Road-safety group reviews Vancouver council’s 2026 voting record

Vision Zero Vancouver has issued a road-safety report card on Vancouver City Council’s 2026 voting record, with the council term ending and the municipal election less than two months away. The advocacy group examined nine road-safety motions, assigning councillor points based on votes and an impact multiplier. It placed OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney, COPE Coun. Sean Orr and Vote Vancouver Coun. Rebecca Bligh at the top, and ABC Coun. Peter Meisner at the bottom.

In January, a motion from Orr seeking enforceable federal limits on headlight brightness, beam patterns and mounting height passed with all councillors supporting it except absent ABC Coun. Brian Montague. Vision Zero assigned an impact score of two, saying federal attention and media coverage raised its impact. Maloney’s motion to prioritize snow removal on transit routes failed after the ABC majority opposed it; Vision Zero assigned one.

After Car Free Vancouver Society said in early March it would not proceed with annual car-free days in 2026, Maloney and Orr secured unanimous approval for an urgent $30,000 funding motion. Vision Zero assigned two; events are scheduled for Commercial Drive on Sept. 5 and Main Street on Sept. 13.

Budget cuts tied to Vancouver’s zero per cent property-tax increase led staff to recommend scaling back or postponing 50 councillor motions, including Cornwall Avenue safety upgrades, bus lanes, truck side guards and Granville Bridge means-prevention fencing. An amendment by Bligh and Maloney to prioritize those motions was opposed by the ABC majority. Vision Zero assigned three.

Council passed its Vision Zero Action Plan in June, which the group called the most important road-safety item of the four-year term. It said Peter Meiszner and ABC colleagues removed the core pillar of lower speeds on the deadliest streets through an amendment directing staff not to reduce speeds on major streets; the group assigned five.

Also in June, Council unanimously passed Orr’s motion to work with TransLink on a $25 monthly pass for people earning under $40,000, despite Vancouver’s lack of transit jurisdiction; Vision Zero assigned two. In July, Council directed staff to continue discussions with Vancouver General Hospital about pedestrian, cyclist and emergency-vehicle conflicts on the VGH campus, including a possible two-way bike lane on the north side of West 10th Avenue and one-way vehicle traffic.

Vision Zero assigned negative two to that motion, linking it to the current Council’s 2023 cancellation of protected Broadway bike lanes, previously approved before 2022 but cancelled on staff cost advice. Mayor Ken Sim had cited the “full bike lane on 10th Avenue” and said Broadway was well served. The group said possible removal and replacement of 10th Avenue lanes characterized the current administration’s incompetence and waste.

Sim’s motion extending the Granville Street pedestrian zone from the FIFA World Cup through Labour Day passed with every councillor except Green Coun. Pete Fry and Bligh supporting it. Vision Zero assigned one, criticizing additional funding largely going to VPD but welcoming the extension and hoping it becomes permanent. Maloney’s July amendment to add $15 million to the 2027-2030 Transportation Safety Management and Accessibility Program for signals, traffic calming, School Travel Planning, high-crash intersections and protected active transportation was opposed by the ABC majority; Vision Zero assigned two.