Frequently Asked Questions

The Strategy is the City’s blueprint that will guide transportation and policy decisions over the next ten years for how we plan, operate, maintain, and invest in our mobility system.

There are few parts of the city where adding more travel lanes is possible, due to our dense built form. Adding travel lanes rarely decreases congestion; it actually tends to increase congestion as more people become aware of the available short-term capacity (this is referred to as induced demand).

Many people need to use a vehicle for a range of circumstances. However, many people do not need to use a vehicle but opt to use one because transit is perceived to be too slow, or our cycling infrastructure isn’t comfortable enough. We’re looking to improve conditions for walking, rolling, and taking transit, so people use these modes more frequently, which will increase the space available on our streets for people who need to use a vehicle.

The Mobility Strategy proposes to create a network of 30 km/h streets on all local streets, and will complement these speed reductions with design interventions and access limitations. Community members will be included in the traffic calming evaluation and prioritization process.

The Strategy includes pedestrian-related actions such as completing and improving our sidewalk network, introducing more amenities for places to rest, adopting consistent weather protection in commercial areas, improving street and pathway light levels, and expanding the use of pedestrian-activated signals and advanced pedestrian crossing phases at signalized intersections throughout the city.

We know that many people want to cycle more and that the current infrastructure does not allow everyone to feel safe and comfortable. We intend to complete the Priority Corridors for AAA Mobility Lanes, using low-cost quick-build materials where appropriate, so that more facilities are available sooner. Once complete, all our neighbourhoods and key destinations will be a short bike away from a protected network, creating safe and comfortable conditions for people to walk or roll.

The Strategy supports enforcement to reduce dangerous conduct on our streets, and prioritizes protection for vulnerable road users. This includes working with the RCMP to identify priority locations for enforcement at high-risk intersections and corridors, and working with the Province and RCMP to implement electronic enforcement to deter speeding, red-light running, and other dangerous behaviour at key intersections and corridors.

The Mobility Strategy intends to enhance the transit experience in the City through priority measures (like bus-only lanes) so transit is faster and more reliable. The Strategy also proposes to make it a priority to work with adjacent municipalities, TransLink, and the Province to plan and deliver a rapid transit connection across the Burrard Inlet, creating a time-competitive option to vehicle travel for trips to and from the North Shore.

Goods movement is a critical part of a prosperous economy. The City is creating the enabling conditions for more people to walk, roll, and take transit, which will open up more space for goods movement on our streets. The Strategy also recommends implementing dedicated goods movement loading zones on most of our streets, and exploring last-mile solutions such as more secure parcel lockers, and increasing delivery by cargo bike, to further decrease traffic congestion on our streets.

Currently 90% of our curb space in the city is dedicated to long-term vehicle parking. This leaves less room for a growing number of other uses, including transit, delivery vehicles, bikes, and taxis, who all need a safe space to pull over. Along our commercial corridors where there is the highest parking demand, there are plenty of under-utilized off-street parking lots that have space for many vehicles. There will continue to be space to park vehicles, while also providing room for a growing number of these other demands. Features to support these demands are reflected through the street types included in the Draft Mobility Strategy (pp 52-66), which outline the priorities for curb use in different parts of the city.

The Metro Vancouver region is growing in population and employment. This includes the North Shore and the City of North Vancouver. More regional trips are leading to increased traffic congestion. In the last decade, the North Shore has added nearly 10,000 jobs but only 7,000 residents, which means more people are commuting between the North Shore and other parts of the region every day. 

In order to decrease congestion, we need to decrease demand (i.e. the number and length of vehicle trips). Nearly one-third of vehicle trips in the city are under 5 km, a distance that many people could travel by walking, rolling or taking transit. Shifting some of these vehicle trips to sustainable modes will create improved conditions for people who need to use a vehicle to travel.

Street types have been developed as part of the Mobility Strategy and are intended to provide guidance on how we plan projects on our streets, and unite street design with local land use context and community objectives. They are intended to develop common language and vision around our streets for community engagement, and also to indicate what can be expected for specific street features.

Currently, we overbuild off-street parking by a range of 18% to 35%. This adds to the unaffordability and has environmental impacts. By providing excess space, it incentivizes people to use a vehicle. By reducing the minimum amount of parking spaces that developers are required to provide, it allows more space to be dedicated for other modes (like more secure bicycle parking), and when paired with other travel demand management programs (like transit pass subsidies) and building dense complete communities, we can continue to grow while not increasing the amount of vehicle traffic on our streets. This surplus of parking takes up space that could be used for other considerations such as more units, amenities, or storage.