Cyclists can legally ride through crosswalks emblazoned with elephant prints in the City of North Vancouver, following council’s final vote on the matter Jan. 15.
Cyclists must yield to pedestrians and enter the crosswalk from the curb in order to be in compliance with the new bylaw, which generally concerns crosswalks that link to cycling paths such as the Green Necklace or the Spirit Trail.
While he supported the motion, Coun. Don Bell said he was concerned the elephant’s feet – intermittent squares that imitate footprints – aren’t recognized by “pedestrians or by motorists.”
“They really don’t say anything . . . they’re just dotted squares,” Bell said.
To remedy the situation, Bell advocated painting the crosswalks green and affixing them with the pedestrian and cyclist symbols that adorn walking/bicycling trails.
Staff are expected to take Bell’s suggestion under advisement.
Painting the crosswalks green is a fine idea, agreed Tony Valente, who was speaking on behalf of cycling advocacy group HUB.
While Valente thanked council for “addressing the gap in the Motor Vehicle Act between multi-use pathways and crosswalks,” he acknowledged the elephant feet sometimes appear to be: “obscure-looking white markings.”
The new bylaw passed 6-1 with Coun. Pam Bookham opposed. Bookham previously noted the city’s large number of older drivers and the visibility problems exacerbated by encroaching hedges and deficient lighting.
“We have had pedestrians hit in crosswalks on Lonsdale and that’s a fairly well-lit street,” she said at a prior debate.
Cyclists will still need to obey the rules of the road, Mayor Darrell Mussatto said Monday.
“It just means that instead of having to walk their bike across, they can ride it slowly across,” he said.
The bylaw should save the city money by requiring fewer road signs, according to a city staff report.
