Stanley Park: See What Life is Like Under the GREENS! – Oberfeld

by Harvey Oberfeld

Keeping It Real…

June 23, 2020

Every British Columbian even THINKING of voting GREEN in the next civic, provincial or federal should drive through Stanley Park.

Because I firmly believe, THIS is what the GREENS would do to the entire road system in Vancouver or other city or provincial or federal roadways and bridges … if ever given the power to do it!

Imagine full lanes shut down for bikes only on the Granville or Cambie Bridges (already done on Burrard); plus full traffic lanes in both directions for bikes only on Highway 99, including the Massey Tunnel; the same on Barnet Highway; and, YES, full traffic lanes in both directions on Highway 1, for bikes only, right to Abbotsford … maybe even Chilliwack … or????

And to hell with the backups, dangers, disruptions that would all cause for motorists, truckers … their lives and/or the economy.

Not possible? Take a look at the Vancouver Park Board, where GREENS/COPE control five of the seven elected seats.

Their governance style reminds me of the Ayatollahs: driven by ideology; fueled by fanaticism; and, oblivious to the pleas, positions and petitions of the public.

And Stanley Park shows exactly what life is like when GREENS get control.

I predicted it before …and I now believe it more than ever: the fix was “in” at a public meeting last Thursday to discuss the full opening of Stanley Park’s roadways, after thousands signed a petition and hundreds spoke out in support of that request.

They pointed to the harm the closure has done to the handicapped, the elderly, families, tourism, businesses and employed staff in the park and some even questioned the road closure’s legality.

No matter.

The Ayatollahs went ahead with THEIR plan for only a “partial” re-opening … and, adding to the farce they made of “public consultation”, the installation of thousands of road dividers to implement THEIR plan began soon after the meeting ended.

Now we can see the results of what the GREENS, with their COPE allies, have wrought on Stanley Park.

Ugly! Unwelcoming! Depressing! Dangerous! Nasty!

What the GREENS have done is an insult to Mother Nature and the beauty that used to be Vancouver’s heritage gem: it looks more like a huge construction site or terrible accident scene… with NOTHING green or pleasant about it.

I drove through the park Tuesday morning: navigating the orange-coned obstacle course; concentrating hard on the many lane-shifting maneuvers needed and the several still-blocked roads and parking areas; trying to read/observe the complex and sometimes ludicrous (see below) traffic signs placed along the way; worried about traffic backing up behind me; all the while watching out for pedestrians at crosswalks, who seemed less intimidated by the cars … that stopped for them … but fearful of speeding cyclists, who did not!

Moving the cyclists from the seawall to the road has definitely made it much more dangerous for pedestrians trying to cross the road from the parking lots on the left, to the seawall and viewpoints on the right.

And not even the cyclists are served well by the Ayatollah’s opening up of a full cycling traffic lane around the park … while banning them from the seawall..

Did the Board forget there’s that huge 7% uphill grade on the road from Lumberman’s Arch to Prospect Point: the entire right lane is reserved for cyclists, but I only saw ONE cyclist even trying to do the very steep grind; others were walking their bikes up (resting on the way); or had turned away before the climb; or, maybe, shhh … reverted to the flat seawall, despite the Ayatollahs banning them from there.

And yet, halfway up the very steep hill, where most cyclists were struggling with walking, not riding … was that ludicrous Park Board road sign: “Slower Cyclists Keep Right”.

LOL! Who said bureaucrats have no sense of humour!

But what is still no joke is the remaining exclusionary/discriminatory treatment of those who use a vehicle to get around … the handicapped, the elderly, tourists, families.

The Park Board has still BLOCKED all vehicles from a truly iconic location in Stanley Park … Brockton Point: vehicles a forced to turn away at the cutoff before the point; CYCLISTS ONLY are given access to the Harry Jerome statue, the Nine O-Clock Gun, the Brockton Point Lighthouse and magnificent Burrard Inlet/North Vancouver/Burnaby viewpoints.

Crazy!

Once more, this is life under the GREEN Ayatollahs!

And that’s not all: also blocked … even though they enter and exit on the left, with NO impact on the cycling lane, are access/egress points to/from the North Shore. No reason I could see for that, other than nastiness.

The only way to exit is also through Georgia Street eastbound: all other vehicle exits are blocked.

Also still blocked … incredibly …are almost all the parking/access to Prospect Point viewpoint, the Cafe, the Teahouse.

How can they possibly operate/survive with so much of their parking eliminated? All that is missing is a green-shirted storm trooper standing in front … shooing away anyone who dares to try to enter/dine there!

This really is ideology gone mad! And the GREENS are responsible for it.

And there’s absolutely NO need for any of it. For 100 years, cars, bicyclists, unicyclists, pedestrians, hikers, joggers, skateboarders, tour buses, even horse-drawn trolleys have all shared the park … thanks to the seawall, the sidewalk and the roads all around and through it …. without a serious accident problem or injuries or disturbances.

Covid-19 is NOT a justifiable reason for what the Park Board is now inflicting on and dividing our citizens: it’s just the excuse to pursue their car-hating campaign.

This truly was a disturbing “visit” through Vancouver’s most famous icon.

I actually felt relieved when I got out, and then realized it had been such an unpleasant, dangerous driving experience, I had not actually noticed … let alone enjoyed … the actual park, its setting, the scenery!

But EVERY British Columbian should brave it … and take the drive if it’s within access.

The Stanley Park road mess is the first experience Vancouver, BC and Canada have of what life is like under actual GREEN government.

And it’s certainly not something I believe most would ever want to see expanded elsewhere.

Harv Oberfeld