Open house on Point Grey Rd/Cornwall Ave Corridor tonight

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The turf war between drivers and cyclists is about to envelope another busy route: the Point Grey Road/Cornwall Avenue Corridor.

The City of Vancouver is presenting options at three open houses, starting tonight.

“What we’re looking for here is the goal of safe and pleasant travel for everybody who goes along that very congested corridor,” says Councillor Heather Deal.

“So, that’s pedestrians, cyclists… it’s buses, it’s cars, and it’s trucks, and that’s pretty tough for a very tight area [like this],” she admits.

“We’ve had a lot of input… and we want to make sure that we’re listening to people who walk, people who drive, people who live in the area. The businesses are very important to us in that neighbourhood, as well as the transit lines.”

Area merchants appear divided on the proposals.

“Our members are all over the map on this,” explains Cheryl Ziola, executive director of the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce.

Ziola has learned the City is weighing whether to make Point Grey Road open only to bikes and neighbourhood traffic. She says some members are in favour of that; others aren’t, but all agree the status quo is not an option.

“Some of them, of course, being cyclists are quite in favour of the safety component of having a dedicated bike lane,” she admits.

“But others, of course, are concerned about traffic congestion along 4th Avenue and along Macdonald and, of course, how it will impact businesses along those routes.”

Another option would be to keep Point Grey Road as a one-way arterial route, with a separated bike lane.

You get a chance to weigh in at the first of three open houses, tonight at Henry Hudson Elementary, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The next opportunity after that is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bayview Elementary. The final open house is set for Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Kitsilano Public Library.

Deal expects council to vote on a solution by the end of July.