GC 2020
171 results found
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New streetcar lines to revitalize commercial activity on arterials
Streetcar lines bring development money to streets that need investment. The City should partner with the private sector and TransLink to add streetcar lines as a way kickstart commercial activity and bring pedestrian life back to arterial streets.
Prime candidates: Hastings St from downtown into Burnaby, Powell St, Prior/Venables, Kingsway, E Broadway, Nanaimo, Renfrew19 votes -
Eliminate minimum parking requirements within 800m of SkyTrain stations
New developments should not require parking if they are close to rapid transit stations. The developer can choose how many parking spaces to include, but they must be underground and accessed by side streets, not the main shopping street.
10 votes -
Rezone areas adjacent to commercial streets rather than displacing existing businesses.
Our network of commercial streets are generally the cultural heart of various Vancouver neighbourhoods. Currently, Vancouver is rezoning many commercial areas to accommodate higher density structures. This is a good ideas; however, this progress is slowly eradicating long-time businesses in commercial buildings. This is also eroding Vancouver's commercial property tax revenue.
I believe that (in more cases) the city of Vancouver should be rezoning the single family residences that surround these arteries instead. In many cases the houses are generic 'Vancouver Specials' and lowrise, 1950s style homes that were built to accommodate a vehicle-centric lifestyle. Many people are price out…
4 votesConcern for the continued viability of existing business is an important issue in Neighbourhood Centre and Corridor planning initiatives. However, rezoning residential properties to allow for commercial uses should be considered on a case-by-case basis (it could work in some areas, but not in others) and should proceed with caution.
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Pedestrian countdown signals
Burnaby has introduced many of these on city streets, while Vancouver still has very few. Especially at pedestrian controlled intersections it is important to know how long the wait will be (and whether the button is working or not).
3 votesCity crews installed its first pedestrian countdown signal at Main and Hastings earlier this year, and could install more if this trial is successful.
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Sidewalks for walking, not advertising
Advertising boards and sandwich boards impede pedestrian flow and are unsafe for those with visual impairments. Stricter policing of sidewalk use is needed.
4 votes -
More passenger ferries
We are not making enough use of our waterways for passenger transport. SeaBus is a success not only with commuters but also tourists. Water connections between downtown Vancouver and places like West Vancouver, Kitsilano, UBC, Deep Cove, and Port Moody should be explored.
14 votes -
Car-free Sundays for Stanley Park in the summer
Far more pedestrians and cyclists use Stanley Park in the summertime than drivers. Sundays should be car-free.
5 votes -
Street lights for the sidewalks, not just roads
Many of our streets are brightly lit at night while the sidewalks remain dark. Especially in areas with many seniors, like the West End, this discourages people from going out at night. Bring back street lights - for pedestrians - in our neighbourhoods.
2 votesPedestrian safety is a top priority. The Greenest City work will include directions to identify and address deficiencies in the network (e.g. missing sidewalks or curb ramps, need for improved pedestrian lighting).
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Bring back the #1 Fairview Beltline route
Until the 1950s, the #1 Fairview Beltline streetcar ran along Main St, W Broadway, Granville, and Hastings in a big loop, connecting downtown with Vancouver's second biggest employment centre, the Broadway corridor. Crowding on many bus routes out of downtown would be alleviated if a frequent Beltline streetcar were brought back. It would also help businesses along Hastings, Main, and W Broadway.
14 votes -
Allow building awnings to extend to edge of sidewalks
The bus waiting area in front of the Bay on W Georgia has a great overhang that extends to the edge of the sidewalk, allowing people to stay dry. New buildings should be permitted to extend awnings up to the edge of the sidewalk to better protect transit users and pedestrians from rain and wind. Most of the awnings in the city are half the size they should be and are not connected with each other.
8 votes -
Introduce shared streets
Granville Island is the closest thing we have in Vancouver to a shared street, where pedestrians, bikes, and cars are free to mix at low speeds. Side streets in Yaletown, Gastown, and other areas would benefit from this concept. New Road in Brighton is but one of many examples.
5 votesThe Draft Greenest City Action plan will include directions to explore pedestrian-only and pedestrian-priority streets in the downtown core. Potential locations will be identified at a later date (e.g. as part of the transportation plan update).
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Reduce or eliminate one-way streets
The City has already done a great job in converting some one-way streets in Yaletown and Gastown to two-way. On one-way streets, vehicle speeds are higher, neighbourhood accessibility is reduced, gasoline is wasted, and pedestrian traffic is discouraged. It's time to convert some additional one-way streets.
4 votes -
Create scramble intersections at major intersections
A scramble intersection allows pedestrians to cross in every direction at the same time. Vancouver used to have them in some downtown locations, but they were phased out. Toronto now has one at Yonge & Dundas.
Let's bring them back - Burrard & W Georgia? Main and Hastings? Cambie and W Broadway? Many possibilities.
18 votesGreat idea!
The City has been interested in scramble intersections for some time, and staff are currently exploring different locations where they might be suitable. High pedestrian volumes are an important criteria, although there are other considerations as well.
Those interested in learning more about pedestrian volumes downtown and throughout the city might want to check out the City’s 2001-2002 Pedestrian study (http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/pedstudy/). -
City of Vancouver should divest itself of Easypark
Vancouver is makes it too cheap to park one's car downtown. A maximum charge of $10.50 per day at city-owned Easypark lots doesn't discourage those with vehicles from driving, especially families. And as a non-profit, Easypark doesn't help the City's finances.
Sell the lots and use the funds for greener initiatives.
4 votes -
Stop making pedestrians push buttons at intersections with traffic lights
Pedestrians should not have to push the walk button at intersections with traffic lights, especially busy locations. Cambie and W Broadway is a prime example of this. Why is Vancouver making walking more of a hassle?
9 votes -
Reduce speed limit to 30 kph within downtown core
In terms of street capacity, 30-39 kph is the optimal speed range. As well, pedestrians hit at 48 kph are are NINE times more likely to die than if struck at 32 kph. Streets will function better and be safer for pedestrians at lower speeds.
2 votes -
8 votes
Outside City jurisdiction. Improved transit options for the Sea-to-Sky route would be most welcome, but from a city and regional perspective, other routes have a higher priority (e.g. Broadway Corridor rapid transit).
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Greatly expand skytrain network to reach every part of the city and phase out the buses.
The skytrains are great but the way we inter-link them with buses so that you can't get from A to B without several zones and buses is really inefficient. Ideally, a subway system should hit every core area of a City so that 'driving' is rendered more trouble than it's worth.
15 votes -
Reduce funding for car-friendly infrastructure
There are two sides to encouraging more people to leave their cars at home (or not buy one in the first place): 1) make alternative modes of transportation cheap and efficient 2) make driving more inconvenient and costly. I suggest that the city of Vancouver set a goal of progressively decreasing the percentage of the budget set aside for expanding and maintaining roadways for automobiles. The money that is saved should go directly towards affordable housing near the city center, better transit, and more bike paths. Once more people have switched to alternative modes of transit, existing roadways could be…
5 votes -
Express Bus Lane to Seattle
Express Bus (way cheaper and easier to do than high-speed rail) to Seattle. Set aside a dedicated lane for bus service between the two hubs and watch transit (and business connections) take off. Bonus idea: Specific buses that require all passengers to be nexus approved, meaning swifter border crossings.
Already in place on the East Coast: http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/travel/25Prac.html?adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1279735270-6prOYEpRjwtJ5CN5jXa6mA
1 voteOutside jurisdiction. Inter-regional transit is a great idea.
