Cyclists love it, businesses have a mixed reaction to it and at least one motorist was clearly confused by it as Mayor Gregor Robertson opened a downtown bike lane Tuesday.

The lane on Dunsmuir Street runs between the Dunsmuir viaduct and Burrard Street. It is protected from vehicle traffic by three types of barriers—planters, parking spots and concrete medians.

Cyclists can travel both ways in the lane, and Robertson rode it from the viaduct with an entourage to a morning press conference at Granville and Dunsmuir.

“We had a very nice relaxing ride downtown today without a worry of running into cars, which is a shift we’re seeing across the city as we get these separated bike lanes in place,” Robertson said. “And with this lane, cyclists now have a convenient and safe route into downtown Vancouver from the East Side.”

Cyclist Mark Jess just returned from backpacking in Asia and was unaware of the lane until he rode into town from Burnaby. Jess locked his bike at one of the new bike racks along Dunsmuir.

“It was nice to have some room when you’re coming downtown,” he said. “So far, I like it.”

As Jess was talking, a woman driving a red PT Cruiser took a left turn off Seymour and proceeded west along Dunsmuir in the bike lane. No cyclists happened to be in the lane when the motorist realized what she had done and turned back into a traffic lane.

One block east, Okanagan Springs truck driver Will Campbell was forced to block traffic outside the Railway Club at Seymour so he could deliver beer.

The Courier watched as he nearly took out a light pole and then squeezed his large delivery truck between an opening in the new median that separates the bike lane from traffic.

Until the median was installed, Campbell said, he could park along Dunsmuir. Now he has to back his truck down an alley behind the Railway Club.

“We have eight calls up and down Dunsmuir,” Campbell said. “It’s dangerous because there’s pedestrians and cyclists going both ways and I can’t see everybody. It’s a huge hassle.”

Bahman Afshari operates Fresh Slice pizza underneath the Railway Club along Dunsmuir. From his counter, he can see the new planters that form part of the median.

“For the safety, it’s good for everybody—for the driver, for the biker, for the people walking on the sidewalk,” said Afshari, adding that he expects fewer confrontations between cyclists and motorists downtown.

Afshari said the majority of his customers are walk-ins and he believes more cyclists coming into downtown could generate more business for him.

“We’ll see how it goes over the next few months,” Afshari said.

At Suzette’s Café at the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir, owner Ashley Rego pointed to the loss of four parking spots across from his restaurant to accommodate the bike lane.

Like Afshari, the majority of his customers are walk-ins but he said he counts on customers who drive downtown to his restaurant. He acknowledged it was too early to say whether he will lose business because of the bike lane.

But, Rego said, he has already seen more traffic congestion because Dunsmuir was reduced from three to two traffic lanes.

“I have nothing against cyclists but the lane is too big for them,” he said. “Sit here for 10 minutes and watch how many cars go by. It’s a lot more cars than bicycles. The lane should then be in proportion to that.”

Robertson said the city will monitor the lane over the next six months and have a “troubleshooter” on hand to deal with any problems that emerge.

“It’s brand new so I think cars and bikes are going to be getting used to it over these coming days and we’ll be monitoring it closely and enforcing the traffic laws,” the mayor said. “There may be a little bit of grace initially but we want to be sure that people obey the laws.”

The city has plans to extend the Dunsmuir lane to link with the protected lane on the Burrard Bridge. If that happens, a cyclist could ride in a protected lane from Main Street in Chinatown to Kitsilano.

mhowell@vancourier.com