This is too good to leave to Monday. The Globe and Mail has done the first piece on the success – yes, recognized success – of the Point Grey Road greenway*:
Controversial Vancouver bike lane seems to be effective
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There were protests in the streets, and allegations of class warfare and political favours. Even by Vancouver standards, the debate over the city’s latest bike lane grew especially heated.
But nearly one year after a stretch of Point Grey Road closed to vehicles, the city says the bike route that was later installed is often the busiest in Vancouver and the plan to shift traffic to major arterial roads has worked.
“It quickly went from having low ridership … to being one of our busiest routes,” he said. …
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Mr. Dobrovolny said the city wanted to redirect as many vehicles as it could to 4th Avenue, Broadway and 16th Avenue. He said early returns suggest it has succeeded. He said the city had believed 17,000 vehicles would still travel along Macdonald Street – where Point Grey Road cuts off – but the number has been under 15,000.
Pamela McColl, a neighbourhood resident who supported the street closing … said several parents have told her they will now let their children ride bikes on the street.
Ms. McColl said the traffic along some of the streets has been quieter than she had imagined. …
George Affleck, an NPA councillor who promised his party would reopen Point Grey Road to all vehicles if elected, said he believes consultation for the project was poor. Mr. Affleck said councillors will receive a report on traffic volume in the new year. He said whenever he travels along 4th Avenue, it appears backed up.
The Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce – which has since joined the Vancouver Board of Trade – had opposed the project, but a spokesman said he had not heard any direct concerns since the two organizations unified.
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Not even a chance to celebrate the first anniversary of the route – and already the New Point Grey Road has moved through the traditional, um, cycle of controversy and come out the other side.
Here’s what happens:
First, the controversy, the outrage, the promises of reversal.
Then the accommodation to change, followed by recognition, often begrudgingly, that the bad things predicted did not happen.
Then, increasingly, a celebration of its popularity, where it becomes a symbol of the city, its way of life and its people.
Finally, full acceptance and a wonderment that there was ever a controversy in the first place (and a difficulty in finding anyone who says they were adamantly opposed).
And eventually, a heritage plaque.
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* A greenway, not just a bike route. Ken Ohrn is still annoyed that PGR gets referred to as a bike lane closed to motor vehicles. “What myopic nonsense. In fact, the New Point Grey Road is wide open to people on two feet, two wheels, three wheels and four wheels. Big trucks too. How could anyone miss it? All that’s not there is speeding commuters on a narrow neighbourhood street.”
Everyone responsible for conceiving and then seeing this bike lane successfully completed, most certainly the residents of the area, deserve to be congratulated. It always seems especially difficult to innovate in Vancouver – don’t know why. Where’s the viaduct proposal?
Too bad more streets in the Metro Vancouver area don’t look like this.
I agree. That would be really good.
Much of the city is closed off to any activity other than driving. We have a taste of an alternative here and with the few other greenways. Eventually we should have them all over the city and beyond.
I moved here from Calgary in the fall and expected Vancouver to be a lot more cycle friendly. Sadly I don’t think it’s lived up to the reputation that’s been cultivated elsewhere. Seems like a lot of talk, sharrows and lackluster infrastructure.
Sad but I think your right. What is disappointing is apparently the city government is putting new cycle lanes on the backburner. I think Vancouver is starting to get passed by a few cities rather quickly.
Reblogged this on ARCHITAMENT.
It would be interesting to see weekday vs. weekend cycling figures, as well as data from October to December. My hunch is that is most successful as a summer weekend leisure route as compared to Dunsmuir and Hornby.
I assume that there are counters under the pavement there but I don’t see PGR on the city’s website where they list the separated bike lanes’ statistics.
http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/separated-bicycle-lanes.aspx
Maybe because it’s a greenway and not a bike lane. They don’t show statistics for the Comox Greenway or Ontario Street either. And how would they count the people walking or rollerblading?
There are several bike counters along the New Point Grey Road. I am also waiting, and becoming more impatient, looking for the numbers from them.
But I love the changes in place there, and use the New PGR on almost every trip that I take by bike. What wonderful and positive improvements.
Have you heard anything about when the unveiling of the visible bike counter at Burrard and Cornwall will be? New years day would have been a good time to start it up. I haven’t been around there yet recently.
AFAIK: This week. My source is “reasonably good but unconfirmed”.
Cool. Hope people are given some notice so we can check it out at the beginning. Will the mayor get to be Number 1?
It’s also a winter recreatational route. On the sunny days that we have had lately, lots of families with children are cycling along Pt Grey.
During the summer, it was pretty busy during the weekdays. Popular with visitors. Lots of people speaking different languages.
But, at the end of the day, it is a recreational route. Therefore far fewer car trips were replaced than would have been the case had the same expense gone into a true year-round commuter route. Nice if your primary interest is recreational cycling, not so nice if you’re more concerned about climate change.
Bob, what exactly is it that the Point Grey route lacks which prevents it from being used by commuter cyclists all year round? Do you think that people commuting over the Burrard Street Bridge from points west are avoiding the greenway for some reason?
Already, before the improvements that part of Kits and Pt Grey had cycling commuting levels of around 10%. With the improvements, that should increase dramatically. Basically, it is a great way to avoid the hill which going east-west and downtown.
I find I use it to go shopping up on Broadway west of Macdonald. Something that I never did before because the hill and traffic made it a pain. An unexpected benefit.
Great to see bike infra getting some positive press. But I still winced when I hit the 2nd para calling PGR “closed to vehicles”, which it clearly isn’t since cars can still access any point on the road. I *wish* we were closing more streets to cars!
(I also take no small pleasure seeing George Affleck half-heartedly continue to dig himself in his anti-PGR hole)
What a great New Year’s present. Watching the video gave me feelings reminiscent of the last scenes of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’….I felt like breaking into ‘Auld Lang Syne’…lol.
All those bicycle bells…thanks Clarence!
yes – a great success. We need more of that in Vancouver’s clogged residential street, and not less.
Unfortunately the MetroVan mayors decided to not tax residential parking but opt for a sales tax increase instead to fund pubic transit. Big mistake.
I do get cynical over this shoddy click-bait journalism. While Mr. Dhillon does grudgingly acknowledge the success of the New Point Grey road for people on bikes, he completely misses a much larger and more important picture.
As we all know, mention of “bike lanes” is a red flag for anger from those wholly invested in car culture. Anger attracts attention, and is a key to eyeball counts.
But there is a bigger picture. What was a high volume commuter arterial is now a calmed and livable residential street. What was a dangerous, noisy and unpleasant environment past parks and homes of all sizes is now welcoming for people on bikes and on foot. A neighbourhood that was cut off from the waterfront and parks along PGR can now get there safely and easily.
A neighbourhood has been transformed by traffic calming, and that is a big picture indeed.
I agree. It gets so tiring after awhile and doesn’t lead us anywhere better.
It really shows what privilege motorists have when you see how the mainstream news media frames things. Hundreds of people per year can be hurt and killed by motorists and it’s considered just an accident or that it was just one individual slipping up. All the other motorists do not share blame yet when a single individual cyclist hits someone, somehow all other cyclists are equally guilty.
I shouldn’t have to even say it but it’s unfair.
BC’s priciest home @ $57M+ is on that street, too .. a coincidence ?
I bet prices on that street have gone up 15% or more since the street has been traffic calmed. So on an already $3M home that is almost half a million. People will soon realize that living on a traffic calmed street is more expensive i.e. more desirable than on one that has more noisy and dangerous cars. As such we need more such streets in Vancouver (and elsewhere) and not less ..
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/assessments+show+gains+value+most+homeowners+Metro+Vancouver+Lower+Mainland/10697150/story.html
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/lululemon-founder-s-57-6m-mansion-is-b-c-s-most-expensive-home-1.2170630
Property assessments are now available at http://evaluebc.bcassessment.ca/.
I did a quick check on Skip’s house, a smaller property on the quiet section of Pt Grey Road just west of Kits Beach Park and a property on the East Side. I compared land values in all cases.
2014 2015 Increase
Skip Wilson $33,024,000.00 $36,096,000.00 9.3%
2651 Pt Grey $7,300,006.00 $8,281,000.00 13.3%
446 10th Ave East $808,000.00 $941,000 16.5%
I agree that it is now much more pleasant to live on the upgraded Pt Grey Road, however Skip Wilson would have done much better if he had bought a block of houses on the East Side.
Burrard Bridge Bike Counter Now Operational: the counts are from both east and west sides of the Burrard Bridge.
http://cypressdigital.zenfolio.com/p170737746
Awww… I almost went by there today when I was on the other side of the bridge but didn’t. I’ll check it out tomorrow.