Despite some pushback from residents, city council agreed Wednesday to a major $700,000 upgrade for cyclists along a stretch of a popular bike route on the edge of Chinatown.
The most significant piece of the upgrade along the Adanac bikeway will see a separated bike lane built from Gore Street west along Union Street to Main Street.
The lane, which will serve cyclists travelling west, will run in front of businesses in the 200-block of Union between the sidewalk and reconfigured parking spots.
Cyclists travelling east along that stretch of Union will continue to share the road with cars but there will be more space with the removal of 20 parking spots. The city will add 50 parking spots around the corner on Main.
Further upgrades along the bikeway will see the short stretch of Union between Main and Quebec closed to vehicles. Separated bike lanes will connect with the west side of that closed road, with one link running along Expo Boulevard to Carrall Street and the other connecting with the bike lane outside Science World.
City staff's recommendation that a bike barrier be built on the east side of the intersection at Union and Gore, which would close the road to vehicles traveling east and west, has been put on hold. Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs successfully requested city staff be given another month to consult with residents and businesses about the proposed barrier and discuss traffic-calming measures for the neighbourhood.
"The goal here is to provide safe infrastructure for everybody," Meggs told council. "So we can't really go down the road of putting in something that will resolve a local traffic issue and risk anybody who might be counting on a fire truck to arrive in a timely way."
NPA Coun. George Affleck argued unsuccessfully that a one month reprieve be given to discuss the entire overhaul to the Adanac bikeway but his suggestion was rejected by the ruling Vision Vancouver council. "We can consult for a great long period of time," said Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer. "But where the community doesn't have agreement, we need to provide some leadership, some opinion on the matter."
Council's decision came after it heard from residents and business owners concerned about the lack of consultation on the overall plan to upgrade the bikeway.
Frank Gauthier, president of the strata at the V6A condo complex at 221 Union, said none of the 142 owners received notice of the proposed changes to the bikeway. "You failed us and you failed us badly," said Gauthier, noting he wasn't opposed to cycling upgrades but wanted some say in the proposals.
Jerry Dobrovolny, the city's director of transportation, said notification letters for the residents of V6A were left with the building's concierge. "They didn't want us running around the halls in their building," Dobrovolny said.
Some speakers suggested a piece of green space tucked in between the 200-block Union and a viaduct ramp could be used to create a bike lane that would alleviate the need for any changes to the road. "We have a green space that is underutilized across from us, and we are [proposing] to move concrete and utilizing taxpayer dollars and not using it?" said Steve Da Cruz, a cyclist and owner of The Parker vegetarian restaurant at 237 Union St.
Dobrovolny said city staff examined the option of using the green space but concluded part of the viaduct extended too far north and would create a "pinch point" for a path. That said, Dobrovolny suggested the green space could be considered for a pathway that would enhance the changes to the bikeway, which sees 4,000 bikes per day along the stretch of Union in the summer mixing with 5,000 cars per day.
Pete Fry, a cyclist and chairperson of the Strathcona Residents' Association, said he was glad council agreed to hold off on the barrier at Union and Gore until more discussion with neighbours. Fry told council the community is "generally supportive" of infrastructure for bikes but that there were ongoing concerns with safety and how cyclists mix with motorists and pedestrians.
"It's not that we're opposed to bike routes but we want to see something that works for everybody and works for the residents of the community - not just the commuters who travel through it," Fry told the Courier after the council meeting.
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