This has been bugging me for years:
These chains (note the two of them) have been deliberately strung between the yellow poles to prevent people – cyclists in particular – from continuing west through a parking lot on the most direct and obvious route into Yaletown Which is an odd message to send because this block is part of what will be the City Centre Greenway.
The route is dotted in green, the parking lot is in blue, and the chains are at the red X. To the right is a small and precious park, already heavily used, that marks the end of Helmcken Street.
How the street end at Mainland became a private parking lot is unknown, at least to me. But the consequence is clear: whoever owns the parking lot does not want to provide access for pedestrians, except on a narrow and somewhat hidden sidewalk which is typically ignored. The chains of course create nothing but conflict and inconvenience.
The real message with respect to cycling is even clearer. Despite what we say about encouraging people to cycle, when it comes to priorizing bikes over cars, we don’t really mean it.
Indeed, what we have here is test of sincerity. When someone finally says, Reagan-like, “Tear down these chains” – and they come down, even if the City has to expropriate the parking lot – then we’ll know that our stated priorities are the ones we actually believe in.
I wouldn’t categorize it as being aimed at cyclsists – after all, the pedestrians are having a tough time crossing too.
The chains are probably there to prevent people (pedestrians and cyclists) from jumping into traffic. The bollards are there to prevent cars from cutting through the alley to access Yaletown and Downtown South from the adjacent Alvin Narod Mews. You can see that even on the parkette side of the alley, the City has erected bollards with chains.
But I agree that a break in the chain or a railing with a staggered gap would accomplish the same goal of preventing people from jumping into traffic.
Those chains always bothered me when I worked in Yaletown. I think some enterprising citizen with a pair of bolt cutters needs to go for a walk in that area.
I don’t understand why you need a chain, or anything else for that matter, to prevent people from “jumping into traffic.” It’s not like our streets are lined with walls to keep the jaywalkers off, and this is a bike route. This is just an impedement to normal access.
The city should bite the bullet and expropriate the parking lot. That is what they would do if they needed the land for a road or rapid transit. It is time they started treating cycling and walking like “real” transportation.
Ha, I recognized those chains immediately. I’m usually coming at them from the opposite direction (heading east) as a way to get to Pacific Blvd. It’s always a pain to jump off the bike and lift it over.
Gordon – this has been bugging me for years too! It’s one of those things that I encountered almost daily, grumbled something to myself every time I had to nagivate it, and made a mental note to at some point to follow up on it. Well done to raise it now.
One of the most frustrating things is that the alternate route alongside the building edge is entirely hidden, and if you’re heading south requires a complete back track of your steps. Very frustrating….