North Shore politicians say it is “absurd” that an arcane deal involving the City of Vancouver and B.C. government could shut Lions Gate Bridge to private vehicles by 2030 without an alternative plan to replace the “critical artery.”

But at the moment — as regional voters are asked to vote on billions of funding for key long-term transit priorities — most North Shore citizens and politicians are unaware of the agreement to close the bridge.

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The deal was drafted 15 years ago by Vancouver park board officials, the city of Vancouver, TransLink and the B.C. government, promising a car-free bridge and causeway in exchange for the park board’s approval to remove 47 trees from Stanley Park in order to make a wider causeway.

The causeway and bridge would become dedicated to bike, pedestrian and transit use. The deal was based on the understanding that a third crossing of Burrard Inlet would be built.

In 2000, the park board judged long-term benefits of removing private vehicles from the causeway trumped the environmental costs of losing trees and parkland.

But plans for a new span have gone nowhere in 15 years. And transit experts say there is no reasonable site to place a third crossing between Vancouver and the North Shore.

So the only options — and none appear very palatable — seem to be widening the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to mitigate the Lions Gate closure; maintaining the status quo and tearing up the Stanley Park tree trade-off document; or shutting Lions Gate to cars and choking off access for residents and visitors to the North Shore, the growing Sea-to-Sky corridor and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, and Whistler’s booming resort businesses.

West Vancouver Mayor Mike Smith says his municipality’s requests for clarity from Transportation Minister Todd Stone on whether the Lions Gate Bridge closure will go ahead have gone unanswered.

“It is absurd to suggest we could only have one way to get off the North Shore,” Smith said. “Our position is this closure certainly can’t happen without a replacement. So we sent a letter to Todd Stone asking ‘Are you going to take the bridge out of service?’ And we were treated with dead silence.”

The Province asked Stone for an interview. But instead his Ministry offered a statement which suggested a third crossing is unlikely. But it did not state whether Lions Gate Bridge will still be shut to cars in 2030.

“There was no formal (agreement) prepared,” the statement says. “It has been acknowledged that establishing a third crossing would pose many technical challenges and would have significant societal impacts ... the ministry remains committed to expanding transit opportunities and increasing capacity for cyclists and pedestrians.”

The North Shore’s transportation connections with the region seem to be an afterthought in the upcoming transit plebiscite, Smith said. The North Shore would get a third SeaBus according to the plan put before voters. District of North Vancouver Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn says that’s a promise he’s heard before.

“I had no idea of this (bridge closure) side-deal, and I think we’re getting the short end of the stick with TransLink,” MacKay-Dunn said. “I don’t want to pay for Gregor’s train to UBC or the Surrey mayor’s train.”

District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton — seen as the region’s most knowledgeable politician on transit and growth — said he’s never seen the Lions Gate Bridge closure document.

“In all the years I’ve been involved as a director with TransLink, never once has a report or discussion on that come up,” Walton said. “It is absurd to think you could shut down the Lions Gate to anything but transit traffic, because it’s a critical artery to the North Shore. I can’t conceive of it being restricted without putting another crossing in place or expanding the Ironworkers, which is pretty much at capacity, and I certainly haven’t heard of any plans to do that.”

The Province asked for comment from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson on whether he believes the deal to ban cars from Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park Causeway should still be honoured. Robertson would not respond.

“I think Mayor Robertson hopes there won’t be any cars in 2030, and we’ll just all be riding bikes,” Mayor Smith commented when asked if he knows Robertson’s position on the bridge closure.

The City of Vancouver attributed a statement pulled from the city’s 2040 Transportation plan to city staffer Jerry Dobrovolny.

“Since there are no such plans for a third crossing, the city will work with partners to determine whether this agreement should be rescinded,” the statement said.

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