Bike lane added to the Burrard Street Bridge won’t hurt traffic: analyst
Posted June 23, 2017 10:21 am.
Last Updated June 23, 2017 12:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Federal Government announced funding today for upgrades to the Burrard Street Bridge that would include bike lanes and pedestrian paths.
The funding included a $750,000 grant and a $5-million loan.
Transportation analyst Gordon Price suggests planners would probably be pleased if drivers rerouted one bridge over.
“There is additional capacity on the Granville Bridge that’s never been utilized to the scale in which it was built, but that’s not much consolation to someone who is caught in traffic.”
However, he believes planners are dealing with Burrard back-ups.
The project also includes modifying the intersection at Burrard Street and Pacific Street at the north end of the bridge and at nearby blocks so that cyclists can connect safely to the existing network of bike routes downtown.
“Given that the intersections are really what controls volume, it’s not the capacity of the bridge itself, I think it’s pretty reasonable that any loss of capacity will be offset by a smoother flow based upon the design of the intersections.”
He says he’s always been impressed with how the City has been able to forecast traffic demand and allocate for it.
