Removal of Stanley Park seawall's cyclist dismount gates approved | Daily Hive

Vancouver Park Board approves removing Stanley Park seawall's cyclist dismount gates

The existing cyclist dismount gate at the Third Beach pedestrian crossing on the Stanley Park seawall. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

During a public meeting on Monday evening, Vancouver Park Board commissioners unanimously approved the removal of three cyclist dismount gates on the Stanley Park seawall, along with the conceptual designs for modifying the bike path at these locations.

Currently, cyclist dismount gates — also referred to as “maze gates” — at Lumberman’s Arch (The Fox’s Den spray park), Prospect Point (under the Lions Gate Bridge), and Third Beach (Third Beach concession stand and parking lot) force cyclists to walk their bike across each location’s high-traffic pedestrian crossing.

During busy summer days, these gates can create congestion and long lines of cyclists on the seawall.

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“There’s a tremendous amount of conflict on the Stanley Park seawall between pedestrians and cyclists. And now that there’s no interior bike lane on Stanley Park Drive, even more people are forced onto the seawall,” said Green commissioner Tom Digby during Monday evening’s meeting.

“And now we’ve approved mobility scooters and e-bikes on this, so there’s just gonna continue to be growth in activity, which is wonderful and we want that. But there’s these three very particular conflict points where pedestrians and cyclists come into conflict.”

stanley park seawall cyclist dismount gates

Locations of cyclist dismount gates at busy pedestrian crossings on the Stanley Park seawall. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

Park Board staff began exploring new solutions, after the commissioners approved a member motion by Digby in May 2024 to explore the feasibility and safety of removing the gates.

Generally, according to Park Board staff, these cyclist dismount gates will be replaced by new designs that use chicanes (curve in the bike lane route), vertical deflections, pathway narrowing, textured pavements and materials, landscaping, planters, furniture, visual cues and signs, and interactive feedback displays.

At Lumberman’s Arch, the cyclist dismount gates will be replaced by a a narrow bike path marked by planters and lean rails, which should force cyclists to slow down and travel in single file ahead of the major pedestrian crossing.

For Third Beach, instead of the gates, a new chicane should encourage cyclists to slow down around the curve before arriving at the pedestrian sidewalk.

The new design for both the Lumberman’s Arch and Third Beach bike lane and pedestrian crossings will be similar to what currently exists outside Science World.

Proposed concept for changes to the Stanley Park seawall at Lumberman’s Arch, removing the cyclist dismount gate. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

third beach stanley park seawall bike lane changes

Proposed concept for removing the Stanley Park seawall’s cyclist dismount gate at Third Beach. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

As for Prospect Point, the gate created by the existing metal railing/fencing that separates the bike and pedestrian paths will be removed and replaced with new signage and pavement markings. Additionally, there will be a new railing on the outer edge of the seawall — right next to the water — to encourage pedestrians to lean on it, effectively creating a wider shared space at this very narrow segment of the seawall pathway.

“The upgraded path will allow cyclists to travel seamlessly from Coal Harbour all the way to Granville Island without having to dismount. This uninterrupted route promotes cycling as a convenient, enjoyable mode of transportation, encouraging more people to cycle throughout the day. Third, it’s a step towards a more accessible city,” said independent commissioner Scott Jensen.

prospect point stanley park seawall bike lane changes

Potential long-term concept at a higher cost of widening the Stanley Park seawall with a board walk at Prospect Point. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

Proposed concept for changes to the Stanley Park seawall at Prospect Point. (ISL Engineering and Land Services/Vancouver Park Board)

However, the removal of the gates and the construction of the new bike lane and pedestrian crossing designs at each of the three locations could be a few years away. The aim is to incorporate this into the 2027-2030 capital plan, with construction potentially starting in 2027.

The estimated combined cost for the changes to all three locations is $828,000, including design, planning, construction, and archaeological assessment and monitoring costs, as well as a $168,000 contingency fund for the construction costs.

“I’m a fan of simple solutions, but I think just by opening the gates, there’s still a lot of risk. I think we still need the crosswalks. I think we still need the narrowing of the path so it’s safe for everyone,” said ABC commissioner Jas Virdi, addressing the comments of one public speaker who suggested that the gates should be removed quickly without Park Board staff’s outlined design changes.

According to the traffic counts performed by the Park Board’s design contractor, conducted over three days at the peak of the summer season in August 2024, Lumberman’s Arch is the busiest of the three locations.

Over the three days surveyed at Lumberman’s Arch, 5,736 people were seen walking, 9,489 people were riding a bike or e-bike, 489 people were riding a scooter or e-scooter, 161 people were riding a tandem bike, 52 people were riding a cargo bike or bike without a trailer, 88 people were using roller blades, 33 people were using skateboards, and eight people were using a segway.

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