West End Residents Association

Former WERA director Terry Lavender was quoted in a story in the West Ender on pedestrian issues.

Lavender said: “[The City of Vancouver] has a Bicycle Advisory Committee, so why not somebody for pedestrians, especially since pedestrians are supposed to come first under the Downtown Transportation Plan?” says West End Residents Association (WERA) spokesperson Terry Lavender. “People who are walking are still traffic; they’re still trying to get to their destination. But if you treat them as an obstacle and not part of the traffic flow, they tend to be ignored.”

He also said: “Pedestrian life makes a city more vital because when people are at a walking pace, you are in contact with your fellow human beings. If everybody’s in their cars, or even if everybody’s on their bicycles, you’re going at high speeds. You’re not making eye contact with people, and there is no chance for those random encounters that add so much to the life of the city.”

This article by former WERA director Terry Lavender originally appeared in the Vancouver Observer:

In a recent article in The Province, SFU transportation researcher Anthony Perl says Vancouver needs a pedestrian advocate. I agree.

According to the Downtown Transportation Plan, which the City adopted seven years ago, pedestrians are the first priority for the City, followed by cyclists, transit and then private vehicles. The Plan (available here: vancouver.ca/dtp/dtpfinalplan.htm) recommends that the City “Provide pedestrians greater priority through pedestrian activated traffic signals, wider sidewalks, elimination of “delayed walk” at intersections, mid-block crossings and landscaped medians.” Yet, seven years on, it is difficult to discern how this has been implemented in practice. Consider: continue reading…