Kitsilano bike path plan put on hold
Opponents relieved as park board votes to refer report back to staff for more clarity
A proposed bike lane through Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach Park isn’t going to happen without a fight — and a lot more work by park board staff.
On Monday, opponents of the planned asphalt cycling path got a reprieve after the park board voted to refer the report back to staff due to a lack of clarity around costs and impact on green space and street parking.
“It’s the right decision,” said Fiona Brodie of Wake Up Vancouver, which held a rally outside the park board office before the meeting. “The plan is un-costed and brought to the park board that’s … being asked to prioritize a bike lane that’s contentious without a lot of detail.”
Proponents of the bike pathway say the separated lane will improve safety and reduce conflict between cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
The report presented a number of options for the route, which starts from Balsam Street and Cornwall Avenue in the west to Ogden Avenue and Maple Street in the northeast. The recommended route would see the lane cut through green space in the western end and through a grove of chestnut trees on the northern end.
This route would have the least potential for pedestrian and vehicle conflict, but would mean the loss of 930 square metres of green space.
But commissioner John Coupar, who put forward the motion to refer, said the conceptual report left too many questions unanswered.
“I’m concerned we are approving something here without any idea of what the cost would be,” he said.
Coupar and Sarah Kirby-Young — both NPA commissioners — raised concerns over the report’s
lack of details, including whether a portion of the route along Arbutus Street near the playground would take over green space, the sidewalk or the road.
“We are being asked to sign a blank cheque here without proper detail,” Coupar said.
Staff told commissioners the proposal was only a conceptual plan that presents the “general alignment” of the route, and that more work needs to be done before a detailed plan with cost estimates can be presented.
With the referral, the board didn’t hear from the 26 speakers registered to speak.
After the meeting, opponents of the bike lane celebrated the decision as a win, at least temporarily.
“I”m happy with that. It’s a reprieve for the moment,” said Peter Labrie, a Kits Point resident who believes a bike lane through the park is unnecessary.
Howard Kelsey of the Kitsilano Beach Coalition suggested the decision represented a broader win against cycling advocates he
believes hold sway over the city’s agenda.
“The cycling agenda was just put on hold,” he told supporters. “They are not driving the agenda anymore.”
Peter Ladner, a former Vancouver councillor and a Kitsilano resident, said he was “extremely disappointed” with the decision, calling the report “unnecessarily vague.”
“People had a right to be frustrated,” he said. “There were not clear options laid out. I think staff is terrified of these overly agitated opponents
of anything to do with cycling (who are) fixated with Kits Park.”
Ladner questioned why there was such opposition to cyclists in the park when there is room for tennis players, swimmers and other recreational users.
“There needs to be a connection of safe cycling from the Burrard Bridge to Jericho Park,” he said. “Why can’t we get something through a park? Why are cyclists considered a threat to the park? I do not get that.”