Several East 29th Street residents are trying to force District of North Vancouver council to swerve before about 200 on-street parking spots are lost this summer as part of a $1.454 million road safety project.
The project – which includes new bike lanes, crosswalks and left-turn bays along the stretch of 29th Street sandwiched by Lynn Valley Road and Lonsdale Avenue – was approved by DNV council May 27. Approximately 35 parking spots would remain.
The issue, however, came back before council at their July 8 meeting due to public outcry, and is now going to be revisited at a July 22 council meeting after a 6 p.m. open house.
The removal of on-street parking violates an unwritten rule, argued resident Lindy Libke during the July 8 council meeting. Libke advised council her 87-year-old mother would be forced to climb two “very dangerous” sets of stairs to access her home if she can’t park on the street.
While she acknowledged that street parking is not a “given right,” Libke said most residents have a “reasonable expectation” they can park near their homes.
“One of the main reasons we chose this house was because it had street parking,” she said.
Setting aside road space for parking may soon be a thing of the past, Mayor Mike Little told the crowd.
“The arterial roads of the future for the District of North Vancouver do not have storage for private vehicles on them as a priority,” he said.
Noting that council declared a climate emergency hours earlier, Little was emphatic that more roadway be earmarked for bikes and buses.
“This has to be the direction,” he said.
While she largely agreed with Little about the future, Coun. Lisa Muri was left with one question: “When does the future start?”
Suggesting that the introduction of bike lanes will rid the district of cars is “sticking our head in the sand,” Muri said while calling for compromise.
The changes to the street, which include a protected bike lane on the south side of the street between Tempe Crescent and Royal Avenue, were heralded by HUB Cycling representative Don Piercy.
“Continuing with the status quo will not reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, nor slow climate change. We must take active steps for our environment,” he said. “While these [bike lanes] make it safer for me, much more importantly, they will attract other people who are not comfortable cycling next to all the cars, trucks and buses on East 29th in its current state.”
The work is slated to coincide with paving set for later this summer.
The project includes new crosswalks at St. Georges and St. Andrews avenues, as well as new sidewalks on the north side of East 29th Street and a new crosswalk at Regent Avenue. District staff observed “a distinct lack” of room for pedestrians on the route, with no formal crosswalks within the 1.5 kilometre stretch between Lonsdale and William avenues.
East 29th Street is tentatively slated to eventually connect the SeaBus with Lynn Valley via the B-Line bus.
