Bike lane on Stanley Park Drive to return this year: Park Board decision dailyhive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyhive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Park Board has already implemented COVID-19 temporary changes that decrease mowing frequencies in certain areas, but Demers wants the impact of the interim practices tracked for the establishment of permanent protocols with incremental targets.
In his motion, Demers argues cutting down the scope of maintenance work could reduce the Park Board’s operational costs, and lower the noise and greenhouse gas emissions from the usage of engined mowing equipment.
He also suggests that long grassy areas could provide more habitats and food sources for birds and insects.
According to Demers, the Park Board deems about 300 hectares (741 acres) of the 1,360 hectares (3,361 acres) of Vancouver’s parks and open spaces to be non-irrigated areas with limited or no mowing. Approximately 100 hectares (247 acres) are high-use, irrigated turf on soil or sand, 484 hectares (1,196 acres) are high-use, non-irrigated turf, and about one hectare (2.5 acres) are “meadows” that are mowed high and
VANCOUVER A vote on a controversial proposal to create a temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive this spring and summer did not go ahead as planned on Monday night after other agenda items took up too much time. Instead, the commissioners are now scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on the plan that would see motor vehicle traffic siphoned down to a single lane so the second lane could be dedicated for cycling. It’s similar to the initiative that took place last year between June and September. According to park board staff, there was a surge in the number of cyclists using the park – but many businesses complained about parking and accessibility, saying the removal of the traffic lane kept customers away.
Dumont wants to have the bike lane reactivated “as soon as operationally reasonable” until the end of October 2021.
Park Board staff are also being asked to consult with stakeholders such as restaurant businesses and the Vancouver Aquarium and consult with the city’s advisory committees, including the Seniors Advisory Committee and the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Community.
It is expected that learnings from the changes that altered Stanley Park’s road system last year will result in the implementation of improvements and “innovations.”
The controversial bike lane was a sticking point for several park businesses after their parking lots were significantly reduced or completely blocked off for the bike lane. Parking was particularly affected for far-flung destinations such as Brockton Point, the northeast shoreline near Pipeline Road, Prospect Point, and Third Beach. Parking was also significantly reduced at Second Beach.