Talk about a success story. Protected bike lanes, pedestrian plazas, a sea bus – Vancouver has got multi-modal transportation figured out. City residents opposed freeways in the 1960s and Vancouver is now the only major North American city with no freeways within the city limits. Streets were shut down to cars, public spaces were created, and people choose the train, biking and walking to get around. Vancouver’s former chief planner, Brent Toderian, says it is about options. He’s got his own bike but holds a membership to the city’s bike share, along with his transit pass and utilizes the car share system which is the most successful in North America. The best thing, he says, is to not only have a variety of choices but to have “delightful choices every day.” Check out this short video from StreetFilms all about Vancouver’s multi-modal success story.
