Vancouver city council is expected to vote October 5 to make a pilot project for a two-way separated bike lane a reality on the east side of Hornby Street.
But, business groups say the staff report that councillors will use to make up their minds contains serious omissions.
“A report to council should provide complete information so that good decisions can be made,” said Laura Jones, who is vice-president of Western Canada for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “This report has holes big enough to drive a Mack truck through.”
Jones takes issue with the fact that the report holds Copenhagen up as a model to emulate, pointing out that the city has a similar climate and a much higher bike ridership.
The report fails to note, however, that Copenhagen has much higher vehicle taxes. For example, Copenhagen residents must pay a 105% vehicle registration tax on new cars for the first $14,853 and a tax of 180% on anything above $14,852. A 25% value added tax is charged on top of this, Jones said.
Two other glaring omissions in the staff report include: