Bicycling

Vancouver Gives Cyclists a Lane on the Burrard Bridge

Streetfilms' Vancouver correspondent Frank Lopez reports on a development that will sow envy in the heart of anyone who walks or bikes over the narrow, congested paths of the Brooklyn and Pulaski bridges:

By Ben Fried

12:43 PM EDT on May 10, 2010

Streetfilms’ Vancouver correspondent Frank Lopez reports on a development that will sow envy in the heart of anyone who walks or bikes over the narrow, congested paths of the Brooklyn and Pulaski bridges:

It’s been 15 years since Vancouver residents started petitioning for
a bike lane on one of the bridges that connects to downtown. In the
summer of 2009, the city implemented a test lane on the historic Burrard Bridge, and almost immediately cycling shot up 30 percent. Even most solo drivers are happy with the implementation, and overall Vancouverites favor continuing the trial by a margin of 2 to 1.

Note the initial skepticism of Vancouver’s media, and enjoy picturing the coverage we’d receive here in New York if we relieved the bike-ped crunch on the Brooklyn Bridge by giving a lane of the roadway to cyclists.

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.