GC 2020
657 results found
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Turn existing "bike streets" into proper separated bike routes
The network of bike streets is a great start, but drivers aggressively squeeze cyclists close to parked cars, increasing the risk of accident. Create physically separated bike lanes on these routes - perhaps by getting rid of one or both sides of street parking. (Or forbidding driving altogether on those routes!)
138 votesThanks for sharing this idea!
The city’s new active transportation 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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Mandatory 2 day "Green Building" 2 day workshop for Contractors & Sub Trades
Educate the small business tradespeople in Green Building technology and methods. Workshops would be geared to specific trades/phases in building/renovations e.g. demolition/salvage/recycling options, energy efficient design/products, sustainable and non toxic building materials and reducing what is sent to the landfill. Make it mandatory to attend every two years in order to operate in Vancouver. Offer the courses free to contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters, carpenters etc. Perhaps the province could also provide a tax incentive for attendance to offset their lost revenue.
10 votesWill not be mandatory but are exploring ways to promote, support and develop training & job creation opportunities as part of the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Develop a Vancouver Food Action Plan
An Action Plan would provide an overall strategy to guide the City’s response to urban agriculture and food system issues.
177 votesThis is one of the key actions in the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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Compost, compost, COMPOST!
Encourage people to compost!!!!! Send out info to people and they will build it! And rainwater cachement systems are GREAT too.
20 votes -
Ban power washers for residential use
[Submitted via email by Patrice Allen]
"Ban power washers for residential use, and monitor their use or find alternatives for commercial use. At present they are noisy, gas-sucking or power sucking annoyances that waste tons of water while owners wash their trucks, their driveways and their dogs. It stuns me. I have sat outside of a Safeway store at the tables provided and watched while two men have power washed a concrete planter and a small portion of sidewalk, for HOURS, using TONS of water and power. Why, in Rain City, do we have to powerwash everything that is exposed…
0 votesAn outright ban on power/pressure washers is not part of the Draft Greenest City Action Plan, but education about appropriate uses and alternatives to their use is part fo the plan.
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Higher parking fees / cheaper transit tickets
Unfortunately people are motivated by their wallets. When parking downtown is cheaper than the 4 bus tickets a couple needs to attend an event, they might choose to drive. (Ignoring of course purchase/operation costs of the car).
Raise parking prices and lower transit fees to encourage more people to shift to transit.
113 votesPoint taken that adjusting costs of different travel modes to support more sustainable choices is a good idea. The City will continue to review parking fees to better reflect street value and market demand, and the Greenest City Plan adds a more explicit environmental lense to this work. Transit fares fall outside City jurisdiction, and there are multiple factors to consider. Fares are an important revenue source for TransLink; at the same time, it is important that prices are affordable and equitable.
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Utilize local building materials in City projects
COV Parks just let a contract to use Made In China Granite shipped across the Pacific for the seawall instead of local granite. I suggest that the contract is amended to utilize local materials.
2 votes -
Compost Organic Soil for City and Homeowner Projects Instead of Non-Sustainable Excavated Soils
Why are we in this day and age still excavating our finite and rare, rapidly disappearing and endangered natural topsoils and peat bogs?! We have more than enough organic waste from yards, lumber mills, and food to create very high quality compost soils that can be responsibly utilized throughout industry, construction, retail, home gardening, and horticultural/farming. We need to do the right thing by significantly limiting non-sustainable soil and peat excavations, and to increase useage of responsible GREEN products like compost soils from high volume, high-tech composting facilities, which would be an excellent return on investment and environmentally responsible solution…
7 votes -
Cool roofs to combat the "heat island" impact, and save energy and reduce emissions
From July 22 "Science News" (everything old SHOULD be new again...)
Global model confirms: Cool roofs can offset carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate global warming
Light-colored roofs and pavements would help in 2 ways. First, the "urban heat island" effect would be mitigated. Second, by reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space, the whole globe would, on average, become a bit cooler. In terms of CO2 emissions, an offset of two years worth of emissions could be attained. Provided of course, such a huge amount of light-colored stuff can be produced and installed in a carbon-neutral manner.
Can light-colored rooftops…
16 votesCurrently exploring an approach to addressing cool roofs, green roofs & walls.
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9 votes
Staff are reviewing this idea and will be implementing changes at some locations quite soon.
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99 B-Line along Broadway to use Trolley Buses via an express trolley wire, similiar to Hastings St.
Installing a second set of "express" trolley wires along Broadway similiar to the express wires on Hastings St, would allow the 99 -B-Line, to use zero emmision articulated trolley buses. Currently using trolleys would be no better than the regular "9" service. Express wires would allow the buses to pass each other and would allow the "99" service to run express without conflicting with the local "9" service.
19 votesTransLink is currently leading a study to determine the best approach to deliver high-capacity, fast, frequent, and reliable rapid transit for the Broadway Corridor from Commercial Drive to UBC. A number of technologies and alignment options are being considered, including rail rapid transit (e.g. SkyTrain), surface light rail transit, and bus rapid transit. Electric-powered trolleys are included as part of the bus options.
The City of Vancouver is directly involved as a partner agency in the study. In April 2010, City Council endorsed ten principles to guide City input into this process ( http://vancouver/ubcline/principles ).
Visit http://vancouver.ca/ubcline to learn more about this work, including upcoming public engagement events.
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Monitor electricity on computers
Have software on your computer that monitors how much electricity you are using at any given time in your home, and how much per appliance/outlet etc.
3 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 -
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 -
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 -
"Waste" pick up
Have Garbage and recycling trucks able to pick up bins on both sides of each ally at once. We have a truck drive down our ally 4 times each garbage day (6 with waste bins). A ridiculous waste of resources....and where are our hybrid diesel trucks, as it is the epitome of stop and go traffic
6 votes -
Require residential water metering
The City of Vancouver could expect to achieve about a 20 % reduction in water use if residential meters were installed. However, the average water bill for single and two family homes would increase by about 30 %. These costs are related to the installation and maintenance of the meters and to the fact that the majority of the cost of water is related to the filtering and distribution infrastructure - the cost of which remains the same regardless of how much water is used.
In other cities where water meters are used for billing, people have a better understanding…
196 votesIncluded in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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21 votes
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Improve Wild Salmon habitat by creating mini road end parks along the North Arm of the Fraser River
[Submitted via email by Terry Slack]
One way to improve the quality of migrating Juvenile salmon habitat in the Fraser River is to improve the quality of water going into the Fraser River and restore small pockets of important" tidal juvenile salmon ribbon marsh habitat"! Drainages from roads etc. located near road ends travel in open drainage ditches and is discharged directly into the North Arm of the Fraser River untreated . Creating Salmon Friendly Mini Parks at all the road ends in South Vancouver, Marpole etc. not only adds much needed greenspace, but these parks can be designed in…
22 votes -
Create more community gardens
Provide more opportunities for the creation of community gardens. Existing community gardens should be preserved and enhanced. Encourage community gardens on school grounds for educational and aesthetic purposes.
227 votesCity has already moved beyond the 2,010 (garden plots) by 2010 challenge. Three new gardens were created in the summer of 2010 and others are currently in the planning stage. This is an idea included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
