Vancouver Park Board approves changes to Stanley Park Seawall bike paths

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 8:28 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

The Vancouver Park Board has approved a unit question that seeks to marque 3 locations on the Stanley Park Seawall much accessible for cyclists and those with mobility needs.

A unit question connected Monday sought to region "maze gates" on the nine-kilometre-long way circling Vancouver's biggest park.

The gates, besides called velocity gates, are two sets of barriers connected a bike path, wherever cyclists are expected to dismount and locomotion done them for a abbreviated agelong wherever they stock the way with pedestrians.

Staff said the maze gates are not accessible, arsenic they make confined operating spaces and are problematic for those riding adaptive bicycles and longer vehicles.

Now, parkland committee commissioners person voted successful favour of removing maze gates astatine Lumberman's Arch and Third Beach, arsenic good arsenic changes to the shared way astatine Prospect Point.

"Industry champion practices bash not urge the usage of maze gates," said metropolis technologist Joses Akampurira connected Monday.

"Instead, alternate plan solutions are suggested to dilatory down cyclists, negociate conflicts and promote desired behaviours."

The unit question recommended a marked motorcycle path, with a azygous pedestrian crossing, astatine Lumberman's Arch, with thin rails connected either broadside of the motorcycle path.

At Third Beach, unit recommended that the motorcycle parking country beryllium moved and utilized to abstracted the motorcycle way and pedestrian path.

Staff said this would make a "chicane", a crook successful the path where cyclists are expected to thrust single-file and people dilatory down successful the process.

The question says that options were much constricted astatine Prospect Point, which is straight on the oversea astatine the northbound extremity of the park. There, pedestrians and cyclists stock a way that is lone 3 metres wide.

In this instance, unit recommended existing fencing beryllium removed, and signage and pavement markings beryllium utilized to promote cyclists to dilatory down.

They besides recommended the installation of a railing, which they accidental would let pedestrians an accidental to lean and permission the way escaped for others who are simply passing through.

"Without a railing connected the outer borderline of the [seawall], radical often halt to bask the presumption from further back, constraining the way of radical passing by," the unit question reads.

The estimated outgo of the changes is astir $830,000, according to parkland committee staff. The question received unanimous enactment from parkland committee commissioners.

Commissioner Tom Digby said that the parkland committee had precocious approved mobility scooters and e-bikes on the seawall, and the question sought to promote progressive mobility portion minimizing struggle betwixt pedestrians and cyclists.

"It's a tremendous magnitude of struggle connected the Stanley Park seawall betwixt pedestrians and cyclists," helium told the meeting.

"And present that there's nary interior motorcycle lane connected Stanley Park Drive, adjacent much radical are forced onto the seawall."

The support of the question connected Monday meant that designs connected the 3 areas volition present proceed, with operation to commencement successful 2027 if backing is approved successful the 2027-2030 superior plan.