Expect more e-scooters in Vancouver this summer

Good morning,

It’s official, the city has skipped spring and gone right to summer. Temperatures in Vancouver are set to be as high as 18 degrees (!!!) on Saturday. Better get outside and enjoy it while you can.

Speaking of getting outside, we’ve got an update on the situation with the park board, and future plans for e-scooters. 

Let’s get to it!

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WEATHER

Monday: 4 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 6 🌡️ 1 | 🌧️

Wednesday: 6 🌡️ 0 | ☁️

TRANSPORTATION

Rev up those e-scooters this summer

Tired of Mobi bikes? Well, you may now have an alternative to get around.

What happened: Vancouver is set to allow expanded e-scooter usage throughout the city, with city staff seeking approval from council on a bylaw change, according to the Province. The changes would allow e-scooters on major streets that have a speed limit of 50 km/h, and also create a shared system of e-scooters, like many other large cities around the world.

• Much work has already been done on this. The city has already chosen a provider for the shared e-scooter system after a request for proposals last year, based on a motion brought forth by Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung in 2022.

Background: Currently, e-scooter use is limited to smaller side streets. However, according to the Vancouver Sun, scooter has increased by 25 percent year over year.

Benefits: Scooters can serve as a critical part of transportation infrastructure, helping fill in the “last mile” problem, which is getting people to their final destination in between major transit stops. For example, getting off at a bus stop and walking a few blocks home. 

But also problems: E-scooters, as envisioned by companies like Lime where anyone can pick them up and leave them in specific zones, can create problems for disabled people if the scooters are left on sidewalks. People also treat them poorly, leaving the scooters strewn around across cities. 

What they’re saying: The Lookout reached out to Vision Zero Vancouver, a group that advocates for safer active transportation, and they noted that while they are supportive of the policy change, they worry that e-scooter users have few options to remain safe on Vancouver roads:

• “Outside of downtown, there are very few protected cycle lanes anywhere in Vancouver. And local streets are reasonable sometimes, but more often full of traffic, parked cars — which present a risk of being hit by drivers opening their car doors — and low-visibility intersections. What's more, most of the locations that people want to end up going, be it shops, restaurants, or places of work, are on busy arterial streets. That's why we think these streets need to have their own protected active transport lanes.”

Outside Vancouver: Ottawa has been tentative in its rollout of rentable e-scooters. In previous years, the city has run a pilot project with about 900 scooters from two providers, as they tweak the rules for using the vehicles around the city, according to our Ottawa Lookout editor. Complaints about riders on sidewalks and scooters being parked in the way of pedestrians have led to strict rules and geolocking requirements put on scooter companies to keep the scooters from impeding other road and sidewalk users. The city has yet to approve an extension of the pilot into 2024.

What’s next: Expect the system to launch by June, assuming everything goes well.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📉 1.1%: The decline in rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver in February. Of course, the average price is still absolutely brutal at $2,653. [Urbanized]

🛏️ 28: The number of new beds opening up at Covenant House Vancouver to help homeless young people aged between 16 and 24 years old. The cost of the program will be $5 million over two years. [CTV]

🏥 $270 million: The amount the BC government is setting aside over the next three years to fund cancer treatment for chimeric antigen receptor therapy, an advanced way of treating leukemia and lymphoma. [Global News]

CITY HALL

Park board future (or lack thereof) now appears more clear

What happened: We have more clarity on if and when the BC government will end the park board, with Premier David Eby saying he would introduce legislation next fall to end it, after the election, though he did note there are still some things left to resolve, according to CTV. 

• Background: Last year Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim requested the BC government change the Vancouver Charter in order to remove the park board and bring its responsibilities under city council. Vancouver is the only major North American jurisdiction with an elected body responsible for parks. 

Breaking it down: By setting a fall date, this is the most concrete statement about the next steps for ending the park board. Sim’s statement mentioned he hoped the legislation would come this spring, rather than the fall, and is not on the timeline he originally hoped, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• In a weird twist, it appears both sides are celebrating the move. Those opposed to the dissolution say it gives them more time to try and keep the board, while those in favour say it offers a definitive decision and timeline. 

Reality check: Provincial columnist Vaughn Palmer noted that the timeline is questionable, given it will be the first session after an election, and that it’s not a huge policy priority for the BC NDP, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Opposition grows: Representatives of 17 community centre associations have called on the premier to reconsider his decision, saying that Vancouver residents should be allowed to make the choice through democratic means, according to CityNews. 

What it all means: More time means more opportunities for those opposed to rally support against the decision. We’ve seen grassroots efforts locally impact policy decisions provincially. And with an election, the last thing the premier would want is for this issue to become an issue for voters….

…but it may not matter much given that the most recent polling on the issue done back in June 2022 showed that 52 percent of people thought the board should be eliminated, a number that has risen from 44 percent in 2020, according to CityNews.

NEW JOBS

Find your new dream job in Vancouver:

• Director, corporate communications at Talk Shop

• Manager, consumer insights at Vancity

• Director, visual merchandising at Arc’teryx

• Chief medical officer at WorkSafeBC

• Ecommerce product manager, Flair Airlines

THE AGENDA

❌ Premier David Eby has pushed back against claims from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She claimed that prescription drugs seized in Prince George were from BC’s safe supply, while the premier said the vast majority were not from BC’s program. [Vancouver Sun]

👍️ After being kicked out of the Chinatown Plaza a year ago, seniors returned to the mall to practice tai chi. It’s a shame more malls don’t allow activities like this! [CTV]

⚠️ If you’re an avid skier, be aware that the avalanche rating is high in the North Shore mountains, with the snowpack under a lot of stress and prone to problems. [CityNews]

🏒 It was a quiet trade deadline for the Canucks, who did not sign a single player. The reason, said general manager Patrik Allvin, was there weren’t many quality players available. [Vancouer is Awesome]

⛴️ If you were trying to catch the ferry over the weekend, you may have had your sailing cancelled due to high winds in the Strait of Georgia. [Times Colonist]

⚽️ The Whitecaps beat San Jose 2-0 The team sits at fifth in the Western conference with a record of 1-1, three points back from first place Portland. Speaking of sports, the Canucks downed the Winnipeg Jets 5-0 on Saturday.

EVENTS

CelticFest Vancouver: St Patrick's Day Ceilidh 2024 | Hellenic Community Centre | March 15, 7 pm | A night of Celtnic music, dance and fun, family friendly and licensed, with Mama’s Fish and Chips truck | Free

10th Annual Curry Cup | 3102 Main St. | March 11, 6:30 pm | Local chefs show off their curry dishes | Tickets $65

Beginner's Crochet Workshop: All About Granny Squares | 3567 Commercial St. | March 13, 6 pm | A workshop for beginners on basic crochet stitches, and granny squares | Tickets $75

Argentine Tango Beginner Workshop | Lochdale Community Hall Association | March 13, 6:30 pm | Learn the Agentine tango in an easy, fun-filled class | Tickets $9

Kings of California - Premium Wine Tasting | 8570 River District Crossing | March 15, 6:30 pm | An exclusive wine tasting of California wine | Tickets $54

Flavor Camp: International Whisky Tasting | Suite Genius | March 16, 2:30 pm For anyone curious about Whiskey, learn about eight different whiskeys and how they compare | Tickets $43

Hastings Park Winter Farmers Market | PNE Fairgrounds | Every Sunday until the end of April | 35+ farmers and producers selling local vegetables, fruits, pottery, honey and more | Free

PiDGiN x Container Popup | Container Brewing | March 26. 2 pm-8 pm | A yuzu beer collaboration with chicharron served | Tickets $14

VIFF Spring Break | VIFF | Various dates and times | Explore a selection of recent anime family movies including Suzume | Tickets $15

Art Vancouver Contemporary Art Fair 2024 | Vancouver Convention Centre East | April 11-14, 6 pm | A unique art fair experience with 100 local artists and galleries, with people from 15 countries | Tickets $30

PHOTO OF THE DAY

If you managed to visit Seymour this week, you were in for quite a treat!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s a lovely story about a six year old lab who is offering companionship to Vancouver Fire Rescue Service personnel. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Well this is very funny — both the Vancouver Canucks and the Abbotsford Canucks are set to have players named Elias Pettersson. [Hockey News]

• This egg sandwich from this under-visited Richmond food court is not only memorable, it’s half the price of any brunch in Vancouver. [Vancity Lookout]

• The Penthouse nightclub is old, but it isn’t going anywhere. [Straight]

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GAME TIME