VANCOUVER, BC - Downtown Vancouver is gearing up to improve a key cycling route. Just months after the completion of the two-way Dunsmuir bike route, the City wants to upgrade the Hornby Street bike lane. Running from False Creek to Coal Harbour, the route will bisect the downtown core, connecting some major dots on the bike map -- the Burrard bridge on one end and Dunsmuir Street in the middle.

Currently a one-way lane, the Hornby Street bike path is marked with paint and runs between parked cars and moving vehicles. The change would eliminate parking on one side and add a barricade to separate the cars and bikes.

The Bike Vancouver website acknowledges that the "perception of safety" is key to encouraging cycling. And that separated bike lanes are the most satisfying in that respect: "Staff have heard from the the cycling community that the painted bike lanes are acceptable for brave cyclists, but it is not good at attracting new people to cycling, especially the older and younger generations."

2006 census data suggests four percent of Vancouverites are now biking to work. That may sound like a small number, but it's the highest rate among Canada's big cities. The bike-to-work rate reaches 10 percent in neighborhoods such as Kitsilano and Grandview-Woodlands, making cycling the fastest growing mode of transportation, according to city stats. Bike Vancouver points out that the 3,500 people who commute to work equals between 65 and 75 full buses.

The City considered other roads to carry the separated bike route through downtown. Burrard and Thurlow streets were also possibilities. But with no transit or trucking routes, Hornby Street is seen as the safer and less congested option.

City officials are taking input from residents and business owners on the proposed Hornby Street bike route until August 14, 2010. You can find out more and take a survey here. A public information session is planned for August 11 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Pacific Centre Rotunda, on the corner of Howe and Georgia streets.