March 31, 2003
Dear Mayor and Council:
The West End Residents Association has been involved with both the public and stakeholder consultation processes in regards to what should be done to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians on the Burrard St. Bridge. This project is of great interest to us, as the bridge is the main connector between our community and our neighbours to the south. Therefore, we are writing to provide you with information on this important issue additional to our letter of January 5, 2003.
The Downtown Transportation Plan states that transportation priorities should focus on pedestrians, cyclists and transit. According to a recent city survey conducted by the city planning department, roughly 50% of West End residents walk, bicycle or take transit as their primary mode of transportation. However, the options on the table for the Burrard Bridge do not support this vision.
Why WERA does not support widening the bridge.
Cost: The False Creek crossing study was conducted to deal with the problem of inadequate access to the south side of False Creek. Inadequacies were noted at the Cambie, Granville and Burrard crossings. While money has already been allocated for Burrard Bridge, (this happened some 7 years ago), no moneys have been specified for the other crossings. We feel that if $10-12 million was to be spent on Burrard Bridge, the other crossings will by in large be ignored due to fiscal considerations. Estimates for the lane-reduction options are under $2 million.
Heritage: The Burrard Bridge is considered a significant heritage structure.
Heritage Vancouver is strongly opposed to the widening of the bridge and feels
the bridge will significantly loose its historical integrity. Our association
agrees with their assertions.
If you are interested in the heritage of Burrard Bridge, we refer you to a
report produced by Delcan, the consultants on this project.
Capacity: The capacity of the Burrard Bridge is constrained by the intersections on either end, not the number of lanes on the bridge itself. The Oak Street Bridge with four lanes, and Lions Gate Bridge with three lanes, each carry far more traffic than the Burrard Bridge. In fact the Lions Gate Bridge carries 70% more traffic per lane than Burrard. Clearly the design of the intersections at either end plays a far more important role here than the absolute number of traffic lanes.
Transportation Targets: Current trends do not support maintaining six lanes of traffic on the Burrard Bridge. As you can see from the chart below (source: TransLink Trip Diary Studies 1992, ’94, ’99), the number of cars has been decreasing while pedestrian and bicycle traffic has been increasing and is actually greater than the Downtown Transportation Plan’s projected levels for 2021.
Urban Design: The road surface on the bridge is too wide. While cyclists and pedestrians are crowded in narrow travel lanes, cars cross the bridge at ease, often traveling at upwards of 80 km/hr. Auto traffic is only slowed down once it reaches the lights at Burrard and Davie – in the heart of our neighbourhood. The proposed changes will do little to mitigate this situation.
We believe that the alternative of closing two lanes would enhance the livability of our neighbourhood while saving money, preserving a historic landmark and contributing to the city’s goal of lessening dependence on automobiles. If you wish to further discuss issues regarding the Burrard Bridge or any other neighbourhood issues affecting the West End please don’t hesitate to contact us at (604) 684-4149 or mail@wera.bc.ca.
Sincerely
Rob Wynen
Director, West End Residents Association