Hornby Cycle Track Update – 2
The Hornby Cycle Track – the separated bike path that runs from False Creek to Coal Harbour- generated a lot of angst in October when it was approved and quickly constructed. Things have quieted down. Now we’ll see how it’s used.
Sunday afternoon – blinding sun and long shadows on a crisp winter day. Lots of bundled-up walkers on the seawall and people on wheels, many of whom are circumnavigating False Creek. But not a lot of action on Hornby. Sunday, obviously, so the commuter cyclists are absent.
Still, I think more seawall cyclists would be using it if they figured out the Hornby Loop:
The traditional Stanley Park Loop is about 10 km, and can take a few hours. Likewise the loop around False Creek. And now cyclists can cut throught the busiest part of downtown on a fully separated route that will give them another option for a 10K expedition.
There are two impediments: the hill between Beach and Drake at the south end, and the missing piece of seawall just west of the new convention centre.
And let’s face it, that two-block hill is steep.
You have to gain all the elevation from sea level to the height of land on the downtown peninsula in just two blocks. It’s a workout – a test of strength and stamina, intimidating to the casual recreational cyclists who may still be gaining their pedal legs.
But that’s okay: workouts and recreation are indistinguishable in our culture. Physical exertion is something we seek; workouts are social occasions – a pursuit of fitness and friendship. So Vancouver has evolved public spaces that are opportunities for exercise. Our main forms of recreation – skiing, hiking, running, mountain biking - are the ways we interact with our landscape and our city. We don’t just stoll, or amble, or perambulate. Not for us the tradition of the Passaggiata. Yes, you’re entitled to the gelato, but only if the calories are compensated for.
So I don’t think the Hornby hill is a deal-killing obstacle. But seawall cyclists need to be assured that it’s worth making the effort to get to the top. It is: from Drake there’s a gentle grade to Hasting Street, with all the pleasure that comes from playing with gravity, especially when you seamlessly make the signals.
The problem is at the north end, where a little guidance is needed. Unfortunately, the seaplane terminal still blocks a crucial section of the seawall at Harbour Green, preventing cyclists coming off the Hornby cycle track (which jogs over to Burrard for the final link to the convention centre bikeway) from joining to the Coal Harbour seawall. That means carrying bikes up and down flights of stairs, or detouring down Hastings or Cordova. Not fun, not intuitive.
What’s needed: a map and some guidance for cyclists. Now would be a good time for some volunteers to station themselves at either end of the cycle track, to answer questions and provide encouragement for the curious or unaware. The bike rental services and shops should be pushing this big time.
Also, a little promotion is in order. How about a 10-K Run and Cycle – starting and finishing at the Olympic Cauldron? If a fitness studio, running store or bike shop got together, they could make this a nice warm-up event prior to the summer racing season and the Sun Run.
I’m not worried that Hornby won’t ultimately justify the political risk that was taken to get it done. It’s a lovely piece of asphalt and a strategic connection. It will be used, probably in ways we can’t even anticipate. In fact, I can imagine a scenario in which it’s overused, perhaps sooner than we think. More about that later.
What a cliffhanger!
Agreed Agustin! Hat-free PBS? We can only dream!
I have biked around the “Hornby Loop” a couple of times, and join you in recommending it. However, I disagree with your discouraging description of the two “impediments.”
Firstly, you are going the wrong way. By biking south on Hornby and you will travel gently uphill from Coal Harbour and across town and then coast down the steep two-block hill south of Pacific. Turn right at the traffic circle and you are on the Seawall with a great view facing English Bay. Turn right at Second Beach, past the old fire truck, through the tunnel, along the field, around Lost Lagoon, under Georgia, and right towards Coal Harbour.
Secondly, there is a cobbled bike/walk path that runs parallel to the park at Coal Harbour. By taking this path instead of the Seawall, one connects to the ramps at the Convention Centre and avoids the stairs. From the bottom of Burrard, rejoin the separated bike path as it jogs over to Hornby, and round and round we go.
This whole route is bi-directional, No steep climb. No stairs.
I hope that helps!
I’ve been on Hornby and Dunsmuir several times lately when there have been quite a few cyclists on them. Sunday morning, it was quite busy, later on in the day, not so much. Today Dunsmuir was quite busy as well. It seems like the section of Hornby between Nelson and Hastings gets the most bicycle traffic. I suspect this is due to the lack of good east-west routes connecting to it. The only good one is Dunsmuir and that is only east of Hornby. The connects to the West End are really horrific. I suspect if they were improved, the bike traffic on both routes would double or triple.
Smithe seems to me to be a natural West End connection point going West. Nothing quite so natural eastbound
I’m cycling the Hornby bike route nearly every day and there does not seem to be a great correlation so far between weather and use, which makes me think that many of the users are using it as a commuting route as opposed to a recreational route. I think some responsibility will fall to the Park Board to include the Hornby and Dunsmuir routes on the seawall map of bike routes that are posted through the park.
Hi, the 2 problems you’ve mentioned are bang-on. I commute, entering Hornby at Helmcken. Although I try to cycle most days, on my weekend rides the hill up to Drake takes a toll on my knees which are not the best set in town. Coming off the Burrard Bridge and then turning on Hornby is ok, but its tough coming up the steep hill from the Seawall. I have to walk my bike up to Pacific before I can continue. I live in the West End and agree with Richards comments above regarding access into and out of the lanes, its not the best, you have to plan your way (mine is Burrard left to Helmcken, left on Hornby Bike Lanes). I also have thought a few planned bike events on the Lanes would be great – 10 or 15 km rides, photo-scavenger hunts, etc.
Sorry, that made me laugh. Where I grew up we had long roads with those inclines and some shorter ones that were even steeper. Yeah, you went around them when you could, but you quickly learn what your gears are for.
Richard, Chris:
As someone who lives just off Haro, I complained over and over again at the open houses that the city had no plan for bridging the Burrard Street seam in the grid. Like the way the transit system is structured (the 5 and 6 are fine, but don’t actually go anywhere), it seems like most of the West End is expected to walk or drive into downtown, neither of which are appropriate for the distance much of the time.
Before the Hornby retrofit I settled on Robson to make the eastbound connection, after discounting Nelson and even Pender. Now I feel like there has to be a better way, so I often walk that last block of Smithe (a block over which 4 westbound lanes have already started their drop to 1). Most of the time, though, if I’m headed southbound I’ll just stay on the Burrard suicide chute.
Getting bike lanes on the block of Haro/Smithe between Thurlow and Burrard would be pie, just taking some striping, and would move the WB left-turners away from the curb so they’d have a harder time violating the impotent half-closure. The Burrard to Hornby block is tighter, but there’s plenty of room if one of those lanes is dropped earlier or they chip a few more parking stalls off. I’m not sure whether it would have been easier or harder to get this through at the same time as all the other parking removal, but they sure didn’t try.
I’m also not sure that making either turn off of Hornby to get going WB is all that great, with the reverse bike box (or whatever we’re supposed to call those) being rather intimidating with the full weight of Smithe behind you and the knowledge that the cars aren’t going to be super happy with you being properly positioned in the middle of the road.
If the true purpose of the Comox/Helmcken greenway plan is to connect the West End to the Cambie bridge, it seems like this task would also be better served by attacking the Smithe (or Nelson) traffic sewer.
The Haro/Nicola bike route was approved by council in July 2005. It will run on Haro St. from Burrard (at Smithe) to Stanley Park, with a spur on Nicola. I would hope that the section between Thurlow and Hornby could be changed to a two-way link or some other safe way to get from Haro to Hornby.
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20050721/documents/pe5.pdf
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20050721/documents/pemin.pdf
As another West Ender (and a chicken cyclist), I cannot wait until they make the connection to the West End! I live on Thurlow at Smithe, so I feel like there is a brick wall between me and the separated bike lanes. I’m too chicken to ride on Thurlow (!) or Nelson because the cars are in traffic-sewer mode (aka highway mentality) and I’m a slowpoke. And it just feels silly to walk my bike until I get to a proper bike lane, so I usually just walk/transit and leave my bike at home.
Sounds like people are primarily complaining about one-way streets that prevent cyclists from using the most direct route to get to the Hornby bike lane (i.e. Thurlow is southbound, Smithe is westbound). Maybe ride over to Bute (to Comox and Helmcken or to Robson) to cross Burrrard. I would hope that the cyclists out there circle the block (obeying the law) rather than riding counterflow on the sidewalk (or as someone mentioned, walk your bike on the sidewalk).
Anyways, wrt Hornby, the route doesn’t seem very “scenic” and does exude a “commuter route” feel. In comparison, I wonder how the weekend ridership compares to the “original” downtown penninsula route via the (much more level) Carrall Greenway (despite having to ride through Gastown/DTES on the north side)?
@Ron: Robson’s fine, and I often ride on much, much worse, but it’s not the same kind of facility as Hornby at all. I’m only mildly uncomfortable taking the lane (most of the time it’s congested enough that I don’t have to work too hard to stay ahead of the cars anyway), but the same people who would be tempted to start riding downtown because of Hornby aren’t going to find it that fun (nor would I expect them to stay out of the door zone). Haro/Smithe is so much better of a potential connection that I’m willing to walk that last short block so that I can stay those two longer blocks off of Robson.
I still have a couple other ideas I may get around to trying out (Haro/Smithe->Burrard->Robson->Hornby or Haro/Smithe->Burrard->Breezeway south of Smithe->Hornby), but nothing is the right match for the laid back, straight forward nature of Hornby.
I haven’t noticed an uptick in sidewalk riding along that block of Smithe. While I’m glad for what that indicates in terms of etiquette, I haven’t seen many people walking bikes either. I’m worried to see some of the Hornby numbers because of it. Missed opportunities.
It may also depend on peoples’ destinations.
If you’re headed south and are comfortable on Burrard’s painted bike lane, that can be used.
If you’re headed east people may take Helmcken to Pacific Blvd’s painted bike lane instead of Dunsmuir.
For people headed north to the CBD? They may just walk to work.