March 30, 2023 - (Vancouver, BC) On March 30, 2023, Vancouver City Council voted to accept the staff recommendation NOT to build active transportation lanes on a rebuilt Broadway after the Millennium Line Broadway Extension is completed. HUB Cycling is very disappointed with this outcome.
Despite the climate emergency, despite the City’s goals to reduce private motor vehicle use, despite the studies that show that active transportation lanes benefit businesses, despite the conflicts that will increase between people walking and micro-mobility users, despite overwhelming public support, despite the unknown additional cost of implementing lanes at an indeterminate time in the future instead of more cost-effectively in conjunction with subway construction, despite all the reasons to do this now, this council has decided to let this opportunity pass by.
Vancouver was once a North American leader in creating active transportation infrastructure, which resulted in an impressive shift to more sustainable transportation modes. It is now becoming overshadowed by cities like Montreal, Calgary, and Victoria.
This decision by City Council and the preceding decision by the Park Board on eliminating a protected cycling lane in Stanley Park signals a new direction for the city, prioritizing private motor vehicles over active modes. It is not clear how it will be possible to meet our climate change mitigation goals without bold actions to reallocate space from motor vehicles to active and sustainable transportation modes. It is not clear how we will improve the safety of vulnerable road users, including people walking, rolling, and cycling, when we do not provide safe and intuitive space to do so. It is unclear how equity goals can be met when prioritizing the least equitable, least affordable options.
Volunteers at HUB Cycling will continue to advocate for safe and comfortable cycling facilities that take people to where they want to go. We will continue to advocate for cycling facilities that benefit people of all ages and abilities. We will continue working with Park Board and City staff to identify the gaps in our cycling network and the existing parts of our cycling network that inadequately serve our citizens. We will continue to advocate for evidence-based decision-making.
Our goal at HUB Cycling is to have more people cycling more often, and the best way to achieve that is with safe, protected, connected cycling infrastructure.
