GC 2020
171 results found
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Eliminate parking down town for commuters but ensure adequate park n ride infrastructure
Reduce traffic, noise, accidents, congestion, air pollution. Can be done, but needs to have commuter infrastructure in place and to the capacity required.
3 votes -
Pets on public transit.
Toronto allows people to take their pets on transit, on leashes (instead of in carriers). This will enable owners of bigger pets to take their furry friends on hikes, without requiring the use of a car. Encouraging transit, healthy living, and access to nature at the same time!
43 votesThis falls under TransLink, not City, jurisdiction.
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Covered bike racks like these from San Francisco (South Park) #bikearc http://ow.ly/i/2AC9
Covered bike racks to keep people's seats dry during the rainy season would increase accessibility and make it more attractive to ride through the winter. This design isn't perfect but it gives you an idea of what we could do.
15 votesThe City supports this idea, and is starting to look at opportunities to implement it.
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Reduce number of truck routes - ban trucks on SW Marine Dr & Cambie St (bike routes)
Heavy trucks (G.V.W. greater than 5500 kg) are not compatible with cycling especially on a road like SW Marine Dr. Heavy trucks also cause disproportionate wear and tear on roads and are major air polluters.
4 votes -
Put turnstiles into all sky train and Canada Line stations - collect easy revenue for Translink
Many more people than we realize are using sky train lines without paying. Meanwhile Translink is short the funding they need to expand the transit network and enhance existing service. This seems like an easy step to increase revenue, and would possibly reduce costs by not requiring Translink staff to be checking tickets on trains.
12 votesTransLink jurisdiction. TransLink is planning to instile turnstiles in stations in the very near future, with smart card technology coming to the region by 2013.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-of-the-Plan/Projects/Electronic-Fare-Cards.aspx
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A complete, interconnected network of completely car-free, safe bicycle routes.
We've made a start, but more people would feel safe enough to cycle in Vancouver if all routes separated bicycles from motorised traffic and connected safely with one another. Imagine if you could ride anywhere in the city as safely as on Dunsmuir Street.
25 votesThanks for sharing this idea!
The city’s new 10-year cycling program master plan will soon be in development, and hopefully completed within the next year.
A big part of the work ahead is to identify the complete cycling network, and the type of facility that is most appropriate and/or feasible for different routes. In some cases (e.g. busy arterial routes), separated lanes might be the best approach; in other cases (e.g. lower car volume neighbourhood streets), enhanced traffic calming and/or further reducing car access might be more appropriate. Travis cited some great examples in the Netherlands where cars are ‘guests’ that are allowed in, but do not dominate.
In all cases, the goal should be to make routes that feel safe to all potential cyclists, including beginners, children, and seniors.
For more information, visit http://vancouver.ca/cycling
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incent green vehicles with free street parking
all green, fuel efficent cars should be given or allowed to purchase for a very nominal amout a barcoded parking decal to allow them free 3hr street parking in Vancouver. Fines if incurred to be automatically billed as agreed to when decal is purchased
5 votes -
Create a Separated Bike Lane on Commercial Drive
Commercial Drive is a destination shopping street in Vancouver's east side. It is already a popular route for cyclists, but there is currently no cycling facility provided.
The current route network lacks sufficient safe links to shopping destinations. A new separated bike route on Commercial Drive would address this issue and encourage new cyclists. As cyclist traffic increases, local businesses could also benefit from new the new street traffic.
19 votesThe city’s new 10-year cycling program master plan will soon be in development, and hopefully completed within the next year. A big part of the work ahead is to identify where separated bike lanes might be appropriate.
Lessons learned from the downtown trial will be an important input into the plan. The results so far support evidence elsewhere that separated bike lanes are a great way to make cycling more attractive on busy streets.
For more information, visit http://vancouver.ca/cycling .
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Create a separated bike lane along Kingsway
It is an incredibly direct route leading from Broadway corridor to Burnaby, but currently has far too many lanes of car traffic to feel good cycling along it.
37 votesThe city’s new 10-year cycling program master plan will soon be in development, and hopefully completed within the next year. A big part of the work ahead is to identify where separated bike lanes might be appropriate.
Lessons learned from the downtown trial will be an important input into the plan. The results so far support evidence elsewhere that separated bike lanes are a great way to make cycling more attractive on busy streets.
For more information, visit http://vancouver.ca/cycling .
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Create a public bike sharing program (e.g. Montreal's Bixi, Paris' Velib)
Montreal has installed the Bixi bike system, similar to many European systems, of having publicly available bikes for a small cost downtown on major street corners. The bikes are incredibly robust, widely available, and highly convenient with bike stands every 2-3 blocks.
It encourages locals to bike (rather than take the bus or metro) and is great for short trips around town. It is very convenient as there is always a drop off location nearby, and there is no worry of getting your bike stolen. It is also a huge tourist attraction, making transport easier, cheaper and greener!
155 votesAn exciting idea that will be given serious consideration.
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Collect property tax on vehicles registered in BC
The state of Georgia charges an annual ad valorem tax on motorized vehicles. Car values decrease as cars age, so less wealthy people presumably pay less tax. I don’t think Georgia gives concessions for fuel efficient cars but that could be built in here. The new tax's unpopularity could be mitigated if the funds raised went to something really great and the accounting was extremely transparent.
10 votes -
Covered bicycle parking
Cycling in the rain's not so bad, but getting on a wet bicycle is not so great. We need to get more bicycle parking in sheltered areas where the bike is dry when you need it.
8 votes -
Create Green lane ways.
Create like chicago Green Lane ways which a)reduces rain water run off b) helps cools the city c)creates a nicer lane way compared to just ash fault d) they last a lot longer then ash fault ones and look a lot nicer!
13 votesWe have looked at the ""green lanes" pilots and reported to Council in 2008 (summary — they’re 3-4 times more expensive than our now-standard strip pavement, there is a definite "price point’ of how much residents would be willing to pay for the treatment, and they will likely have higher maintenance costs and a shorter service life). We’re currently finalizing our test site for the lower-cost lane treatment option — a permeable lane pavement design.
Here is the full Council report, including the resident survey.
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20081030/documents/pe4.pdf
Definitely an option for Council to increase the funding (reduce the property owner’s share) for these projects to promote more green lanes. More broadly speaking, the Greenest City team is supportive of the idea to make make laneways and alleys more pedestrian friendly environments, while maintaining essential functions (e.g. access for loading, parking and waste collection).
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Property tax exemption/deduction for not owning a car.
People should get a tax reduction or exemption in the city if they don't own a car because if they don't own one they are a) saying the don't need one in the city b) are not adding to congestion in the city c)likely taking public transit, cycling and or walking thus helping in reducing our overall foot print d) setting a good example for there children neighbours and the community and should be reward for doing so even if the credit is a small amount.
8 votes -
Demolish all above ground parking structures and rezone for...
Demolition of all the above ground parking structures would a) reduce heat island affect B) reduce the number of parking space for cars in the city c)free up land for new housing, office space, commercial space, and create space more scaled and open for people d) reduce carbon foot print from all the cars that use to use the space
3 votes -
Inspire us to bicycle!
Get the VPD sting operations to lay off bicyclists. Hiding behind trees and handing out $167 dollar tickets to the people TRYING to make a difference does NOTHING to encourage a green city. Get on a plane and go see some other european cities where they GIVE free bikes for the citizens to use, and honour their rights of personal freedom...not make citizens live in fear. Go do something about the real OFFENDERS in Vancouver.
13 votes -
Discourage single-occupancy vehicles by restructuring roads and parking.
Driving single-occupancy vehicles contributes the largest to CO2 emission, fossil fuel dependency, fatal accidents, and overall air pollution. The first way to discourage it is to designate more dedicated bus lanes, HOV lanes, and bike lanes. Secondly, narrowing our roads would make people realise that they need to get out of congestion and start walking/cycling/taking transit. Thirdly, increase parking fees and reducing parking spaces would also greatly decrease people's willingness to drive.
16 votes -
Use safety to attract transit riders.
Focus on the safety of public transportation. If the public sees that transit is becoming safer there is more likelihood that people will use it. This can be complemented by educating the public that driving private vehicles is statistically more dangerous than taking transit.
3 votes -
Increase residential density to achieve efficient land use and high walking/cycling/transit mobility
Our high dependence on gasoline for transportation is largely due to our lifestyle of single-family dwellings. When density is increased, we would be reducing long-distance commutes and automatically encouraging people to walk and bike. Public transportation would also see more riders and be used more effectively. Higher residential density also means more efficient land use. The greenest city would need to protect its forests and restrict the area of urban development. This density is best accomplished by zoning schemes that discourage single-family dwellings and encourage mixed-use high-density developments. Ideally, there would be one day when some of our low density…
32 votesAs the City reviews land use policy and development bylaws through Community, Central Area, and City-Wide planning programs, opportunities for increased residential density (particularly in walkable neighbourhoods with good transit connections) are actively pursued (in balance with concerns for neighbourhood character and community involvement in city building decisions at the neighbourhood level).
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Create more affordable family housing within easy walking/biking/transit radius of downtown.
We need more family housing (i.e. 3-bedroom units that real people with under-$100K incomes can afford) within easy walking/biking/transit radius of downtown. Studies have shown that 20 minutes is the maximum work commute that people can withstand before they start to accrue major daily stress. And coincidentally, letting people live ... See Moreclose to their jobs leads to massive reduction in auto emissions.
How to create affordable housing?
- Force developers to offer a mandatory number of units beyond the tiny 1-bedroom and 1+den units that currently dominate the market.
- Take over apartment buildings and convert them to co-ops.
- Create a…
404 votesA critical challenge for Vancouver. Laneway housing, STIR, the 20% Inclusionary Zoning Policy, and other programs and policies are intended to help increase housing affordability— see http://vancouver.ca/housing. The draft Greenest City plan recognizes the importance of affordability and will review additional strategies, e.g. unbundled parking.
