Vancouver bike lane traffic surges to record high numbers during the month of June

The new network of separated bike lanes in Vancouver has seen a skyrocketing number of cyclists take to the streets of the west coast city, with record figures taking the city past its stated goal of 50% of all trips within the municipality being taken by foot, bike, or public transit.

According to city officials, the effect of the separated lanes in terms of making new cyclists feel comfortable on the streets has helped in a big way

“People who are not confident in traffic will start to cycle in those protected lanes,” said city councillor Heather Deal, the city’s liaison to the Active Transportation Policy Council, in conversation with the CBC. “And then you slowly start ratcheting it up and you see the numbers start to explode.” A huge contributor to this spike in numbers, CBC reports say, has been the Point Grey Bike lane, a dedicated bike route through one of the city’s more affluent areas that earned a bit of controversy during its construction.

Between June, 2013 and June, 2015, city statistics reveal that the number of monthly bike trips in the city surged from just over 100,000 in 2013 to nearly double that number last month.

“As our population increases,” Deal added, “we need to fit the same and more number[s] of people in the road space and that means we need to get people out of their single occupancy vehicles and using other alternatives.”

With such numbers indicating that public favour has swung significantly towards cycling in Vancouver, city staff, already committed to making cycling a priority option in terms of Lower Mainland transportation, are starting to consider other routes through the city for the next phase of that plan. In some places, with an aim to reduce cycling collisions, the plan is to upgrade already well-worn bike routes in B.C.’s largest city.

With that emphasis in mind, the 10th Avenue Corridor Project is one of those initiatives, focused on making Vancouver’s 10th Avenue bikeway — which runs parallel with Broadway from Victoria Drive to Trafalgar Street, connecting many important downtown destinations and other cycling routes — safer, more convenient, and more comfortable for not just cyclists of all skill levels, but also pedestrians.

500,000 people use the busy, often congested route, making it a vital project for the future of Vancouver cycling.