In a nutshell, the temporary path will be paved, and will have separate tracks for cyclists and pedestrians. In some sections, the City will also pilot a parallel pathway of mulch, to give jogger, naturalists and others the option of a more naturalized pathway. These updates are all consistent with the VPSN’s earlier recommendations.

For pathway design and consultation feedback, you can view the City’s information boards (which include the temporary design) and workshop summary report (PDF). Of note: participants consistently emphasized the values of accessibility, inclusion and safety.

Concept Image – Arbutus Greenway at West 43rd

We also used the Oct 15 session to ask the Engineering Department about the long-term prospects of a streetcar on the Greenway. As many of you will know, there’s no immediate plan or timeline because the streetcar isn’t funded; however, our question concerned technical feasibility related to the width of the right-of-way. In response, we were told that where the greenway is 20m wide, this would allow for 10m for people plus 10m for a streetcar. Where width is insufficient, the City would look into utilizing more of the adjacent street for purposes of accommodating track.

The next steps, according to the City:

• Goal: Usable path along the corridor by year-end;
• Intersection improvements and connections to other paths also by year-end;
• Benches installed in spring. Lighting options to be explored at select locations.
• Public engagement on permanent greenway to start in early December.

The VPSN will continue to be involved in discussions on this important space. In the next few weeks, we’ll be visiting spots along the greenway to see the designs as they roll out piloted. We’ll also be looking ahead to the next round of engagement and providing our input as needed.

The last week in May was Bike To Work Week and, for once in Vancouver, the weather co-operated to bring plenty of people out on their bikes! HUB’s online dashboard boasted over 10,000 participants, 2934 of which were new to Bike To Work Week. As one of those new participants I decided to jot down some of my thoughts on the event.

Aside from the fact that I love riding my bike and getting to be outside on my commute to the office, it’s actually faster for me to get there on a bike than it is to take transit, a fact HUB were touting for much of the week.

From the beginning I was super impressed with the way everything was set up for Bike To Work Week. The HUB website was easy to navigate and very informative in terms of how to log routes, where the celebration stations would be located and how you could win prizes. One of my favourite features was the group and individual stats on the dashboard page as it really put into perspective the benefit of cycling to work. I’d never really thought about how far I cycle in any given week but I was shocked to find out that it’s around 70km just for riding to and from work; those little trips sure add up fast!

Throughout the week I only saw a slight increase in the number of riders on my usual route but, as I rode to the free BBQ on Friday, there was almost a bicycle jam on 10^th Ave. There were so many people out riding! From the buzz I heard from other participants it sounded like there was a definite uptick in the number of people cycling around Downtown and plenty of inter-office competition which can only be a good thing for the state of cycling in Vancouver!

I think the celebration stations are a great idea and a great initiative for an event like Bike To Work Week. There’s nothing like the incentive of a free coffee or free snack to motivate people to stop by and chat on their way to work. Although there weren’t a huge amount of stations south of 10^th Ave, I made sure to detour to stop at one in Mt Pleasant for a coffee, free water bottle and protein square! Although the freebies seem like a small gesture it was definitely appreciated and I know it encourages more people to engage with the initiative as well as enhancing the experience of those who don’t usually ride to work.

The final event of the week was the BBQ in Creekside Park which again was a really well run event. There was a nice range of sponsors there, from bike wrenching stands to free food, raffle tickets and cycling gear. The BBQ line up was pretty busy the whole time but the ladies running it were lovely and patient and it was great to just sit down and soak in the atmosphere on the grass.

Photo from https://bikehub.ca/bike-to-work

In the future I’d love to see Bike To Work Week grow further. It would be great to see increased visibility and advertising before the event. I saw very little local news about Bike To Work Week in the days leading up to the event. It would also be great to have celebration stations more evenly distributed throughout the city to encourage riders south of 10^th Avenue.

In all, I had a wonderful first Bike To Work Week and it’s an experience I’d happily participate in again. Although the gorgeous weather definitely contributed to turnout, if even 10% of the participants decided to bike to work more often we would have a much happier and healthier Metro Vancouver!

Taking place May 1-2, the theme for the 2015 QUAD Conference is “Investing in our Transportation Evolution“. Many trends are reshaping the transportation industry‘s landscape, such as social media, autonomous vehicles, and the shift towards active transportation. Discover the innovative ways that transportation professionals are leading this evolution, and how the public and private sectors are investing in this change.

Browse the schedule, register, and get involved.

Following the death of a cyclist on Stanley Park Causeway in May 2013, the Ministry of Transportation held a public consultation about the causeway. At the consultation was a proposal for safer cycling on the 2.2km causeway, for the current 2400 daily cyclists.

Everything from the consultation can be found online, including all the detailed information boards. A comment form can be downloaded as a PDF and emailed to Erin.Moxon before Tuesday, December 9.

What’s in the proposal?

• 14 Stanley Park trees will be cut down to make way for wider protected sidewalks. Efforts have been made to minimize the number of trees lost, but an additional 5 trees could also be cut down to provide more cycling passing places on the east sidewalk.
• The current east sidewalk will be widened by 0.4m – 1.0m, and a barrier will be added to protect the path from the road. The east sidewalk will only be for cyclists heading downhill from Lions Gate Bridge to Downtown Vancouver. Pedestrians will be restricted from using the east sidewalk.
• Pedestrians will only have access to the west sidewalk. There are currently 10 times the number of cyclists using the causeway as pedestrians.
• The current west sidewalk will be widened approximately 1.9m, with a barrier added between the path and the road. The west sidewalk will be for pedestrians and slower cyclists going uphill on the causeway towards the north shore.
• The causeway’s three lanes of traffic, all of the vehicle emergency stop points, and the 60 km/hour speed limit will all be maintained. Reducing any of these was not seriously considered, nor was reducing vehicle lanes back to the original width.
• No additional pedestrian or cycling crossings will be added on the causeway.

What was missing in the proposal information boards?
Overall, the proposal was detailed, well thought through, and well-aligned with the VPSN mandate. However, some oversights remain:

• There was no acknowledgement or discussion about the 2030 agreement between the Ministry of Transportation, Translink and the City of Vancouver. The agreement discussed in Transportation 2040 says that by 2030 the Lions Gate Bridge and the Stanley Park Causeway will be for transit, cycling and walking only.
• There was no acknowledgement that the Ministry of Transportation’s figures show private vehicles volumes have been declining since 2004.
• Plans for how the improved cycling conditions on the causeway will link to the City of Vancouver were not included. Will cyclists be able to connect to separated bike lane facilities when they enter the City of Vancouver, or will they have to continue cycling with traffic?
• Plans were not included for how to improve connections between Stanley Park and the causeway, for both walking and cycling.
• Plans for how the improved cycling conditions on the causeway will link to the Lions Gate Bridge were not included. On the causeway faster cyclists going downhill have sensibly been separated from pedestrians. But what will the outcome of the new causeway design be on Lions Gate Bridge’s west sidewalk? After the half way point on the bridge cyclists will go downhill, not uphill. The increased number of cyclists going fast downhill towards the north shore, will likely increase the conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists. Therefore if volumes of cyclists and pedestrians continue to increase, additional space on the bridge will then be needed to separate cyclists from pedestrians.
• Signs will tell people they are restricted from walking on the east sidewalk. But as there are only 3 crossing points on the 2.2km causeway, a pedestrian not seeing (or ignoring) the no access signs will not easily be able to correct their mistake.
• Fewer trees could be lost if some vehicle emergency stop points were removed.

In anticipation of next week’s HUB Bike to Work Week, we’ve compiled a short history of the development of a public bike share program that identifies issues and challenges to getting the program rolling in Vancouver.

Early in 2009, the City of Vancouver started the “procurement process” to get more bikes on the street, encourage more people to cycle and use the growing cycle infrastructure network. Four years later there are still many questions on when or how the system will be implemented and operate.

There are some details on the scope of the proposed Vancouver system that is based on a TransLink feasibility study. For example, it is proposed that 1,500 bikes will be distributed at 125 stations in the downtown area, east to Main Street and north of 12th Avenue to Arbutus Street. The target market is local commuters and get them to buy monthly or yearly passes for the system but daily and weekly passes will inevitably entice tourists too.

In July 2013, a City of Vancouver staff report noted that the implementation of the first phase of bikes and stations was to take place in early 2014. It is understood that this timeline will not happen due to several challenges and issues.

Challenges:

Helmets - make the Vancouver system unique, the added challenge to abide by the provincial motor vehicle act which dictates that all bike riders on city streets must wear a helmet. Vending machines at each rental station are required – adding to the cost and footprint of the stations and reducing the convenience and simplicity that makes the other public bike share programs successful.

Operator – The City has an agreement with an owner/operator. However, Bixi, the company that was to supply the infrastructure including bikes has gone bankrupt.

Financing or sponsorship – the owner/operator has not yet secured financing or sponsorship to pay for the supply and operation of the system.

Equitable access – for residents, and visitors too!

 

One of the challenges for Vancouver has been securing a PBS operator.
Bixi in Old Montreal, image by Adam Fagen.

There has been some groundwork laid by the city as it has changed a number of by-laws to allow for this type of program to operate on City property. The Vancouver Park Board has also allowed stations and bikes on Vancouver Parks Board lands. Preliminary sites have been identified for stations with most located every 300-400m (approximately 2-3 blocks) on the street and the remaining stations will be located on the sidewalk or other City-owned property and privately owned lands.

This ground work has raised a number of issues relating to who will be using the program, how people will use it, advertising and locating stations.

Bike rental shops, particularly the ones concentrated near Stanley Park, are nervous and worry about the negative impacts of a public bike share would impose on their business.

People worry about the safety concerns that the potential large amount of people jumping on bikes who have little or no knowledge and experience of riding in the city.

The minimum station size is approximately the length of 3 parking spaces, the largest size station estimated to be 7 parking spaces. Where will all these stations go? Generally people freak out when they lose access to parking – as the VPSN found when highlighting issues and recommendations based in our 2008 Bicycle Count – and with the majority of stations to be located on the street this could lead to a lot of unhappy people. Finding space for all these bikes will be a challenge and impact the public realm. Will large areas within local parks be taken over? Will people literally “stumble over” these bike stations in crowed areas? Where will the new stations be located and who will or won’t have access?

Many point to Vancouver’s lack of a public bike share program; on the other hand, it was one of the first cities in North America to create a low-cost, low-impact network of bikeways along residential streets with light traffic volumes, making Vancouver an international leader in increasing the number of cycling trips in some parts of the city. If only Vancouver could apply this same low-barrier access to the bike share program, efforts would go a long way to increasing PBS usage, and in turn, cycling trips and number of cyclists in the city.

Distributing stations across Vancouver’s diverse communities will be a challenge for making public bike share accessible. Consider the bikeways network, the areas of the city it does currently serve and the impacts of not having “safe streets” nearby, on which to ride a bicycle. At least one urban planning graduate student has tackled this very question; Darren Buck’s thesis brainstorms solutions to providing PBS access for low-income communities, and minority groups disproportionately underrepresented in bicycling.

Further to accessibility, the solution to providing every user with a bike helmet is the inclusion of a helmet dispensing machine the size of a soda vending machine at every station. These machines will require space and have plenty of surfaces to affix advertising. This has the potential to dramatically increase in-your-face billboard/advertising across the 125 stations.

Vancouverites – don’t try this at home!
Image by Sharyn Morrow

We offer suggestions to overcome some of the challenges and issues and implement the Vancouver public bike share program:

• Work with local business to locate stations and support existing bike rental shops.
• Build the network of PBS with a view to increasing access for those who currently do not, cannot or choose not to cycle for lack of access to infrastructure.
• Implement a comprehensive and overarching education campaign and wayfinding system to ensure that folks who use the system will stay off sidewalks and understand how to get to their destination (and bicycle station) in a safe manner.
• Limit the size and scope of corporate advertising on the bike stations within the public realm. Use the space available to educate visitors and system users so that it is a positive experience for everyone.

The Vancouver Public Space Network supports the implementation of the public bike share system in Vancouver. The challenges can be overcome and we hope it is very soon! A public bike share program will support and complement existing transportation options and offers an affordable amenity to residents and visitors.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

The Vancouver Public Space Network has been participating as a stakeholder in the City of Vancouver’s Transportation 2040 Plan Update process. Since spring of 2011, City of Vancouver staff have been thinking hard about the goals set for transportation by the City in its 1997 Transportation Plan and considering how to set the bar even higher now that we’ve achieved many of our previous targets. The City is now last steps of the plan process, with the draft plan going before council for adoption.

One thing notable about the plan (which you can read in its entirety from the Talk Vancouver Transportation website) is that there’s a sizable section on public space. This strikes us as a very sophisticated approach — in many North American cities, a great amount of space is devoted to transportation uses via roads and parking, often to the detriment of a high quality public realm — yet many of our great public spaces often also serve many transportation functions, like transit interchanges or major destinations. Robson Square — a space we are very enthusiastic about — is designated within the plan as a special study area, and we are glad that Council is giving the area more consideration.

Check out our letter to Mayor and Council (included below), which highlights other noteworthy pedestrian, cycling, transit, and education/enforcement actions described in the plan.

Dear Mayor Robertson & Members of Council,

We are writing on behalf of the Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN) to express our support for the draft Transportation 2040 Vancouver Transportation Plan Update. We feel that this plan, with its hierarchy of transportation modes, and related strategies and actions, adequately balances the needs of movement for a diverse array of travelers, alongside the everyday reality of residents living, working and thriving within the city’s limits and beyond.

In no particular order, we consider the following elements of the Plan particularly noteworthy for their contributions to improving Vancouver’s public realm:

Pedestrian space and public realm

• We wish to underscore the significance of the plan’s overall safety vision for eliminating all traffic fatalities. In the wake of several recent deaths of pedestrians interacting with other vehicles, no lower goal would be acceptable or in keeping with Vancouver’s reputation for livability. We hope the City will also consider the potential gains in pedestrian and cycling safety that could be made through greater use and enforcement of 30 km/h speed limits beyond neighbourhood greenways, such as on popular downtown streets and key routes, in addition to designs that promote slower vehicle speeds.
• The emphasis on providing strong pedestrian connections throughout Vancouver is very welcome. A vibrant pedestrian realm fosters a sense of place and provides an engaging urban experience.
• The city’s identification of potential public gathering areas (mini-plazas, etc) is to be commended. This shows an important recognition that public space isn’t just a place to move from A to B, but also a place to gather, meet friends, experience events, socialize and more.
• We support actions pertaining to the creation of (a) plazas and parks throughout the city; and (b) temporary street closures. We also offer further support for this via a one-day intercept survey we did this summer – administering a lunchtime survey at Robson Square. We asked participants whether they supported the Transportation 2040 directions pertaining plazas and temporary spaces. In both cases, support for these two directions was extremely high (98% in both cases).

Public Gathering Areas – in particular Robson Square

• As you know, the VPSN has been particularly supportive of the City’s work to create a pedestrian-only space at Robson Square. In 2008-9, the Vancouver Public Space Network held an international design competition to solicit ideas and spur excitement about the concept of a public square in Vancouver – and the 800-block of Robson featured prominently in many of the ideas that were submitted. In 2011, we initiated two petitions to gauge support for keeping this space closed to vehicles. Approximately 1800 people supported this initiative, while only three dozen were opposed.
• We note that there are issues (transit, access to the West End, etc.) that need to be addressed as part of any decisions that are made, but we also feel that these are manageable issues, ones that can be resolved via the application of some creative problem-solving. The benefits of creating an enhanced public gathering area in this space will be a legacy for present and future generations.

Cycling

• We support the various actions related to improving cycling infrastructure as well as the directions on education and enforcement. Improved end-of-trip facilities, in particular, will make it easier for more people to choose cycling either for the entire length of their trip or as part of a multi-modal trip. We expect multi-modal trips to become more common with bike-sharing coming to Vancouver and we support the creation of infrastructure that benefits cyclists with varying degrees of experience, or cycling for recreational, utilitarian or commuting purposes.
• We are supportive of the City’s move to follow in the footsteps of many other cities, including our Canadian neighbours to the east, in creating a public bike share program, as we believe increasing the numbers of people using sustainable modes will result in higher quality of life in both neighbourhoods and public spaces.

Transit

• The emphasis on transit-oriented development complements the direction to make a transit-supportive public realm for people of all ages and abilities. Some of the city’s most vibrant and diverse public spaces serve important public transit functions, and we expect this to become only more important as Vancouver experiences a shift in demographics between now and 2040. Improving these spaces will be vital in achieving the growth in public transit mode share desired by the City.
• We support the City’s recognition of Broadway as Vancouverite’s top transit priority and forward-thinking in seeking to improve reliability and capacity in specifying an underground extension to the Millennium Line.

Parking

• The VPSN supports the city’s direction with parking policy on both the supply and demand sides. Reducing supply makes sense in the face of declining car use — a trend observed both regionally and across the continent — and means more space for the services and public areas that make cities livable and enjoyable places to be in. We particularly support the elimination of minimum parking requirements, which impose significant development and housing cost and can result in excess parking capacity — both of which can be detrimental to area residents (with regards to safety) and housing ownership. This frees up both space and resources which could potentially be used on public space amenities. We would, however, prefer that some mechanism be put in place to ensure that there is some oversight into whether these public space amenities are truly public in nature, rather than being publicly accessible private spaces, as the former promote a broader sense of connection and openness than the latter.
• We also support the unbundling of housing and parking, which recognizes that in Vancouver, housing affordability is often balanced with the ease of access to frequent transit enjoyed by residents. The action to approach parking as a shared district resource is also appreciated for this reason, by allowing prior developments with more parking to work in tandem with newer developments with less.

Safety

• We support an approach to enforcement of road rules that protects the road’s most vulnerable users. We would also support that enforcement approaches be developed in close collaboration with active transportation advocates as well knowledgeable users of other modes such as electric scooters or skateboards, as rule-breakers of all modes put other road users, regardless of mode, at risk as well.

We wish to draw Mayor and Council’s attention to two other items that we feel should also be considerations during the implementation of the Transportation Plan.

(1) Data-Gathering & Dissemination. We appreciate the City’s continued investment in evidence-based planning to guide City decision-making, and to support the positive choices that are being made. It can’t be emphasized enough that tracking and monitoring allows both the City and its partners to make decisions confidently for the future. Current data-gathering efforts (e.g. usage figures for separated bike lanes, pedestrian counts) have invited a wealth of perspectives based on insightful analysis — a conversation that can only happen when everyone is on a level playing field.

Related to this, we support the City’s work with TransLink to provide open data for real-time transit information infrastructure, and would encourage the City to go one step even further and to prompt other transportation service providers (public or private), such as taxis, on-demand sedan services, and water-based transportation providers, as well as regional transit partners such as BC Ferries, to follow the city’s lead. These tools make an enormous difference when it comes to helping people choose sustainable transportation modes confidently, and to get a positive experience from doing so.

(2) Continued Engagement of Stakeholders. We can’t emphasize enough that almost all transportation decisions the City is involved in will require working with partners of all stripes. We believe that the achievement of our 2040 goals will, even more than previously, require the active engagement and participation of individuals and community groups at multiple levels, be it provincial, regional or the neighbourhood. We hope that the City will continue to expand efforts towards proactively and meaningfully engaging the public, and to bring that spirit of openness to any process in which they have a say.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on this important policy document. If we can be of any further assistance, please contact Leonard Machler or Karen Quinn Fung by e-mail.

Signed,

Leonard Machler
Board Member
Vancouver Public Space Network

Karen Quinn Fung
Public Transit Project Lead
Vancouver Public Space Network

A few things to keep in mind that may help:

1. Make sure your brakes are in good working order (and that the road will let you stop). Go test the conditions in advance. If roads are just too icy for your bike, consider a different mode today. If things are looking viable, then when you use your brakes, make sure you give yourself extra time to stop. Leaving enough room to pump your brakes on and off also helps prevent sliding.
2. Let a bit of air out of your tires so that it is at the low end of your tires recommended range. This means there’s a bit more surface area to grab the road, but not so much that it makes it harder to ride. If you have the choice to take a mountain bike with bigger knobby tires, this will fare better than a road bike with skinny ones.
3. When taking corners, slow down! and make a wider turn if possible. It is much easier with frost to slide out to the side if you are making a sharp quick turn.
4. Take your time. Factor in some extra trip minutes to let yourself be safer.
5. Don’t forget to be visible to other road users – wear some reflective stuff, and use your lights (front and back and side if you can) any time the weather isn’t clear and bright.
6. Bundle up, leave early, and have fun!

What are some other tips for biking in cold, snowy and icy weather? Let us know! Leave a comment on this post or on our Facebook Page

Thursday November 17
7:00pm til late
Chapel Arts
304 Dunlevy St. Vancouver

The Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition is throwing a party in the name of keeping the bike love coming!

Music, art, and drink inspired dance moves. Become a member and for the love of self-propelled transportation! learn who bike-friendly candidates are in the upcoming elections and VOTE on November 19.

$2 entrance fee, $5 suggested donation –or better yet! become a VACC member.
There will be free valet bike parking

They’d LOVE to see you there!