Cyclists southbound on Burrard Bridge
The new mayor of Vancouver has come good on one of his election promises and helped promote bicycling in our city. One step in this direction was taken this week when the Burrard bridge got it’s own dedicated cycle lane. The bridge links downtown Vancouver to the north with the west side (Kitsilano, Fairview) to the south. It is a busy commuter route with pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
The new arrangements have introduced a south bound lane for cyclists – taking away one of the three southbound car lanes. Northbound cyclists now have exclusive use of the sidewalk on the east, with pedestrians using the sidewalk on the other side in both directions.
There have been a lot of complaints from motorists about this arrangement, whilst cyclists have (naturally) been very supportive. No surprise there!
We use this bridge a lot since we are often over the west side with showings or simply to enjoy the beach, restaurants or the buzz of the area. We drive across and have not noticed any traffic issues so far. One of our clients uses the bridge as a cyclist and says that his commute is a bit shorter but a whole lot safer. That is the point of this after all.
Cycling around Stanley Park is a big draw for tourists and locals alike. We can now glimpse a view of the city with a much wider network of cycle paths. And when the sun is shining and there’s a safe route to cycle I can see the appeal.
[Note photo is from the KatKam – a web cam that looks onto the Burrard Bridge.