this street is for.
(Photos by Jonathan Maus)
Riding around Vancouver BC for the first time, I instantly felt like I was a respected part of the transportation system.
The family and I took to the city streets yesterday and experienced a pleasant, well-marked bike route. Vancouver has a network of secondary streets that are clearly signed and that prioritize bicycle traffic.
These bike streets have bicycle markings both on the roadway and on the main street name signs (I love that!). Similar in function to Portland’s small, bicycle-boulevard/wayfinding dots, Vancouver uses large bike symbols that seem to not only designate the route as bike-friendly, but end up acting like sharrows as well.
As we made our way the mile or two from the house we’re staying at to the waterfront, I saw lots of traffic diversion and plenty of “Except Bicycles” signs.
Adding to the safety and convenience of the bike streets were traffic signal activation buttons made just for bicyclists. To top it all off, when we reached our destination (Granville Island) we were welcomed with a nice, covered bike parking facility.
Another cool example of how Vancouver welcomes bicyclists are the “Cyquabus” ferries that are emblazoned with bike symbols.
Check out more photos (including a sneak peek at last night’s Bike Porn and Negligee Night Ride coverage) in my Vancouver BC photo gallery.
Thanks for reading.
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It\’s quite annoying that one had to read to the end of the article to figure out which Vancouver you meant…
sorry Aaron. I added BC to the beginning of the story.
aaron, you\’ve never been to van-wa i guess…
Thanks. I was going to be overly surprised if you were gushing about Vancouver, WA for bikes… as someone who lives in \”the Couve\” it doesn\’t strike me as the most bike-friendly place.
I still recall Vancouver, BC by bike as one of my favorite vacations. A couple of falls ago my girlfriend and I drove to BC, left our car at the B&B, and enjoyed Vancouver by bike for the next couple of days. We loved exploring Stanley Park, Granville Island, Chinatown, and all the waterfront by bicycle. Not having to deal with a car in a city you are not familiar with, and seeing some hidden neighborhoods by bike make the experience oh so much better! I higly recommend seeing any city by bike – no better way to get to know a place!
I spend a lot of time in Vancouver BC, and it ranks as one of my favorites, if not favorite, city on the planet (if it had better beer it would be my favorite), but this summer was the first time I rode my bike there, as part of the RSVP ride. It was a blast to ride downall those streets I normally walk down, and to find that they were as bike friendly as they had looked from the sidewalk.
@ #1: So, let me get this straight — you read: \”Riding around Vancouver for the first time, I instantly felt like I was a respected part of the transportation system.\” — and you thought there was a chance Jon was talking about riding in Vancouver, Washington? Are you sure you live there?
AO: HA! that\’s what i was thinking. i grew up in van-wa and anytime anyone says anything positive about vancouver i don\’t think for a second they might be talking about the \’couve.
chris in post 5: that\’s exactly what my gf and i did last summer. my name is chris also. we stayed in burnaby, did you?
cecil: as their beer is lacking, so is their coffee.
Signals, diversion and signage…the tools are there, but Portland lacks the will. Tillamook remains a \”bikeway\” in name only, except for the \”bike dots.\”
This and universal health insurance!
My one experience with Vancouver BC is when I went there for a workshop and brought my bike.
As an aside, the airlines did not consider it an \”international\” flight (they called it intracontinental) and so they wanted to charge me a fee. I put on my best sad face and they waved it.
Anyway, once I was there and riding around, it all seemed fairly normal (Portland normal). Then I got to a particular intersection. I was on a side street, and the cross-street was a main street. Traffic was very heavy and I stood there straddling my bike for quite a while with no breaks in traffic ever coming. Finally I gave up and decided to try my luck as a pedestrian. The moment I hopped off my bike and got to the sidewalk curb, it was like someone flipped a switch. All the cars came to a stop and I crossed right then. Easy as pie. Sure it would have been even better if they had stopped for me while I was on my bike, but honestly I don\’t think they saw me when I was in the road. As a ped I was more visible.
It was the respect for peds that really struck me. To me, respect for peds is like the canary in the coal mine. It really is the baseline for livability and a general sense of civility. When drivers show respect for peds, there\’s a snowball effect of positive changes. People slow down, people walk more, and the roadways start to be seen as the public space they are rather than merely as the domain of cars. That all helps us on bikes.
Yield to peds! It\’s contagious.
In addition, Vancouver BC has some of the finest mountain biking in world just outside their doorstep in the North Shore mountains.
Yes. These markings are so important, especially for the person who is interested in bicycling but does not know the routes.
We love diversion!
TonyT said: \”It was the respect for peds that really struck me.\”
It helps that they have signs like this prominently displayed:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/510223662_e8f8a067fa_o.jpg
Know what really helps?
NARROW STREETS.
Look at that picture of Juli on the Xtracycle… That\’s a two way street with parking on either side. There are precious few streets that narrow in Portland. Those narrow, human-scaled streets make it clear to motorists that driving fast is simply not an option.
You should also note, Jonathan, that the traffic-calming islands in Vancouver are uncontrolled (no stop signs) because it\’s just not necessary.
Honestly, though, street width was the single most obvious leg up that Vancouver\’s bike friendliness had on Portland. Hard to retrofit…but really noticeable.
Another Vancouver has done, which has enhanced its livability significantly, is taking away the traditional grid. I don\’t know how common it is throughout the city, but my brother lives in the West End a few blocks off a major street. Once you go west you can\’t go in a straight line in a car for more than a block or two without hitting a barrier that forces autos to turn. It prevents people from gaining speed and keeps the traffic pretty calm since you always have to pay attention, which way to turn to get to your destination.
I\’m out in Boston, and the roads are tight, narrow and confusing. It keeps the drivers slow, and makes it easier for bikers to share the roads. I wouldn\’t have thought those factors would contribute to good city cycling, but they help make Boston sort of bike friendly.
…and Boston needs all the help it can get.
Have you had a chance to compare Boston to Cambridge yet, Erik?