After the months of discussion, consultation, objections, and periodically heated arguments, this week the deal was sealed and Point Grey Road as we’ve always known it ceased to exist. The road has now been closed off at Macdonald Street, and will not open to through traffic again.
The reason for this needs little explanation, given the headline space it has dominated over the past couple of years. The current construction is for the extension of the Seaside Greenway bike route, linking the Burrard Bridge bike lane with the bike paths at Jericho Beach, and will result in the permanent closure of a one-kilometre stretch of the road to through traffic.
There’s little point rehashing the arguments for and against the road closure and bike route, since whether or not it will happen is no longer up for debate. Now’s the time to start thinking about what to look out for once the reconfigured route opens. What will success look like, and where are the problems likely to occur? Here are the key numbers I think will be worth keeping an eye on.
- Overall usage. Specifically, how will use of the new route compare to current traffic both on Point Grey/Cornwall, and on the designated but largely unloved bike route on Third Avenue? My feeling is that the new route will see an uptake in cycling traffic, especially in the summer, that will exceed the numbers currently seen on both routes combined. Closer to the oceanside parks and their views, with the added bonus of the beach paths at the far end, it’s an appealing route that’s likely to attract cyclists — in particular families — who might not have braved either of the existing options.
- Accidents and injuries. According to city transportation director Jerry Dobrovolny, ICBC data shows that Cornwall is one of the city’s worst spots for accidents involving cyclists. Improvements to the south end of the Burrard Bridge, a notoriously risky intersection where many of these accidents occur, should result in this number dropping significantly. I’m not so sure that the Point Grey Road closure will play a particularly large part in any drop in numbers, however, since the accident clusters are earlier on the route.
- Cars. An estimated 10,000 cars per day currently use Point Grey Road as a through route, in spite of the fact that it’s narrow, has numerous blind driveways, and isn’t well-suited to the purpose. There’s justifiable concern in the neighbourhood about where these cars will end up, although the city maintains that Fourth Avenue has capacity to take them. It will be interesting to see what new patterns are established as traffic adapts to the closure, and whether congestion becomes an issue — especially on Macdonald, which will handle the rerouted traffic at the closure point. The changes to Point Grey Road are understandably contentious, given their potential impact on the neighbourhood. As new traffic patterns develop, benefits will become clearer and inevitably, challenges will emerge. Hopefully both the city and local residents will keep an open mind as to how to approach these as things move forward.
