Vancouver Park Board votes to remove temporary Stanley Park bike lane - Action News
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British Columbia

Vancouver Park Board votes to remove temporary Stanley Park bike lane

One lane of the city park is currently dedicated to cycling traffic, but the park board voted Monday to close it in time for the December holiday season with plans to redesign a new one in the spring.

Board promise a new permanent lane will be proposed next year

Cyclists and cars share the road through Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The short-term future of the dedicated bike lane in the park is on the table at a city park board meeting Monday.
Cyclists and cars share the road through Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The short-term future of the dedicated bike lane in the park is on the table at a city park board meeting Monday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

The Vancouver Park Board has voted to remove a dedicated cycling lane through Stanley Park at least for the time being.

On Monday, city park board commissioners voted 6-1 fora motion to scrap the temporary bike lane that has been in place since 2020, while asking to staff to come up with a permanent cycling infrastructure plan for the downtown park expectedbyspring.

"We brought this motion forward because we were worried about equitable access," said park board commissioner Angela Haer, who initiated the motion that was supported by the other five ABC Vancouver Party commissioners.

The only vote against came fromlone Green Party commissionerTom Digby, who criticized ABC for not putting the idea in its platform, only to bring it forward a month after being swept to power.

"It's been such a victory to have this bike lane," he said.

"Driveability is not the hallmark of a world-class park."

Controversial subject

The bike lane situation has been a controversial subject since the COVID-19 pandemic and has generated much debate at board meetings and on social media.

In April2020, the board closedthe park to vehicles to allow more room for bicycles and move them off the seawall so pedestrians could maintain ample physical distancing. Stanley Park Drive is now partially reopened to vehicle traffic, but a lane for cyclists onlystill remains.

Monday'smotion asked city staff to "immediately restore the pre-COVID traffic and parking configuration on Stanley Park Drive in time for the upcoming December 2022 peak holiday season."

A cyclist rides while wearing a face mask in Vancouvers Stanley Park during the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. A dedicated bike lane was created on Stanley Park Drive during the pandemic to give more space to pedestrians on the seawall that runs along the perimeter of the park (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

It's a decision that didn't sit well with some cycling advocates, many of whom were in attendance at Monday's meeting.

"I think it's very unfortunate," said Jeff Leigh, president of the non-profit organization Hub Cycling, dedicated to removing barriers to biking in Vancouver.

"There are many things that could be done to improve the bike lane, but to pull it out on a faint hope of reinstalling it, we think is a poor decision," said Leigh, speaking Monday morning on The Early Edition.

Leighis concerned about cyclist safety during rush hour when he says drivers are more likely to speed through the park. He is also worried any new cycling infrastructure could have a negativeimpact on the park's ecosystem.

"They're going to have to explain how they're going to expand the roadway without impacting green space," said Leigh.

One of the arguments for removing the bike lane is that it blocks access to local businesses.

The companies that own the Teahouse in Stanley Park, the Stanley Park Pavilion and the Prospect Point Bar and Grill unsuccessfully attempted to have the B.C. Supreme Court intervene over the park's bike lane. (Jon Hernandez/CBC)

The companies that own the Teahouse in Stanley Park, the Stanley Park Pavilion and the Prospect Point Bar and Grill went to the B.C. Supreme Court in an attempt tohave the Vancouver Park Board resolution to keep the bike lane on the matter set aside as unreasonable.

A lawyer for the companies said the business suffered "devastating" losses and that thepark board'sthen-decision was "ideological" and not based on a rational evaluation of costs and benefits. A judge dismissed that lawsuit in September 2021.

Former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal, the lawyer representing Prospect Point Bar and Grill,said the addition of the bike lane has "been a huge loss" to the restaurant, which he said has been closed for a year because of the traffic chaos the decision created.

Oppal said his client is not opposed to having a bike lane in principle but wants two vehicle lanes restored rather thansticking with one for bikes and one for drivers.

"Stanley Park is the crown jewel of this city, and there are so many people who can't use it anymore because of the present situation," said Oppal, speaking Monday on B.C. Today.

"We are in favour of the motionbecause we think that it will be a good compromise and everybody will get to use the park," he added.

Sandy James, a former city planner and founder of Walk Metro Vancouver,says the mental health benefits of green spaces were made glaringly apparent during the pandemic, and there should be equitable access to all.

To determine how that looks, she said, park board commissionersshouldengage in better public consultation than their predecessors and study the data on who uses the park, how they are accessing it and whatinfrastructure isbest suited to those needs.

"I think we need to drill down, and I haven't seen the park board do that," said James, who joined Oppal on B.C. Today.

With files from The Early Edition