Appendix A - Summary of Consultant Study - False Creek Pedestrian and Cyclist Crossings Study

False Creek Pedestrian and Cyclist Crossings Study - November 2001

Delcan Corporation in association with IBI Group, Ward Consulting Group and dpl Consulting

5.0 Findings and Recommendations

The findings from this study need to be considered in the context of the objectives, expectations of the City and stakeholders, and the level of effort undertaken during the course of the study. Given the intended strategic nature of the study, the findings will be generalized accordingly. However, the findings will give direction to the City of Vancouver in defining the further steps required to provide pedestrian/cycling improvements across False Creek.

5.1 Findings

From the review of the five key options presented in Section 4, two key findings emerge. The first finding relates specifically to the Burrard Street Bridge Corridor and that this corridor be given highest priority to any improvement. The second finding sees merit in providing a connection between the north and south shores of False Creek in the Granville Street Bridge Corridor. These two findings are discussed in more detail in the following sections along with the rationale which supports them.

Finding 1: Improvement in the Burrard Street Bridge Corridor

It is apparent that the Burrard Street Bridge Corridor be given the highest priority. More specifically, this priority would be placed on Options B1 and B2 which contend outside and inside widening of the sidewalks respectively. This main finding of the study is based on the following key observations:

· Pedestrian and cycling demand is high along this corridor and will continue to be high in future years as compared to the Granville and Cambie Street Bridge Corridors (recognizing the Cambie Street is forecasted to experience significant growth in pedestrian/cycling traffic due to development in the Northeast and South False Creek areas).

· The low level option of providing a cyclist/pedestrian bridge under the Burrard Bridge is not likely to meet the needs of commuters for reliability if it is constantly open for marine traffic. Pedestrian and cycling demand is primarily commuter orientated on weekdays, thus the existing sidewalk/bridge deck accommodates this demand desire line at the roadway level rather than that provided by a secondary routing.

· Significant safety issues persist on the deck of the Burrard Bridge due to the limited sidewalk width, high demands, and shared usage. This issue must be addressed in any improvement to this crossing of False Creek.

Finding 2: Improvements in the Granville Street Bridge Corridor

As mentioned, there is merit in providing an improved pedestrian and cycling connection between the north and south shores of False Creek. This connection is suggested to be provided through a crossing suspended beneath the existing Granville Bridge, namely Option G1. The rationale supporting this finding is as follows:

· The new crossing fills the void for an improved connection between the north and south shores of False Creek with respect to recreational users in the overall study area.

· The new crossing enhances accessibility to Granville Island from the downtown peninsula.

· The new crossing improves user comfort for those pedestrians and cyclists currently using the Granville Bridge corridor

5.2 Recommendations

In recognizing the above findings, it is recommended that the City of Vancouver endorse these findings and pursue these through further study. Given the diverseness of the two findings, it is further recommended to pursue two separate studies for each finding as discussed below.

The first study would examine the two Burrard Bridge options, namely B1 and B2 with the goal of fully assessing the impacts and benefits of each, such that one solution can be brought forward that solves both the short term and long term needs along this corridor. This future Burrard Bridge study would also examine the "tool box" of local improvements tabled earlier herein as variations to both deck options, Option B1 and B2.

The areas of investigation of this recommended study would concentrate on defining the actual configuration of the proposed options in more detail then considered herein, and then generating the benefits and impacts in a quantifiable manner. As such, a direct and responsible comparison could therefore be made between the pros and cons of the two preferred Burrard Bridge corridor options. Aspects to be considered in the new study would include:

· additional bridge access for pedestrians and cyclists on both the north and south sides of the bridge;
· intersection improvements at Pacific Boulevard and possibly Hornby;
· impacts to traffic flow (travel times, delays, queuing, etc) associated for Option B2;
· heritage impacts on the critical elements of the bridge related to the variations and extents of the outward sidewalk extensions on both options;
· impacts and shadowing effects to adjacent buildings;
· structural requirements of outward sidewalk extension;
· constructability and costs.

The second study would concentrate on the Granville Bridge option, G1 which considered the possibility of a new structure suspended from the truss work of the existing bridge to provide a direct connection between the north and south shores of False Creek. This new study would be commissioned to examine in more detail the:

· exact nature of the crossing in terms of location, landing points, additional access points, and means of construction;
· impacts the new crossing would have in the Granville Island area;
· impacts the new crossing would have in the Beach Avenue/Pacific Boulevard Area;
· design features to increase the attractiveness of the crossing from both an visual and usage standpoint;
· issues related to the reduced vertical marine navigational clearance from 90 to 70 feet through consultation with the Coast Guard;
· potential funding arrangements with "partners" in the area;
· constructability and costs.

Critical to the analysis to be conducted in this future study, is the need to assess the structural capacity of the existing bridge to support the additional loading associated with the suspended pedestrian/cyclist structure. This analysis would also consider the eccentric loading on the bridge since the proposed crossing is suspended on one side only.
Discussing these two recommendations, triggers the need to examine in more detail the Cambie Bridge options that were also tabled herein for further study. These improvements need to be considered in light of future development in the eastern parts of False Creek and even with the possibility of Olympic venues and housing being provided in the area. The two options previously tabled include:

· Option C2 Cambie Bridge (Outward West Sidewalk Extension)
· Option C4 Cambie Bridge (Adjust Lanes to Provide Southbound Bike Lane)

Therefore, in addition to the recommendations to undertake separate studies for the Burrard Bridge corridor options, B1 and B2, and for the Granville Bridge corridor option G1, a further study will need to be undertaken in the near future regarding the assessment of the Cambie Street improvement options.

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver