Proposed Stanley Park seawall changes remove cyclist dismount gates | Daily Hive

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)

Three short segments of the Stanley Park seawall’s pathway for cyclists could see configuration and design changes later this decade.

Staff of the Vancouver Park Board have recommended conceptual designs for removing the seawall’s bike lane’s cyclist dismount gates at Lumberman’s Arch, Prospect Point, and Third Beach.

For decades, these cyclist dismount gates, also referred to as “maze gates,” have been strategically placed at high-traffic pedestrian crossings as a safety measure, requiring cyclists to dismount at the pinch point between the gates and walk their bike to the other side of the crossing.

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During very busy summer days, these cyclist dismount gates have created some congestion and long line-ups for cyclists.

In May 2024, Park Board commissioners unanimously directed staff to explore the removal of these gates, and consider other safety alternatives. Park Board staff subsequently contracted ISL Engineering and Land Services to create possible conceptual designs.

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)

Similar to Science World’s crossing

“The maze gates can be removed and replaced with new features that align with best practices, such as chicanes, vertical deflections, pathway narrowing, textured pavements and materials, landscaping, planters, furniture, visual cues and signs, and interactive feedback displays,” reads a new Park Board staff report.

For Lumberman’s Arch, instead of the gates, there would be a bike path marked by planters and lean rails. Cyclists traveling through the area would roll into a single file ahead of the busy pedestrian crossing, which is immediately adjacent to The Fox’s Den spray park.

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)

At Prospect Point, the gate created by the existing fencing would be removed and replaced with new signage and pavement markings. As well, there would be a new railing on the outer edge of the seawall to encourage pedestrians to lean on it, effectively creating a wider shared space at this very narrow segment of the seawall pathway.

While this is a quick, low-cost method to improve Prospect Point’s narrow seawall segment, the consultants emphasized that the only true way to eliminate conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists is to widen the seawall in this area — such as by building a boardwalk, where pedestrians would use the new boardwalk, and cyclists would use the existing shared pathway as an exclusive bike lane.

However, this boardwalk option comes at a significantly higher cost and presents technical challenges, including weathering and erosion from the fast-moving waters through the First Narrows at each tide cycle.

prospect point stanley park seawall bike lane changes

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

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)

At Third Beach, the existing gates protect the high volume of pedestrians accessing the Third Beach Concession and parking lot.

Instead of the gates, the new configuration would relocate the bike racks to create a “chicane” — a curve in the bike lane — to encourage cyclists to slow down around the curve before arriving at the pedestrian crosswalk. Benches and leaning rails would also encourage cyclists to ride in a single file through the Third Beach pedestrian crossing.

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)

Estimated $828,000 cost

The recommended specific changes to the Lumberman’s Arch and Third Beach gates were likened to the bike lane configuration where it meets the high-traffic pedestrian crossing next to Science World.

The combined preliminary cost estimate for the design, planning, and construction of the changes at all three locations on the Stanley Park seawall is $828,000, including $420,000 for the actual construction cost, $168,000 for a 40% contingency fund on the actual construction cost, $90,000 for design work, $30,000 for project management, and $120,000 for archaeological assessments and monitoring for this bike lane project.

If approved by Park Board commissioners next week, the project could enter the detailed design phase later in 2025 using existing capital funding, with the aim to seek the necessary construction funding in the upcoming 2027-2030 capital plan, based on potentially beginning construction in 2027.

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