Vancouver Park Board set to discuss future of Stanley Park bike lane

Cyclists in Vancouver are raising concerns about a plan that could see Stanley Park’s temporary bike lane removed as a permanent plan is put together.

The Vancouver Park Board is set to debate a motion from commissioner Angela Haer that would direct staff to “immediately restore the pre-COVID traffic configuration on Stanley Park Drive in time for the holiday season.”

The lane first opened in 2020 alongside partial vehicle traffic. Just months earlier, the whole park was closed to cars as part of measures to increase people’s ability to physically distance themselves and slow the spread of COVID-19.

“With the bikes lanes, we want something that’s more permanent, that’s not just pylons, and once you get the engineers involved they’re going to create something that’s beautiful and that’ll last not just our lifetime, hopefully a couple of lifetimes,” explained Haer.

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In addition to removing the bike lane for the time being, Haer’s motion is also asking for staff to “reframe and otherwise repurpose the current mobility study” into a strategy that can be used to plan and deliver “new, permanent, dedicated cycling infrastructure in the park.”

That permanent plan would include considerations for accessibility, “safer multimodal access,” equitable access for all park users, tourist access, including bus parking, as well as environmental concerns.

An organizer with Love the Lane says she’s pleased with some of the proposals. However, the removal of the bike lane through December and the winter is not something she supports.

“Well we’re really happy that the ABC park board commissioners have committed to making the separated bike lane on Stanley Park drive permanent, but we’re really disappointed that they’ve doubled down on their decision to take the lane out over winter when there are fewer visitors in the park and cyclists need the protection more than ever when it gets dark earlier and the roads are slippery,” said Lucy Maloney.

Unfortunately the separated bike lane on #StanleyPark Drive is going to be removed in December. Here's the link to the full 5 Dec ABC motion: https://t.co/WHWaw7kc1r #LoveTheLane pic.twitter.com/h1pCNZDV6t

— Lucy Maloney (@Lucyincanada) November 29, 2022

Discussions around the Stanley Park bike lane have seen some controversy in the past.

In July, a meeting over the future of vehicle traffic in Stanley Park had to end early after the then-Vancouver-Park-Board chair, Camil Dumont, said members didn’t feel safe amid heated debate.

During that meeting, the board was given a presentation on the state of the Stanley Park Mobility Study which was followed by a series of registered speakers.

Over the course of the meeting, Dumont had to sternly remind both speakers and commissioners to stay on topic.

Things came to a grinding halt when the third speaker, local lawyer Phil Rankin, told the commissioners “we’ve lost faith with this board, we think it’s ideologically driven … your staff is ideological.”

The motion is on the Vancouver Park Board’s agenda for its meeting Monday. If approved, staff will be asked to report back with a plan on or before February.

-With files from Crystal Laderas