A Vancouver cycling advocate is asking the city council to approve plans to turn one lane of the Cambie Street Bridge into a bike path. The project was proposed last year but will be voted on by council on Jan. 17.
“The path isn’t wide enough to paint a line and meet any standards for a shared path,” said Vancouver HUB Cycling chair Jeff Leigh.
According to the city, more than 80,000 bike trips were taken on the shared path last July, adding that June cycling volumes over the bridge have increased by 86 per cent since 2010.
“The new protected bike lane would be achieved by reallocating a section of one of the bridge’s three southbound travel lanes and a portion of the extra width on the southbound-to-westbound vehicle ramp at the south end of the bridge,” read the staff report that will be presented to council on Wednesday.
The report also notes that the current shared path is too busy for those walking and biking to feel safe, noting that the number of injuries has gone up.
“I drive across the Cambie Bridge myself, I ride a bike across it and I walk across it. And the least comfortable is walking on that bridge,” said Leigh, adding that the extra lane would help both cyclists and pedestrians.
However, not everyone wants the project to be approved. Restore Vancouver, a group that is against the lane, says traffic on the bridge will be a nightmare on nights where there is a Canucks game or large concert.
The temporary southbound protected lane is expected to cost about $400,000.
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