Concerned Citizen of Vancouver
Bicycle safety
Enter your addressA
Enter your address
Enter your address
DATE
Name of person or people you are sending this to A
Dear Sir or Madam:A
Subject: Bicycle safety on the Burrard Bridge.
On Sunday September 7th there was another serious bicycle accident on the Burrard Bridge. A friend Aof mine was forced off the elevated sidewalk and into oncoming traffic by a pedestrian who had entered the bicycle lane. Despite the fact that she was wearing a helmet she fractured her skull and suffered a concussion. She was admitted to the neural-ICU at Vancouver General Hospital and was released a few days later. She is currently managing the side effects of her injuries.
Primary concerns as a cyclist in VancouverA.
Safety: The Burrard Bridge is a safety risk to its users.
- With no structural division of lane ways, not only are cyclists at risk of collision with pedestrians and vehicles, but pedestrians are at risk of being hit by cyclists and vehicles are at risk of hitting cyclists and pedestrians who are forced off their path ways and into traffic.
- The Burrard Bridge does not meet Canadian safety guidelines. A shared multidirectional bicycle and pedestrian path way paralleling a road should be at least 3-4 meters in width. The path way on the Burrard Bridge measures up to a mere 2.6 meters. If there was more room on the bridge this recent accident, and many others, may have been avoided.
Research: There are multiple accidents and near accidents that take place on the Burrard Bridge each year. Many of them go unreported, so the magnitude of safety risk of the bridge may be underestimated. There are two research studies currently being conducted at the University of British Columbia with support from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research: 1) Impact if the Built Environment on Decisions to Cycle; and 2) Bicyclists Injuries and the Cycling Environment. You may want to consider the preliminary and final results of these studies in your future plans for cycling safety on the Burrard Bridge and Vancouver in general. For more information see www.cher.ubc.ca/
Green choices: The City of Vancouver continues to make Green choices, including the allocation of funds to cycling infrastructure; however, the Burrard Bridge has been continuously neglected despite the fact that it has been on the City’s agenda for many years.
- It is time for the City make a Green commitment to the Burrard Bridge. Reallocate vehicle lanes to bicycle traffic. This solution would align with the concerns of Heritage Vancouver, an organization that does not want the bridge altered for historical reasons. Unlike bridge reconstruction, lane reallocation would not cost upwards of $63 million City dollars.
- As stated in the 2005 report to Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic - Burrard Bridge Sidewalk Capacity Improvements for Pedestrians and Cyclists ~9% of the 8000-9000 people crossing the bridge are on bike or foot. That’s 720-810 citizens of Vancouver – they deserve a safe path way to commute. Further, if it was safer to commute over the Burrard Bridge by foot or bike more people would.
- According to the same report, walking, cycling, and transit use have seen significant growth on the Burrard Bridge with volumes increasing 30-40% between 1996 and 2001. I am sure that trend has continued into 2008.
- With the completion of the Canada Line, it is conceivable that the number of people commuting in and out of the downtown core by vehicle will be reduced. With the Cambie Bridge construction completed, the vehicle traffic demands on Burrard Bridge could be reduced.
As a concerned citizen of I would like to see the City of Vancouver address the safety issues of the Burrard Bridge in light of the risks it posses to its users. I want to see the City make a commitment improving the safety of the Burrard Bridge for all its users.
Sincerely,
[Click here and type your name]A
[Click here and type job title]A
