Background

Cyclists

Map of proposed downtown bicycle network

The Downtown Transportation Plan provides a bit of the history and statistics regarding cycling in the downtown area:

Bicycle Plan

Bicycling in the City of Vancouver has been encouraged since the adoption of the 1988 Bicycle Master Plan. At that time, an origin-destination survey of cyclists showed that cycling was most prevalent in the northwest quadrant of the City which includes the Kitsilano and Point Grey neighbourhoods. The plan recognized cycling as a viable mode of transportation and proposed the integration of cyclists into the transportation network largely through the shared use of existing roadway space.

The first bike route created within the downtown peninsula was the Seaside Bike Route in 1990. The route was developed around the shoreline of Stanley Park and False Creek, and connects to the University Endowment Lands. This route was an off-street bicycle facility primarily catering to recreational cyclists. This route has been so successful that it has been widened and upgraded to deal with congestion and conflicts between cyclists, in-line skaters and pedestrians.

In 1992, the City adopted the Bicycle Network Study that recommended a network of bicycle routes along local streets (bikeways) to serve existing cyclists and encourage more people to cycle. The use of local streets was seen as a viable solution because it provided cyclists with a route that was more pleasant (less air and noise pollution), less congested and almost as direct in comparison to the busy arterial street system. This attracted many cyclists away from the arterial street system, thus reducing potential conflicts between motorists and cyclists. This approach cannot be extended into the downtown because there are few local streets with very low traffic volumes within the downtown core.

In 1997, the Vancouver Transportation Plan was adopted with the recommendation to prepare a Downtown Transportation Plan that included bike lanes. It also recommended that the downtown bike lanes be given the highest priority in the City's bike program. The plan targeted walk/bike trips to make up 18% of all daily trips within the downtown by 2021. In 1999 the target was exceeded. The daily walk/bike trips to downtown destinations made up 32% of all daily trips to downtown in TransLink's Trip Diary Survey.

In 1999, a comprehensive review of the city's bicycle network was completed by staff and compiled in a document entitled, 1999 Bicycle Plan: Reviewing the Past, Planning the Future. The review, which included a survey of 900 cyclists, showed that there is a strong desire by cyclists to have a network of interconnected bicycle routes in the downtown core to complement the network of bikeways throughout the rest of the City. It also showed that investment in a cycling network of over 100 km of bikeways, has encouraged more people to cycle.

In 2000, bike lanes on Pender Street between Carrall and Cambie were implemented as part of the street's reconstruction. In the same year, the Pender Street bike lanes were extended westward to Georgia Street on a trial basis, with a bus/bike lane between Cambie and Howe, and with a wide marked curb lane shared with traffic between Howe and Georgia.

Cycling Demand Downtown

Before developing any bicycle route network within the downtown peninsula, the demand for such a network was first confirmed.

A Trip Diary Survey completed by TransLink between October and December 1999 showed that approximately 90,500 bicycle trips are made on a daily basis for all trip purposes throughout the region. Of that, almost half of those regional bike trips are to destinations in Vancouver. Of the bicycle trips destined to Vancouver, about 18% (8,000 trips) are destined to the downtown peninsula. Given the size of the downtown peninsula relative to the rest of the City of Vancouver, it attracts the most cyclists relative to any other similar sized area in the region.

An analysis by TransLink of the 1996 Census for journey to work trip by bicycles yielded a similar conclusion (Cycling and the Journey to Work: An Analysis of the 1996 Census Results for the Greater Vancouver Regional District, 2001). The City of Vancouver receives 50 percent of all bike to work trips in the region, by far the greatest number. Within Vancouver, the downtown peninsula receives the highest number of bike to work trips. The second and third highest destinations are Central Broadway and Kitsilano, respectively.

Traffic counts throughout the City indicate that the majority of cyclists on arterial streets are located within the downtown core, followed closely by the Broadway corridor. A survey of almost 900 cyclists (Bicycle Plan 1999) showed that the majority wanted to see cycling routes in the downtown, followed by improved facilities on bridges and Burrard Street.

Graph of survey asking 'Where would you like to see cycling routes in Vancouver'

Given these findings, one could conclude that the downtown peninsula is the best location for the provision of bicycle facilities within the GVRD or within the City of Vancouver because of its high concentration of cyclists. Despite the fact that cycling represents only a small percentage (2.3 %) of all daily trips into the downtown as determined by TransLink's Fall 1999 Trip Diary Survey, it represents about 8,000 trips into the downtown. Put into perspective, 8,000 trips are equivalent to all the transit passengers served by 230 buses in the morning peak hour along Granville Mall. It is more than the number of people crossing Lions Gate Bridge in the morning peak hour. While the percentage of cyclists is small, the absolute numbers and related impacts on the transportation system are significant. It should be noted that TransLink's survey occurred during Vancouver's wettest months (November and December) in Vancouver and that the survey includes all people 5 years and older. Other surveys which only include adults 16 years and older show cycling as a high as 7% percent of all daily trips in Vancouver (Regional Travel Survey, Canadian Facts, July 2000).

It should also be noted that a bicycle network within the downtown would help to provide a wider range of sustainable transportation choices that respond to downtown's changing land uses and transportation needs, and add to the quality of life.

Future Growth

Cycling has been growing steadily over the past 10 years. Counts from all sources have shown growth ranging from as low as 30 percent over a five year period to as high as 400 percent over a one year period, depending on the location, time of day and time of year the count was conducted. Typically, higher growth rates are associated with physical improvements such as the provision of a bicycle facility. It is estimated that cycling into the downtown has more than doubled in the last five years based on a comparison of TransLink's 1994 and 1999 trip diary surveys. This growth is occurring largely without any provision of cycling facilities within the downtown, and without any significant improvements to the bridges that connect downtown to the rest of the city.

Although it is certain that the number of cycling trips into the downtown will grow given past trends, it is difficult to accurately predict the future growth potential to 2021. The past trend in downtown cycling correlates with the trend in downtown residential growth. This link appears reasonable because cycling is a viable option for many of those that live and work downtown. As well, growth in cycling has an upper limit, similar to residential growth which is limited to the zoned capacity within the downtown. Using this approach, it is estimated that the number of daily bike trips into the downtown will more than double from 8,000 in 1999 to about 18,000 in 2021.

The 2021 estimate is very rough in that it is based on limited data and sample sizes. It also does not consider residential growth in the central area just outside the downtown peninsula nor the fact that past trends occurred without improvements to bike facilities to and within the downtown. It also focuses on commuter trips when recreational trips around the downtown are a significant occurrence. Therefore, further work may be required to try to set a more accurate mode share target for bicycles. In the meantime, the above data suggests that a four-percent daily mode share for all trip purposes in 2021 might be a reasonable target.

Many new cyclists were attracted to newly developed bike routes outside the downtown peninsula. Given these past experiences, there are indications of a latent demand for cycling. Other examples include the significant growth of cyclists using the Seabus (75% per year for three years) once it became available in 1990, and the significant increase in cycling (over 100%) across the False Creek bridges during the 2001 transit strike. Bicycle latent demand was also examined by N.D. Lea Consultants when upgrades to the Lions Gate Bridge were discussed (Discussion Paper #7 - Bicycle (and Sidewalk) Access Issues, October 1997). They concluded that improvements to Lions Gate Bridge could induce a sharp initial increase in bicycle traffic (75% to 200%) followed by 6% annual growth. These data suggest that the future bicycle mode share in the downtown could be higher than the four percent suggested above.

Why Bike Lanes?

There are two main types of bicycle facilities: off-street and on-street. Off-street facilities generally refer to bike paths completely segregated from auto traffic. This type of bicycle facility has been pursued around the periphery of the downtown peninsula and forms the majority of the Seaside Bike Route. There are almost no other opportunities for off-street bike facilities within the downtown peninsula because of the density of development and limited road space.

On-street bike facilities generally refer to shared wide curb lanes (integrated with general traffic) or marked bicycle lanes (separated from general traffic). Based on a literature review by Hamilton and Associates (Safety Review for the Downtown Transportation Plan, 2001), they came to the conclusion that "bike lanes were found to reduce bicycle collisions by between 35 and 50 percent". Bike lanes would also make cyclists more visible and could reduce auto crashes by improving the turning radius at intersections. A study of Bike Lanes Versus Wide Curb Lanes published by the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation in October 1999 concluded that both bike lanes and wide curb lanes are appropriate for improving riding conditions for bicyclists.

Currently the City of Vancouver has a policy of providing wide curb lanes to accommodate cyclists whenever the opportunity arises. This has already been done along some downtown streets. With higher traffic volumes in the downtown peninsula, bike lanes are generally preferred where there is adequate width because they provide increased comfort levels for cyclists and are more likely to increase the amount of cycling than wide curb lanes. An added benefit is reduced congestion and conflicts with motorists because of the ability for motorists to more easily pass a cyclist who is in a separate lane. A survey of cyclists conducted as part of the Bicycle Plan 1999: Reviewing the past, Planning the Future also showed that the majority of cyclists prefer bike lanes over shared wide curb lanes along arterial streets by a margin of about 2 to 1. Therefore, proposals for bike facilities within the downtown focus on providing bike lanes.

In reviewing appropriate locations for bike lanes, several factors were considered:

The Approach

In establishing a bicycle network downtown, the following two principles were used as a guideline:

  1. To provide direct connections to existing routes and key destinations in and around the downtown. Particularly important are links from the central business district, where the majority of cyclists are destined, to all the bridges, the Seaside Bike Route, and the Adanac and Ontario Bikeways.
  2. To minimize the impact to the transportation network by avoiding the removal of traffic lanes and, where possible, not significantly affecting the on-street parking inventory.

The Recommended Network

[...]The majority of the bicycle lane network is achieved by re-striping roadways, slightly narrowing the existing traffic lanes to standard widths. The existing street widths resulted in the creation of several one-way couplets of bike lanes to avoid removing traffic and parking lanes. Overall, approximately 25 km of bike lanes are proposed within the downtown peninsula (representing about 6 percent of the total road space). This can be done with minimal impact to other road users and at relatively low cost. The resolution of a bike facility along Pender Street is outstanding and it is recommended that further detailed analysis be conducted with TransLink and other stakeholders.

[DTP pp. 93-97]

Bridge Connections

With the current upgrades to the Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park Causeway, bicycle access from the North Shore will be accommodated. Still outstanding are the improvements to the False Creek Bridges to accommodate current and future demands. This review is currently being undertaken as part of the False Creek Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Study. This study will incorporate the findings of the Downtown Transportation Plan to ensure that a seamless bike network is created between downtown and the rest of the City. Further work on the Granville Bridge loops and Granville Street will explore potential bike connections to Granville Bridge.

[...]

Other Bicycle Policies and Proposals

In conjunction with the proposed network of downtown bike lanes, there are a number of related recommendations. These include exploring the use of coloured asphalt to further delineate the bike lanes from the rest of the roadway, installing "bike boxes" or advance bicycle waiting areas at intersections, providing traffic signal progression speeds suitable for cyclists, and promoting and educating road users about the role of bike lanes.

Existing bike policies must also continue to be pursued. Specifically, where no bike lanes are proposed, existing arterial streets that are reconstructed or re-striped should provide wider curb lanes. Along local streets in the West End, Coal Harbour and Downtown South, potential barriers to cycling should be eliminated and bicycle friendly street designs utilized wherever possible. The recommended bicycle friendly streets are shown on Figure 4.4-C and they include the creation of bikeways along Chilco and Cardero.

Map showing future bike friendly streets, mostly in the West End

Finally, required end-of-trip facilities (bike racks, bike locker, showers, change rooms, etc.) should continue to be pursued through the Parking By-Law for off-street facilities and through new programs, such as the Street Furniture Program. These end-of-trip facilities should be provided as cycling usage increases and may require the development of special public bicycle parking facilities.

Finally, a comprehensive way-finding/destination signage system should be developed to provide orientation to the City's bicycle network system. This would not only encourage more people to cycle, but would be useful to many downtown tourists.

Future Considerations

Based on public feedback on the proposed bike network, several items need to be recognized.

  1. The proposed bike network is viewed by some as only providing a basic network of bike routes. Many other streets such as Robson Street between Burrard and Beatty, Homer Street, Georgia Street and Thurlow Street have been suggested, but not recommended at this time. The primary reasons are the lack of street width or the impact on other transportation modes. Many suggest that a plan for 2021 should be bolder and should include the reallocation of more road space from auto traffic. While this may be necessary in the future, it is not required given the projected demand and this proposal which provides a bicycle network while maintaining all other modes of travel. Should conditions change significantly, the approach to the downtown bicycle network will need to be re-evaluated.
  2. Others are concerned that the bike network would add to traffic congestion or feel that bike lanes are not the most appropriate bike facility for the downtown. Based on the data available and the analysis completed, the proposed bicycle network should be achievable with minimal traffic impacts. More detailed analysis and consultations should be undertaken as part of the implementation phase. Upon completion of each bike route, close monitoring is expected to measure the impacts of the facility. This would allow future modifications to ensure the success of the bicycle network.

[DTP pp. 99-101]

Road Network

The DTP describes many details of the road network, but only a few of these are included here.

Road traffic volumes were heavily influential when staff selected potential bike routes. In order to improve safety, and to allay fears about the impact of bike routes on vehicle traffic, routes are often on streets with low traffic.

Map showing traffic volume levels on downtown streets

[DTP p. 44]

Some streets are proposed to be converted to one-way or two-way. The changes on Beatty, Pender and Carrall are particularly relevant:

Map showing proposed roadway changes for downtown

[DTP p. 50]

Transit

The DTP describes many changes to transit service, but only a few of these are included here.

A new streetcar service is proposed around False Creek, with a potential extension along Drake St.

Map showing proposed streetcar service

[DTP p. 66]

Some changes to downtown bus service are proposed, including several new loops. A reduced rate service within the downtown core is also proposed.

Map showing proposed downtown bus network changes

[DTP p. 69]

Pedestrians

For brevity's sake, only the proposed major pedestrian routes are shown below.

Map showing major pedestrian network

[DTP p. 79]