Bike lane proposal on Vancouver’s Broadway draws mixed reaction

What do you think about adding bike lanes to the Broadway corridor in Vancouver?

The proposal is up for a city council vote, though staff are recommending against the active transportation lanes.

Instead, they’re recommending council take two of the six lanes on Broadway and turn them into wider sidewalks and enhanced public space. Despite this, council does still have the option to add in bike lanes if it so chooses.

Reviews are mixed when it comes to whether this is a good idea.

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Councillor Christine Boyle says with all the changes coming to Broadway, now is the right time to add the lanes.

“I think it’s really important that we include active mobility lanes on the resurfacing of Broadway and that we do it now rather than punting it 20-plus years down the road,” she told CityNews.

“Now is when we’re doing that resurfacing work so it’s the most cost-effective time to be doing it.”

But Greater Vancouver Board of Trade President and CEO Bridgitte Anderson says the idea is misguided, mainly because there are already many bike lanes on roads parallel to Broadway that are in use.

“There isn’t a need to have more bike lanes along such a busy corridor,” she said Thursday, noting she feels decisions should strike a balance that considers space for pedestrians, businesses, patios, and access.

Anderson says she doesn’t have an issue with bike lanes — so long as they are on the right roads.

“Bikes have a place in our city, absolutely, but they have a place just blocks away from Broadway and that’s where they should stay,” Anderson said.

But Boyle says there is a need for dedicated bike lanes on Broadway — you just have to look at what’s already happening.

Despite there being bike lanes on roads on either side of Broadway, Boyle says people still use the corridor to “access services and support shops along the way.”

“The way we make it safer for everyone is by creating space that suits each road user,” the councillor said.

The city has an extensive network of bike lanes and routes. The ones nearest to Broadway are along 7th Avenue and 10th Avenue.

A map of Vancouver’s bike lane/route network. (Courtesy City of Vancouver)

However, Boyle notes those two routes don’t have separated, designated bike lanes — bikes ride alongside vehicles. She adds in some places, the roads are “quite bumpy,” making it challenging for transport modes like scooters.

According to Anderson, the corridor is “the second-largest employment centre” in B.C.

She feels instead of considering bike lanes on Broadway, the city should be looking at how to better support businesses and residents.

“The option that had been strongly recommended by city staff is to widen the sidewalks to allow for more pedestrians, and for patios and that kind of thing. It simply isn’t the right place to add more bike lanes,” she explained.

“As the second-largest employment centre in British Columbia, [Broadway] is a corridor for the movement of goods and people. So we’re talking about vehicles, commercial trucks, we’re talking about transit and also emergency vehicles. This is a really vital corridor that should be kept as it is. If they were to add those bike lanes, we could lose up to two additional lanes of traffic, and that would be a really difficult thing for this area, which would add more congestion.”

But Boyle feels the addition of bike lanes would support what Anderson is calling for, while making the road safer for all users.

“People are on Broadway because they’re using those shops and services — and we want that, we want a vibrant public realm on Broadway where people are supporting those businesses that have really struggled over the pandemic and the construction of the subway,” she said.

“Adding active mobility lanes on Broadway will be good for those businesses and it makes the sidewalks and the streets safer for everybody using them.”

When it comes to congestion and vehicle traffic concerns, Boyle says there’s already been a reduction in volume due to construction for the Broadway Subway. She anticipates a further reduction will be seen when the subway actually opens.

In a statement to CityNews, ABC Vancouver says options are still being discussed ahead of the council vote. That is expected to happen on Wednesday, March 29.

-With files from Martin MacMahon