Frank Luba
Province
Based on the success of the Burrard Bridge bike lane, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is supporting a bike lane on the north side of the Dunsmuir Street Viaduct. The mayor’s office says this would not reduce traffic lanes as there is already a concrete partition on the south side of the viaduct. Photograph by: Les Bazso, PNG, The Province
Call it Burrard Bridge Bike Lanes Brouhaha, Part 2.
On Thursday, Vancouver City Council will consider whether a bike lane should be installed on the north side of the Dunsmuir Viaduct.
The controversial Burrard bike lane reduced the lanes available to motorists on the bridge. A release Sunday from the office of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson suggests Dunsmuir will be different.
“The bike lane would be created by recon-figuring the existing barriers, and would not remove traffic lanes,” said the release, which included Robertson’s enthusiastic support. The new bike lane would open after the Olympic Games conclude.
“We know from the Burrard Bridge that, when we separate bike lanes from cars with protective barriers, more people cycle and it reduces the risk of injury or accidents,” said Robertson. “We need more protected bike lanes in Vancouver and the Dunsmuir Viaduct is the logical next step.”
Coun. Suzanne Anton doesn’t oppose the Dunsmuir project, but she pointed out it’s not accurate to say traffic lanes wouldn’t be removed.
The lane proposed for bikes was blocked several years ago for construction in the area and never returned to motorists, explained Anton.
“The challenge in the downtown is there aren’t a lot of separated [bike] routes,” said Anton.
A staff report on the Dunsmuir lanes also suggested they should be connected with their equivalents on Burrard by a downtown network of protected lanes.
The budget for the Dunsmuir project is not to exceed $300,000, according to the report.
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