Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO: Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Seaside Bike Route along West 1st Avenue
 

RECOMMENDATION

COUNCIL POLICY

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council approval for changes along West 1st Avenue between Spyglass Place and Ontario Street to maintain and improve the existing Seaside Bicycle Route.

BACKGROUND

The Seaside Bicycle Route was established in 1990 primarily for recreational use with bypass routes intended for faster cyclists. It generally follows the shoreline of English Bay and False Creek from Stanley Park to Spanish Banks Beach (Figure 1). Some sections of the route are considered temporary until improvements are made as future developments occur. One such location is West 1st Avenue between Spyglass Place and Ontario Street.

The land in southeast False Creek is envisioned to be rezoned from industrial to mixed-used residential and park uses. When this occurs, a seawall along False Creek would likely be constructed that would accommodate the Seaside Bicycle Route. In the interim, the Seaside Bicycle Route is now located along West 1st Avenue where cyclists are integrated with traffic along the street. Some off-street pathways have been constructed along the north side of the street to accommodate in-line skaters and cyclists who prefer to travel off-street.

DISCUSSION

Last year, Council approved the extension of the demonstration heritage street car line from West 6th and Moberly to West 1st and Ontario. The extension was completed on July15, 1999. The new street car extension has affected the Seaside Bicycle Route by narrowing the existing pathway on the north side of West 1st Avenue between Spyglass and Cook. As planned during the street car extension, opportunities for restoring and improving the Seaside Bicycle Route were explored and some changes are now proposed.

Spyglass Place to Cook Street

With the extension of the heritage street car line, the existing asphalt pathway along the north side of West 1st Avenue was reduced in width from about 5.0 metres to 2.0 metres in order to reuse the existing rail line located beneath the pathway. The pathway was used by pedestrians and by some cyclists and in-line skaters who preferred to remain off-street. The current width of 2.0 metres is not sufficient for cyclists and in-line skaters to share with pedestrians. To maintain the pathway for use by westbound cyclists and in-line skaters, it is proposed that the pathway be widened by 1.5 metres (see Figures 3 and 4).

The widening of the pathway would reduce the width of West 1st Avenue from about 11.5 metres to 10.0 metres. The existing on-street parking regulations would be maintained with parking permitted on the north side and no parking anytime on the south side. The travelled portion of the roadway would therefore be reduced by 1.5 metres.

At the western end, between Spyglass Place and Wylie Street, a westbound bike lane would be painted along the north edge of the roadway to provide a transition between the new bike path and the existing on-street bike route. The pedestrian pathway would also be extended west to Spyglass. These changes require the removal of the existing curb bulge at Wylie, the removal of 4 on-street parking spaces adjacent to the Police parking lot, and the narrowing of a small section of the road at Spyglass (see Figure 2).

Cook Street to Ontario Street

The development of the street car along the north side of West 1st Avenue between Cook and Ontario did not change the width of the road; therefore, it did not impact any existing road users. However, the previously existing conditions were not ideal for seawall users because they were directed onto the edge of the uncurbed roadway. To better accommodate seawall users, a temporary shared-use bike/ped pathway has been built on City-owned property (not street right-of-way) just north of the streetcar. The new asphalt pathway is 4.0 metres wide and separated from other uses to the north by a chain-link fence (see Figures 4 and 5). At the eastern end, the temporary pathway is directed north near Manitoba Street in order to go around an existing parking lot and the historic Red Barn to connect to the existing Seaside Bike Route (see Figure 6).

The Corporate Service Group (Real Estate Services) has agreed to the temporary pathway on City-owned property until a permanent path can be constructed on the waterfront. The temporary pathway will be completed once the route signs and pavement stencils are installed.

Consultations

The Bicycle Advisory Committee support the changes to improve the Seaside Bike Route. The South False Creek Neighbourhood Association has been notified of the proposed changes through their Traffic Committee and no objections were made. Businesses along West 1st Avenue have expressed concerns about the potential loss of parking spaces along the street. With the exception of the loss of 4 parking spaces between Spyglass Place and Wylie Street, there will be no changes to the on-street parking regulations. Molson Indy has supported these changes as they improve access to its site during their event.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Funding of $49,000 has been allocated for the proposed changes to the Seaside Bicycle Route along West 1st Avenue. An additional $16,000 is needed to better integrate the new pedestrian and bike facilities with the existing street at Spyglass Place. In particular, the extension of the pedestrian path between Wylie and Spyglass, the removal of the curb bulge, and the narrowing of the roadway. The funds are available from Street Basic Unappropriated Account 30000136, Pedestrian and Other Structures.

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