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Residents set to rally against proposed bike lane through Kits Beach

Residents concerned about the alignment of a proposed bike lane through the Kits Beach area will rally ahead of Monday’s park board meeting where commissioners will consider the matter.
bike lane proposal
Residents concerned about the alignment of a proposed bike lane through the Kits Beach area are planning a rally ahead of Monday's park board meeting.

Residents concerned about the alignment of a proposed bike lane through the Kits Beach area will rally ahead of Monday’s park board meeting where commissioners will consider the matter.

The protest, organized by Wake Up Vancouver, will take place outside of the park board office starting at 6 p.m. The meeting starts at 6:30.

Groups including the Kitsilano Beach Coalition, Kits Point Residents Association, Kits Beach Volleyball Association, Kits Beach Tennis Club, Kits Beach Basketball Alumni Association, Kits Beach Boathouse Restaurant and along with concerned residents, are planning on taking part in the rally.

The proposed route, which will be presented to park board commissioners at the meeting, would cut through two major sections of the park. More than 900 square meters of the park would be paved for the pathway.

This isn’t the first time residents have rallied against a paved bike lane in the area. In 2013, residents protested a similar proposal.

The pathway is part of the city’s Point Grey-Cornwall Active Transportation Corridor, which runs between Kits Beach and Jericho Park. City council approved the corridor in July 2013 and asked the park board to “proceed with upgrading of the Seaside Greenway in Kitsilano Beach and Hadden Parks as a priority project funded by the Coty’s capital budget.”

Later that year, park board commissioners approved several cycling and pedestrian alignment and infrastructure improvements affecting a number of parks. Most of the work has now been completed, with the exception of Kits Beach and Hadden parks.

“This scope was excluded after significant community concerns were raised and it became apparent that additional public engagement is needed,” reads a staff report.

Since 2013 the park board held three different phases of public consultation before arriving at the current proposal. The proposal going to the park board Monday night does not include Hadden or Vanier parks.

“The proposed improvements are in the spirit of providing safe and comfortable pedestrian and recreational cycling facilities within or along the park while protecting valuable greenspace,” staff said in the report.

@JessicaEKerr

jkerr@vancourier.com