Burrard Street Bridge

The Burrard Street Bridge is, more or less, perpetually in the news. As an art deco structure it's a total success. As a bridge for anything other than motor vehicles it's a disaster.

Vancouver will embark on a plan, beginning July 13, to re-jig the traffic pattern on the bridge in order to give cyclists and pedestrians a fighting chance at getting across in one piece.

The last time the nabobs at City Hall tried something similar was.......... 13 years ago! The trial was a dismal failure then because 'some' motorists, who apparently had a hell of a lot of drag at City Hall, bitched and complained that their commute had been made a living hell. After all, 'they pay taxes!'. Apparently, in the view of the average Mercedes S65 or Maserati driver, us pedestrians, bus riders and cyclists, are just free-loading. The first experiment was cancelled prematurely after less than a week.

A lot of us are hoping Vancouver has evolved since 1996 and that City Hall will tell any whining motorists where to go and how to get there, i.e. over the Granville St. Bridge or the Cambie St. Bridge.