Vancouver group wants more road space for cyclists and pedestrians
Posted April 26, 2020 5:10 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A nonprofit bike advocacy group has launched a petition pushing for some Metro Vancouver streets to be closed to cars and opened up to cyclists and walkers.
Jeff Leigh, the chair of the Vancouver committee of Hub Cycling says some roadways are currently underutilized as a result of decreased car traffic due to COVID-19.
“It’s something that is easy to do. It’s not something that is expensive. It’s something that the city can respond to very quickly with temporary space usually created with pylons and so on, just to create that space.”
Hub Cycling has been advocating for cyclists in Metro Vancouver for over 20 years.
They have almost 3,000 members and 10 volunteer committees across Metro Vancouver.
Leigh adds, he began hearing from Hub Cycling members about the need for more space.
“We began talking to the City of Vancouver, the park board, the provincial authorities, and our members kept expressing their desire for quicker action. He says the petition is a response to the push from the members.”
“We’re not talking about mass gatherings here, we’re talking about family units and people who live together going for a walk or going for a bike ride,” Leigh said.
As of Sunday, the petition had over twenty-one hundred signatures.