Does anyone remember all the talk of “Gregor’s gridlock”? A couple of former NPA loyalists devoted an entire website to it in fact, predicting that the Burrard Bridge lane trial would cause traffic to come to a standstill, the electorate to be up in arms and foaming at the mouth, and their former party’s fortunes to rise with the tide of public anger.
Fortunately for Vancouverites, the predictions fell flat on their face (without wearing a helmet, I might add) and a well-planned trial has proven that its obituaries were clearly premature. Today, the most challenging hurdle that the trial has faced to date was cleared without incident.
It is quite funny to see the naysayers (non-supporters for the sake of politics, not reason) scurry to adapt their positions. Councillor Suzanne Anton’s goalposts have shifted so many times, it is hard to figure out which way she is heading – first it was the AM traffic that was going to be hell, then it was the PM traffic that was going to prevent people from getting home, then it was the Celebration of Light fireworks traffic that was going to wreak havoc, and finally it was today – the first day back to school and work after the summer – that was going to lead to Armageddon.
One other thing – throughout this trial, Anton has claimed that “by far, the most cost-effective solution, the one that increases capacity for cyclists and pedestrians, and the one which doesn’t take away from all of the other bridge users, is the sidewalk-widening option.”
Well, that option would cost $66 million ($33 million to widen the sidewalks, and $30 million to repair the disintegrating concrete elements so that they can support the added weight). How that is more economical than a trial that costs $1.5 million (and a potential permanent solution that wouldn’t add much more to the equation) or a pedestrian/bike bridge pegged at $45 million is baffling, and something for the NPA bean counters to try and explain.
Oh, and that abovementioned website? Well, it is now devoted as a “place to celebrate the success of the Burrard Bridge lane experiment.”
Of course, the authors pose an ominous question to maintain their original hunt for opposition fodder:
“Someday the summer doldrums will end, and people will want to start commuting across the city in and out of downtown. Then we’ll see if the $1.5 million was worth it.”
Welcome to the fall, gentlemen.
