transit users as well, who are trying to be a part of the solution to the congestion problem. Unless you're on a train route, we still need uncongested roadways to get around.
Unfortunately, surface transit (i.e. the bus) does still have to contend with traffic, and this will be a reality until the city undertakes some serious initiatives to get people out of single-occupant vehicles. Consider, however, that one bus replaces 75 single occupancy cars, and imagine how much worse things would be if you and all your fellow riders chose to drive instead. Even though it's still frustrating for you to be caught up in traffic, you can feel good knowing that you are "one less car." And on the up-side, you can also zone out or read a book while you're on a bus, rather than having to endure the aggravation of navigating the traffic as a driver.

It seems that people are unwilling to give up their cars until it becomes significantly more convenient to consider other options. Perhaps the impending changes to the Burrard Bridge will make it easier for a few (hundred) more people to consider cycling as a viable alternative.
 

dexi

New member
Feb 28, 2004
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van
Jodie said:
And on the up-side, you can also zone out or read a book while you're on a bus, rather than having to endure the aggravation of navigating the traffic as a driver.
Well, more of an iPod guy. Need to drown out the insipid conversations of my fellow riders. :)

If only there was something to drown out smells. Why does Stinky McStinkerson always need to sit beside me or in front of me? Plus, there's that excellent wet dog smell of a Vancouver bus during the rainy winter. :D
 

Mr Blonde

Member
Nov 3, 2003
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stoopid bike lanes.

i think the answer to this solution is plain and clear. we need another bridge or tunnel flowing into the downtown core :p

im not an environmentalist or anything. i think that the sooner fossil fuel supplies are exhausted the better, but if they're going to open two lanes on the burrard street bridge, cyclists should have to pay insurance premiums like everyone else. cyclists having these two lanes open is like an eighteen year old moved out of his parents house and still asking for an allowance. they can use those lanes...but it'll cost em *rubs thumb and forefinger together*
 

vancouverman

old PERBERTs never die
Jan 19, 2005
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gotsome2004 said:
Cycling in Vancouver makes better sense than driving.
try to tell this to somebody who has to drive 100-200km a day in the city. :eek:
 
Ashley Madison
Vancouver Escorts