Vancouver bike lanes - low use and irritation

Post date: Jul 04, 2011 1:23:8 AM

Now that Vancouver has had some experience with dedicated bike lanes, how well do you think they are working?

There seems to be a great discrepancy between usage as measured by city hall and my personal observations. I cross the Burrard Bridge many times per month at random times, including rush hours, and the most riders I have seen at any one time: 8! The Dunsmuir lane hardly has any users anytime; Hornby Street, ditto! An extremely expensive, politically correct exercise that adds tons of pollutants to the air due to the slowdown in vehicular traffic.

— Don MacKay, Burnaby

I think it works great! I love it because it’s safe and neat to have our own bike lanes separate from the car lanes. It makes riding that much more enjoyable downtown. I'm so happy to have it.

— Monique Constant, Vancouver

Ideal spots for planting, great for parking bicycles and/or motorcycles, terrific for blocking the flow of traffic, great for confusing motorists for police ticket-writing with multi-light intersections, good for no left turns therefore increasing the volumes of traffic going in circles to get to their destinations. Our dedicated bike lanes will prove to be the most expensive, and under-used features in our downtown core. (And they could have been built for summer use only.)

— Paul Davey, Vancouver

My one trip to downtown Vancouver since the bike lanes went in left me lost as to where I could turn and convinced me to stay out of the downtown area unless I absolutely have to be there. I don't even consider downtown Vancouver restaurants or shopping visits any more. If that's the goal, the City has achieved it.

— James Peacock, Port Moody

I was out on the bike yesterday and Hornby Street's new bike lane is awesome! I saw lots of people using it as it goes both ways in one lane. It gets you across town fast and saves time. I hope more get created and more people get on their bikes.

— Tara Torrell, North Vancouver

Driving home on the freeway, I wonder why, with all the construction, we are not adding bike lanes. Probably could get home twice as fast.

— Fred Herbold, Coquitlam

The bike lanes are a disaster — politically correct idiotic hype. Traffic is at a standstill while one bicycle goes by every 10 minutes. Give your green head a good reality shake.

— Stephen Middleton, Vancouver

I completed my university practicum in downtown Vancouver this past winter and every day I was there I saw the bike lanes being used. Now that the weather is warmer, I have seen even more people use them. I think they are a great addition to the city.

— Nicole Mohoruk, Abbotsford

We have just returned from a vacation in Europe where bike lanes have been in use for many years. People there have used bikes for a long time and it seems to work well. Vancouver has forced the public to provide bike lanes at the expense of vehicles. While this does have some merit, the total inconvenience to the general public and businesses does not seem to warrant the costs for so few using the bike lanes. I do not recall seeing any issues for bikers previously without the dedicated lanes. Motorists and bikers have managed quite well.

— Elwin Mowry, Coquitlam

Vancouver unlike Europe, has few cyclists. That is why our bike lanes are generally empty. It was difficult enough driving downtown, dodging idiotic pedestrians crossing against the lights, but now drivers are forced onto narrower streets, creating bumper to bumper traffic, thanks to cyclist Mayor Robertson's bicycle lanes. His next disastrous decision was for hundreds of thousands to gather downtown to watch a game, which resulted in total mayhem. What's next?

— Arline McFarlane, West Vancouver

Driving in from Chilliwack to Vancouver on business has been a challenge for some time. Now with the bike lanes plus the cost of parking, trying to do business in downtown Vancouver is just about impossible. I have given up on Vancouver and am pursuing other alternatives.

— Jack Carradice, Chilliwack

The bike lanes are an unnecessary expenditure of money. I’ve observed bike lane usage and rarely see more than 3 cyclists using the valuable space. As a disabled person, I’ll never use the bike lane. The lanes are a big disservice to business owners along the routes. Is it feasible for a Langley commuter to bike to downtown Vancouver and return home in the same way? Don’t forget rush hour traffic and that many people run errands during their commute.

— Svee Bains, Vancouver

The bike lanes are a clear indication that Gregor Robertson and his ass-kissers are clinically insane. They knew full well that the bike lanes would be a hazard but went ahead and had them installed for the sole purpose of satisfying their own whimsical egos — the driving public be damned. I will vote for anyone who is running for mayor who promises to have the bike lanes removed immediately upon being elected.

— Ronald Champagne, Vancouver

I don’t live in Vancouver so am not aware of just how the bike lanes are working but would like to see a lot more of them in the Lower Mainland. I have a bike but ride it far too little due to the lack of safe bike lanes. I would never ride on the one beside the traffic as I see far too many vehicles wandering over the solid white line and on occasion, in the news, I hear of them hitting a bicycle rider. I feel we need bicycle highways similar to vehicle highways to encourage more bike use and reduce vehicle use. With the high cost of fuel I’m sure they would get a lot of use.

— Britt Bowles, Surrey

They're working like a charm. If the whole city was just bike lanes, we wouldn't have had a riot. And even if we did, burning bikes are way cheaper.

— James Plett, Surrey

They are stupid! There's not enough room for both cars and bikes on the current roads. Vancouver should ban cars downtown — like Singapore, Rome, and London — or build off-road bike lanes like Amsterdam and even Burnaby. If they did that, the city could let the cars have the roads.

— Gary Mauser, Coquitlam

They aren't. I hope Burnaby is watching and doesn't go any further with that nonsense here.

— Gerry Hunter, Burnaby

They are an huge waste of valuable thoroughfares. I can see using secondary routes that parallel primary routes though. We will never take cars out of the city and even though we have a warmer climate than most of Canada, most people don't like to ride in the rain.

— Tim Jantzen, North Vancouver

The ridiculous amount of money spent on bike lanes is a total waste. It caters to an athletic few and only in good weather.

It has affected businesses negatively and added to traffic congestion. Vancouver has too many hills and valleys for the average person to consider a bicycle. The critical mass gang has shown themselves to be an arrogant ungrateful lot. They don't carry their weight with expenses, licensing or insurance and they don't obey the rules of the road. I am not against bicycles or their users but they should do it on their own dime, not mine. And please, learn what a stop sign and a stop light is for.

— Charles Waggett, Vancouver

Cyclists (and scooter riders) should be knowledge tested, skills tested, road tested, and charged a license fee. Just like the other vehicles on the road. There should be no bike lanes on any main roads.

— Doug Grant, Burnaby

I live in the suburbs and only come into Vancouver city for special occasions. However, when I do, the one word that describes these bike lanes to me is just plain, stupid. Whenever I have come into Vancouver, I have noticed very little use of these lanes. Many, if not most, of those who do use them do not have helmets, do not signal lane changes, do not stop at stop signs or, more likely, use pedestrian walkways when they do encounter stop signs. They are extremely difficult to traverse for out of town visitors and are likely to cause more accidents than they supposedly prevent. Considering Vancouver's weather and the likelihood of a large number of people taking advantage of these bike lanes during inclement weather, I would say that the only thing they contribute to is traffic congestion — which in itself leads to more CO2 going into the atmosphere, more driver angst and the possibility of more accidents. Get rid of them — the sooner the better.

— Peter White, Delta

Dedicated bike lanes are only successful if the cyclists use them as they should. So why is it whenever I go downtown I see cyclists NOT using the lanes? They are breaking the law with or without bike lanes.

— Jason Feng, Burnaby

I'm a motorcyclist myself and I see no special parking for us in the city anywhere. The Mayor is an advocate for cyclists so he decides that his bike lanes are more important. I thought 2 wheels were the idea for urban transportation yet he overlooks the motorcycle and its benefits. Why can't they designate parking for us or at least make it possible for us to park as many bikes as can fit into a car size stall???? I'll tell you why ... it’s all about the money. Period. Thanks to the City and Mayor, those who ride motorcycles are put out. It must be nice to have that power and wield it where you want or don't want, Mr. Mayor!!

— Sam Singh, Langley

I'm in sales and I'm in and out of Vancouver day in and day out. I see all kinds of bike lanes but not many bikes. They work well for bike couriers, but so do sidewalks. I can't speak to early morning or the evening rush hour, but friends who live downtown say they are hugely underutilized. They seem to work well — politically.

— Gavin Burgess, Langley

Considering that Vancouverites have an even lower percentage of trips-made-by-bicycle than Calgarians (despite Calgary's awful winter weather) and considering that cycling infrastructure is still incomplete, the lanes are working well. The city has to start somewhere. Not even uber-bike-friendly Copenhagen (where over 50% of commuting is done via cycling) started as a cycling metropolis.

— Chris Stolz, Surrey

From what I see and hear on TV, not very well. Yet another "sop to the greens."

— Mac Savage, Surrey

Bike lanes are okay except for their impact on some businesses and parking but what about idiot bikers who blatantly disregard the most basic rules of the road but expect car drivers to respect them? Like stopping at red lights, stop signs, using the crosswalks to skip lights. How about banning them from Cornwall street where danger to them is extreme but still they take the risk? Just like we have traffic cops for car drivers we need the same for bike riders and we need to make them accountable.

— Les Braden, Vancouver

The bike lanes seem underutilized based on my observations. A wet spring might have something to do with it but so far it appears to be a big expensive waste of money based on the numbers. In spite of what the City says, Hornby Street has lots of days where it’s total grid lock! I think the bike lane experiment was a waste of taxpayers’ money. Perhaps that’s why the Mayor’s office cut the policing budget for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup riots? I do not think that Vancouver city council listens or cares much about the priorities of Vancouver taxpayers.

— Don Paulsen, Vancouver

This is what happens when political self interest and ideology trumps common sense — something that has become commonplace in Vancouver. Anyone with a brain can see that because the dedicated bike lanes actually slow traffic down and cause more congestion by removing lanes from critical streets, this action has actually done exactly the opposite of what it was supposedly intended to do: cause higher consumption of and pollution from fossil fuels. How could this happen? Because the Mayor of Vancouver is mainly interested in political gain by boosting his image with certain activist special interest groups. And the truth and any actual outcome be damned. When are people going to wake up and see what is happening? Same approach was used to NOT protect the city after Game 7 when the hockey riots took place — do the politically correct thing that appeases those on the left of the political spectrum, leaving the city wide open to drunken mobs. Until the citizens elect a more responsible and capable mayor, we should expect more of the same.

— Louis Paquette, Vancouver

When I have been in Vancouver during the week, during work hours, I have not seen many bikes. Maybe weekends there is more but I think causing all the traffic jam-ups for bike lanes that are not being fully used is a huge waste.

— Cheryl Blaschuk, Surrey

Mayor McNuggets is a moron, with his vision of “let’s grow wheat in our front yard, a chicken in every home, build a bike lane and they will come.” Let's hope when Mayor McNuggets needs Emergency services, those Emergency vehicles are long in coming as they are stuck in traffic trying to navigate because of a rarely used bike lane.

— Barry O'Regan, Burnaby

I think the bike lanes are a wonderful idea but that it will take time to get people out of their cars. Exhaust fumes contain carcinogens that pollute our air. People need to walk, take transit or bike, for us all to be healthier.

— Brenda Hamilton, North Vancouver

I think they are great. It means when I cycle downtown, I can actually do it without getting hit by some driver who doesn't see me or care that I'm there. And yes, I obey traffic lights and stop signs and wear a helmet and a safety vest.

— Brian J Price, Vancouver

I think that the bike lanes work well, however cyclists need to remember that they aren't cars! Weaving in and out of traffic is not a good way to extend one's life expectancy. While I sincerely applaud the "green effort," taxpayers shouldn't have had to bear the cost of renovating the roads to accommodate them. And until cyclists pay insurance (like everyone who uses roads as a primary form of transportation) they shouldn't expect nor be afforded the same courtesies as those who do!

— Barbara Christie, New Westminster

The bike lanes are an underused waste of space that negatively affect the flow of traffic and the businesses near them and they actually make bike riding more dangerous by separating bikes from cars. This social experiment by our "higher purpose individuals" should be scrapped.

— Bill Wolokoff, Delta

I do most of my biking in Ladner and vicinity where the bike lanes, in my estimation, serve their intended purpose. River Road, west of Ladner, would seem in need of additional bike lane access.

— Carl Johnson, Delta

All I can say is that I almost never see a bike rider on either Hornby or Dunsmuir at any time of the day. I have, however, had my vehicle spat on by a female bicyclist on Hornby two times if that counts for anything. I also got into a nice little verbal hissy with one of the bike folks the other week on Cambie. Bike riders: self righteous, pig-ignorant, brain-dead little hypocrites. Aye Cap'n, that’s a dangerous mixture to be sure. They call me Mister Mellow Mick.

— Michael O'Keeffe, Vancouver

Hate them! Without proper cycling rules and enforcement beyond the requirement to wear a helmet, cyclists take their lives in their hands and mine when they force drivers to swerve to avoid them. They wend through traffic without signaling and they often speed on pedestrian walkways, endangering beloved seniors, kids and pets. What’s the correct procedure when they knock poor old Biblitz down, I wonder? What’s the penalty for hit ‘n’ run? Pedestrians have even fewer rights thanks to bike lanes.

— Leo Biblitz, Vancouver

For too many years, bikers and car drivers have had to share the same lanes and it has caused frustrations on both parties. I think the bike lane is one of the best infrastructure moves the Greater Vancouver area has done. It provides a safe lane for bikers and stops slowing cars from moving at normal speed limits. The additional benefits are it helps the environment and air pollution by encouraging more people to take up biking who haven't used their bikes because of the dangers riding their bikes in car lanes. I think we should create more bike lanes on other street routes for the same reasons.

— Eric Froese, Abbotsford

I apologize. I could not respond to this question without resorting to profanity.

— Gordon E. Swanson, Surrey

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/travel/Street+Vancouver+bike+lanes+working/5040837/story.html#ixzz1R5zQP3ON