The City took the opportunity, at the time it was doing major water-and-sewer pipe upgrades under the street, to reconfigure Burrard Street on top.
In addition to the existing wide sidewalk, there’s now a separate bike lane.
A raised bike lane on a major arterial like Burrard Street, between Burnaby and Pacific, leading to one of the major intersections in downtown, would have been unimaginable a decade or so ago. And not because the concept would have been rejected by council. It would never have gotten that far, having never been seriously considered by staff in the first place.
Clearly the lesson is that such changes need to be part of a larger plan of upgrades, including benefits to drivers, upgrade of utilities, repaving, etc, and introduced at a time when traffic is going to be disrupted in any event, not just for a bike lane. The same thing happened on Dunsmuir Street, when the cycle track went in after the closures for the Olympics. Few complaints. But when the Hornby separated lane was proposed just by itself, all hell broke loose.
More good news: Musette, the cycling-themed cafe, is back.
It already feels like a popular local hangout, as well as a meeting place for pelotons of MAMLs
Here’s an image that captures Vancouver, c 2017:
It’s a smart idea and saves money to redesign what’s above the ground if sewer work is happening anyway. Our ideas about what streets are for have changed a lot in the past few decades (for the better). Too bad about West King Edward in Kitsilano though. It got repaved and is on a super wide corridor and they put in old fashioned door zone painted bike lanes. Oh well. Maybe in twenty years when it needs repaving they can put in something better.
La Musette makes one of the best lattés I’ve ever had. I first went there a few years ago and that’s where I discovered that a whole subculture I didn’t know about that’s into cycle racing. It’s an entirely different scene and motive than the transportation cycle types. Who knew?
Many kudos to the city on this project!
Regarding redesigning the surface of a street slated for major underground infrastructure …… I sure wish the city saw the light on Cambie Street after the construction of the Canada Line which is supposed to move as many people as a “10-lane freeway” (Gordon Campbell’s words). Curb bump-outs and more street furniture would have made a real difference to compliment a rapid transit project that moves humans instead of cars.
Score: F minus for urban design rationale.
Some good ideas being put forth for a Complete Street on Cambie. Yes, it would have been nice to see it integrated into the Canada Line construction, but at least there is progress now. Concepts below presented as part of the Phase 3 Cambie Corridor planning work.
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q367/jcleigh/Posts/Cambie%20Complete%20Street%20Concepts_zps91osksxj.jpg
Has anyone ever considered transforming the center median into a walkway similar to those in Mexico City? I’m thinking back to a previous pricetags post: https://pricetags.wordpress.com/2015/01/14/mexico-enero-5/
There are some very rare and mature trees in the median that will need preservation. I wouldn’t want to see the Sequoias disappear like the Atlas cedars at VAG did. Nonetheless, shaving a metre of two off both outside edges may be possible.
That is good to know, Jeff. Thanks.
I don’t see a lot yet on the Cambie Village segment from 7th Ave to King Edward. It was disappointing that the traffic engineers got their way by emphasizing traffic flow over the needs of human beings using the sidewalks, even after a major rapid transit line was built directly below.