Vancouver Park Board votes keep parts of existing separated bike lane after all

It appears the controversial Stanley Park separated bike lane won’t be fully removed after all.

The Vancouver Park Board voted unanimously Monday night to have staff look at keeping sections of the lane ” that would improve safety, accessibility, traffic flow, wayfinding and aesthetics on Stanley Park Drive over the pre-COVID-19 configuration.”

4:42 Parts of Stanley Park bike lane could stay

The motion, proposed by ABC Vancouver Park Commissioner Angela Haer, also directed staff to ensure retaining portions of the lane did not delay the removal of the rest of the lane, or increase costs.

The motion calls on staff to specifically look at preserving sections including the Teahouse access, Brockton Point, the road leading up to Prospect Point and Ceperley Meadows.

“We feel some of their suggestions might add value to the Stanley Park Drive,” Haer said at Monday night’s meeting.

“A really good example would include the newer and current configuration of the Teahouse access where vehicles can easily drop off those with disabilities, elderly and family members to the right, or passenger side of their vehicles immediately in front of the restaurant with ease and flow.”

2:13 Cost of removing bike lanes could be expensive

The ABC Vancouver park board majority voted Dec. 5 to remove the separated bike lane and return Stanley Park Drive to its pre-COVID configuration, with lone Green Park Commissioner Tom Digby opposed.

Weeks later, a memo from park board staff revealed the removal could cost as much as $425,000 and take until April.

“We had no idea what the costs would be or any of the safety considerations would be of removing the temporary bike lane,” Digby said of the December vote.

“We recklessly blundered into this problem situation six weeks ago. And if my colleagues want to recklessly blunder out of it I am going to help them … I actually congratulate my ABC colleagues, it was the right decision to make this change last night.”

Crews completed phase one of the bike lane removal, which involved removing traffic cones and signage down the hill from Prospect Point to the Teahouse Restaurant and Third Beach in late December.

6:19 Cycling advocate on Stanley Park bike lane vote

The separated bike lane was installed in its current form in 2021, and has fuelled ongoing heated debate. The creation of the lane, which circles the park on the two-lane Stanley Park Drive, resulted in the loss of one lane of traffic for vehicles.

Opponents say it reduced accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, created congestion and hurt businesses in the park.

Supporters said it created a safe space for families and people of all cycling abilities to enjoy the park, while leaving drivers a full lane on Stanley Park Drive and only minor reductions in parking.

During last year’s election campaign, some ABC Vancouver candidates told Hub Cycling they wanted to remove the separated lane in its current form and replace it with “a new, dedicated cycling path in time for next summer.”

However, ABC Vancouver’s’ campaign website and platform contained no mention of any plans for the Stanley Park bike lane.

Park board staff have now been given until Feb. 13 to report back with a plan to repurpose parts of the existing bike lane, at which point the public is also expected to get a revised estimate for the cost to remove the remainder of the lane.