Ever notice how wide the Granville Bridge is?  No fewer than eight lanes – four in each direction – span False Creek.  That size might make sense if the bridge were linking up with a major highway, but otherwise it kind of seems like overkill.

So why not turn two of those lanes into a tree-lined pedestrian mall – a foot-friendly, cycle-friendly pathway right down the middle of the bridge?  That’s one question that city planners are asking as part of Vancouver’s Transportation 2040 report.  In total 187 proposals are on the table – everything from widening sidewalks to scramble intersections – in a bid to convert two-thirds of all trips in the city to cycling, walking and public transit by the year 2040.

Right now the proposal isn’t going to council.  For the moment, it’s just a concept.  But I’d like to hear from you:

What do you think?  Should two lanes of Granville Bridge be set aside for a pedestrian mall?  Would it make Vancouver a more walkable city? 

The Vancouver Sun published an artist’s sketch last week of the theoretical mall over the Granville Bridge.  Continue reading:
A Pedestrian Mall on Granville Bridge? You make the call!