The road to Jericho will be lined with separated bike lanes if, as expected, city council approves a staff recommendation to install a new bike route along Point Grey Road. The first phase of the $6-million plan to add new greenway infrastructure between the Burrard Bridge and Jericho Beach would start before the end of the year and run through 2014.
The proposal follows six months of consultations with residents, many of whom expressed concerns about reduced parking and increased traffic congestion.
There has been some feedback for us to slow down, there has been other feedback for us to speed up and there has been a lot of support for the project overall, transportation director Jerry Dobrovolny told reporters at city hall on Wednesday.
The plan would add four stretches of separated bike lanes along York Avenue, Cypress Street and Point Grey. Portions of the route along York and Point Grey would also use traffic-calming measures. The route was specified as a priority when city council adopted a transportation plan last year that aims to have half of all trips in Vancouver made by transit, bike, or foot by 2020.
Dobrovolny said many of the 10,000 vehicles using the route daily are commuters who reside outside city limits and the intention is to push traffic onto 16th, 12th, Broadway and Fourth avenues.
A third of the vehicles using Point Grey Road are [registered] from outside of Vancouver and are through trips and we would like to see more of those through trips away from our destinations parks, destination beaches and from schools, said Dobrovolny.
City council is scheduled to debate the proposal starting July 23. Mayor Gregor Robertson, a well-known cycling advocate, has recused himself from the debate out of an abundance of caution after recently buying a new home near the route.
NPA Coun. George Affleck said he doesnt expect the mayors absence will affect the Vision Vancouver-dominated councils decision.
With Vision Vancouver in my experience, theyve approved every single staff report that has come to council, said Affleck. It doesnt matter how many people show up. They ram it through without any concern as far as I can see. When we have 10,000 cars versus 400 bicycles you have to do the math on that.
afleming@vancourier.com
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