Vancouver to consider bike lanes on Burrard Bridge

By Tracy Sherlock
April 30, 2009

VANCOUVER -- Either traffic chaos or cyclists’ heaven could be coming to the Burrard Bridge this summer.

Tuesday evening city council will consider a plan to close at least one lane, and possibly two, to create bike lanes on the bridge for a trial period.

If approved, the trial would begin about four to eight weeks later, and could last until the end of the year, said Jerry Dobrovolny, Vancouver’s assistant city engineer for transportation

A similar trial lasted only one week in 1996. Traffic jams at either end of the bridge led to a public outcry, and the bike lanes were scrapped.

Dobrovolny thinks this trial will be different.

“We’re dealing with a different generation of commuter. We know that they walk more, we know that they ride their bikes more, we know that they take transit more, and we know that they drive less,” Dobrovolny said.

The approaches to the bridges will be modified to give buses priority access and changes will be made to make it easier for drivers to access the Granville Street Bridge and the Cambie Bridge, Dobrovolny said.

The six-lane Burrard Bridge was built in 1932 and connects Kitsilano to the downtown peninsula and the city’s West End. Pedestrians and cyclists share elevated sidewalks on either side of the bridge.

Read the rest of this article at Vancouver Sun