A shrill voice rang out in front. “I think we should have an open-format discussion!”
The moderator skipped a beat, looked at the interrupting audience member, and then continued in monotone from slide three. “Why are we doing this? To provide a safe, convenient experience for cyclists of all ages and abilities…”
This, in brief, describes yesterday’s Point Grey Road – Cornwall Avenue open house, the last of three hosted by the City regarding proposed infrastructure changes along the corridor. Neighbourhood squeaky wheels crested against briefed staffers, while a silent majority seemed taken aback by the disorder. The Kitsilano Public Library basement was filled beyond capacity, leading the City to present in two shifts for overflow. Plan advocate Peter Ladner was there, as was former Point Grey MLA candidate Mel Lehan.
Given the high attendance and outward purpose — to solicit public opinion on proposed design options — I was surprised how little the City seemed to want feedback. This was first-hand evidence of a common Vancouver complaint: City Hall has already decided what it wants to do. They presented but did little in the way of distributing and collecting forms. Contrast with Translink, where community consultation is highly structured and at least feels sincere even if clear preferences lie behind the curtain.
I did learn a few things at the open house. For one, the greatest safety issue in our transportation system is pedestrian fatalities. Collisions involving pedestrians make up only 1% of all traffic accidents, but make up nearly half of all fatalities. My morning walk to the bus stop turns at Drake and Howe, just prior to the Granville Bridge onramp, where I worry about joining this statistic.
Second, counterflow bike lanes proposed on York, a first for Vancouver if implemented, make more sense than I initially appreciated. “They do this in New York,” informed one staffer, with no obvious reference to the street name. However, these lanes should be extended past Vine to Stephens if the City is to successfully attract cyclists off Cornwall. As it stands, the combination of grade and status quo along these four blocks of York will likely fail to prevent mixing with Cornwall traffic. Cyclists are roundly unsatisfied with the rejection of Cornwall itself in this draft plan — HUB has come out against the York route — and I doubt widespread use in the proposed form. It would be a great miscalculation for the City to spend money and claim the issue solved while cyclists continue to use the flattest, most direct, and most scenic route to Burrard Bridge.
To the west, opinion seems divided about the two options for Point Grey Road. I initially favoured a separated lane, maintaining westbound vehicle traffic, but now see that a preferred alignment to the north side is impractical. The alternative of closing the street to arterial traffic by extending Tatlow and Point Grey Road Parks, permitting cyclists to use a low-volume local roadway, may be preferable. Consider the lovely Central Valley Greenway ride just east of Victoria, a very similar arrangement.
To read the city documents and posters for the Point Grey – Cornwall Corridor, go here:
http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/point-grey-cornwall.aspx
For more on City opacity in planning decisions, Frances Bula has just revisited the issue:
http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-politics-vision-vancouver-aims-to-connect-the-city-to-its-residents/
Reflecting Vancouver 
October 19, 2013 at 5:29 am
I came to do the same observation on public consultations process:
The one by City of Vancouver are probably the worst, even The Province does a better job.
I think it is a problem of work culture at city Hall (the CoV staff has always worked like it, and it is hard to change this culture).
city staff Report are also somehwat ludicrously biaised (the case against the LRT on Broadway being one of them) and it is not new either at Vancouver city hall.
Translink deserves lot of praise for its public consultation process: they are among the best, and most openI have attended.
October 22, 2013 at 7:22 am
The good work of Translink in this regard is sadly wasted by the fact that they have no financial authority to execute new projects. The obstruction of Translink by senior levels of government is fast becoming the greatest impediment to infrastructure development in the Lower Mainland. I’ve never understood the level of disgust leveled at the organization, given how positive my experiences have been as a rider and customer.
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June 1, 2014 at 9:53 am
I’ve been to ‘open format discussions’ and they are not consultation – they are dominated by the angriest, most shouty people in the room. Maybe others have had different experiences, but I’ve seen the city attempt to have town hall format consultations and they always degrade into angry people shouting at staff and people who have other, less angry, options just leave.
June 2, 2014 at 12:57 am
I find consultations structured in smaller groups are often more productive than town halls, and this is indeed how Translink tends to do things. In a group, there is less spectacle and more awareness of respecting other people at the table. Properly moderated, it is also a much more comfortable setting for reluctant participants to share their views, rather than demurring to the inevitable town hall shouters or being too shy to take the microphone.