Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is bound for the bike-lane battleground of Kitsilano.
The mayor’s six-bedroom home on West 23rd Avenue has just been listed at $1.95 million, and the mayor announced he’s headed for Ground Zero in the bike-lane debate – a new home near York Avenue, one of the proposed routes for a separated bike lane that has Kitsilano up in arms.
The move may be a blessing in disguise – the mayor says because he’s moving to the core of the battleground, he won’t be casting a vote when council debates the ‘Point Grey Road–Cornwall Avenue Active Transportation Corridor Project’ later this month.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Mayor informed the City Solicitor that he will be recusing himself from voting on the upcoming Point Grey Cornwall project,� reads a statement issued by the mayor’s office.
NPA Coun. George Affleck said the move is convenient for Robertson, meaning the mayor won’t have to take sides on a polarizing debate about the prominent seaside arterial route.
“Now the mayor can say, ‘I didn’t vote on that, so don’t blame me,’ � Affleck told The Province. “We’ve received hundreds of letters, and emails, and phone calls.�
Robertson, the cycling mayor who’s spearheaded controversial bike lanes in many parts of the city, will now opt out of the vote.
“He’s the leader of the Vision party, and they’re in love with bike lanes, so he should be leading the discussion,� said Affleck.
Stormy meetings, rallies and community events have been held in Kits, with little compromise between the bike-lane and no-bike-lane groups.
Wednesday afternoon a group hoping the whole plan will be put on hold gathered at MacDonald Street and Point Grey Road to try to stop the city from proceeding.
“It’s dividing the neighbourhood,� said Point Grey Road resident Pamela McColl, who was one of a vocal group who came out to oppose the demonstration.
“I’ve got 2,600 signatures on a petition,� McColl said of her group of bike-lane advocates.
“We followed the rules, we went to the meetings and presentations.�
Spice Lucks was one of dozens of protesters out Wednesday, arguing that local residents have been left out of the discussion.
“It’s not about the change, it’s the way the change is being implemented,� said Lucks. “This corridor has been my passion my whole life.�
The bike fight awaiting Robertson is a far cry from the for-sale Craftsman-style home located in a very desirable west-side neighbourhood, although the mayor was rattled several years ago when a drive-by shooting occurred nearby on Oak Street.
The new listing bills the 1912 home as “Wonderful Douglas Park. Converted big character family house w/5 bedrms up + lovely 1 bdrm suite down situated on 2 legal lots.�
From shots fired in Douglas Park to residents taking pot shots at one another in Kitsilano, Robertson’s move won’t be clear sailing ahead.
Alicia Hagman, who’s lived in the ‘Kingdom of Kits’ for 35 years, thinks the mayor is rewarding his supporters.
“It’s basically giving preferential treatment to their special interest groups and individuals that live on the Point Grey corridor at the expense of the rest of the community,� said Hagman. “They keep telling us we need to be green.
“Well, that started in this neighbourhood – way before even the mayor was born.
“It’s not about the bike lane. It’s about closing down a road that houses a couple of big supporters of Vision and they’re the ones behind it – and that’s not cool.�
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