Vancouver council meets Wednesday (June 15) to finish unfinished enterprise from final week that features whether or not to direct workers to launch a service that will enable the general public sharing of electrical kick scooters within the metropolis.
Currently, Vancouver is taking part in a three-year experiment that the provincial authorities introduced two years in the past that permits town and 5 different municipalities to amend bylaws to approve avenue use of the two-wheeled machines.
In Vancouver’s case, e-scooters are allowed on native streets and guarded bike lanes.
But there isn’t any rental or shared e-scooter program, which is one thing Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung desires to alter and have a trial in place by spring 2023.
“They’re out there on our streets and it makes sense to regulate it,” Kirby-Yung stated Tuesday.
Affordability is among the predominant elements driving Kirby-Yung’s curiosity in a public share program.
In her analysis, Kirby-Yung discovered that it prices about $1,500 for “an average, decent” scooter, a worth that could be a barrier for many individuals and never consistent with town’s aim to make Vancouver a extra equitable metropolis.
The metropolis has had a public share bicycle program for a number of years. Kirby-Yung stated she envisioned a program for e-scooters to be related in nature, however with all main prices borne by an operator chosen by way of a request for proposals course of.
Regulation of e-scooters might embody pace limits and no-go zones reminiscent of sidewalks, stated Kirby-Yung, noting a public program additionally provides residents an alternative choice than driving a automobile and helps town in the direction of its aim to scale back carbon air pollution.
Her movement is certainly one of 5 on council’s agenda for Wednesday, though debate on a possible e-scooter program is prone to be moved to Thursday due to the variety of audio system to different motions, which embody:
Liquor licence
• Coun. Pete Fry’s push to have town elevate its moratoria within the Downtown Eastside and Granville Entertainment District to permit meals major companies to additionally function with a liquor licence after 10 p.m.
In different phrases, enable a licensed restaurant to transform to a bar or lounge within the night, however not must maintain an in any other case pointless full kitchen open and staffed.
‘Campus of care’
• Fry and Coun. Colleen Hardwick have teamed up on a movement geared toward growing a “False Creek South Campus of Care” for seniors.
Nearly one in three residents in False Creek South are above the age of 65, proportionately double that of Vancouver as a complete.
“As residents age in place in False Creek South, there are very few opportunities for them to move into appropriate ‘right-sized’ housing, forcing them to otherwise stay in affordable housing that could be freed up for families,” their movement says.
“Through thoughtful and proactive planning there is an opportunity and imperative to provide appropriate housing and services so that seniors and people with disabilities can age in their community.”
‘Rapid displacement’
• Coun. Jean Swanson desires modifications to town’s single-room-accommodation bylaw “to better guarantee that SRO tenants [who get evicted] are re-housed in self-contained social housing at shelter rate, or in suitable market housing with owners topping up the shelter rate if necessary, before SRO demolition or conversion permits are issued.”
“A variety of factors are currently leading to rapid displacement of tenants from several SRO buildings, including atrocious building conditions, fire, extreme vulnerability of some tenants and development pressures,” Swanson says in her movement.
‘Cut-and-cover’
•. In one other movement, Hardwick factors out the disruption to companies alongside Broadway affected by development of the subway line to Arbutus Street — particularly these positioned on “cut-and-cover” websites alongside the route.
“Merchants located adjacent to ‘cut-and-cover’ sites are more severely impacted than other areas along the Broadway Corridor,” she says in her movement.
“Cut-and-cover sections of construction restrict pedestrian, vehicle and bus access to merchants. Visibility of businesses in cut-and-cover sections is severely limited and significantly impacted.”
Added Hardwick: “Therefore it be resolved that council direct staff to explore options on ways to provide relief to commercial properties affected in the ‘cut-and-cover’ locations along the Broadway Subway corridor, including relaxation of business property taxes, and developing a program similar to that of the City of Montreal’s financial assistance program for businesses affected by major construction.”
Wednesday’s assembly begins at 3 p.m. and runs till 5 p.m. Council will reconvene Thursday, if any unfinished enterprise will not be accomplished Wednesday.
mhowell@glaciermedia.ca
@Howellings