Bike-friendly redesign proposed for Haro Street in downtown Vancouver

Another utilities upgrade in the City of Vancouver could be paired with bike-friendly street improvements.

The municipal government is planning a seven-block long street design upgrade of Haro Street in downtown Vancouver’s West End, between Denman Street Thurlow Street, in conjunction with a water main replacement.

• See also:
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  • New bike lanes proposed for entire stretch of Richards Street in downtown Vancouver
  • Vancouver’s bike lane greenways led to an uptick in physical activity: study

Haro Street became a biking corridor in 2012, but the city says the changes at the time only provided signage and paint.

Two options are being considered for segments of the route; the first option — preferred by city staff — entails elements such as curb bulges, raised crosswalks, the removal of over 30 on-street parking spaces, new trees, and space for rainwater capture infrastructure. To achieve this, four blocks would be affected by a new one-way road direction for vehicles.

The second option, closer to the status quo, only makes slight alterations to the street design, with two-way traffic retained for the entire route.

City staff want to reduce Haro Street’s vehicle volumes to below 500 vehicles per day, and achieve a target motor vehicle speed of below 30 km/h.

The city is currently in the public consultation phase of this project. A final recommended design based on the feedback will be created in Spring 2020, with construction beginning later in the year.

Haro Street bikeway upgrade concept. (City of Vancouver)

Haro Street bikeway upgrade concept. (City of Vancouver)

Haro Street bikeway upgrade concept. (City of Vancouver)