Lions Gate Bridge

I’m from San Francisco and this bridge kind of reminded me of the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course, the GGB definitely trumps Lions Gate Bridge, haha.
When we rented bikes and circumvented Stanley Park, my boyfriend and I were able to go under this bridge and take a couple of pictures. It was very quiet and peaceful which made our visit awesome!
However, we encountered traffic going through the bridge and it was probably the worst traffic I’ve been on in Canada.
What they do here to change lanes is that they have overhead signal lights. You can drive on the lane if it’s green (obviously) but watch out for oncoming traffic if its’ red!
FUN FACT: Did you know this was the bridge that collapsed in Final Destination 5?!

Final Destination 5.
This was the iconic bridge featured in the film series that made you think every gust of wind, & every recurring word or number you encountered was a premonition of your death. Hello Kitty glared at you a little too long? Yeah, you’re gonna die.
Did I know this was the same bridge before attempting this walk? Absolutely not. But my week in Vancouver would not have been complete without an adventure of sorts. I decided to take this 7+ mile «stroll» in heeled sneakers (not recommended). My journey started at the beginning of the Sea Wall, a rather gorgeous path touched by water on all sides.
When I got to the foot of the bridge, I stopped and thought, ‘hmm, this looks kind of familiar.’ An eerie feeling overcame me, but I survived the Yellow Mountain in China– please, this was nothing. That mountain had no handrails or barriers between anyone and death, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon style.’ I pushed all my fears aside and began.
Every step I took felt like I was making out with the Reaper. The pedestrian and bike paths combined were extremely narrow. There was a gap between the bottom of the rail (closest to the water) and the concrete floor that would allow for a normal sized leg to go through. The further I went, the more I felt the trucks and cars zoom by. And when they passed, oh boy, that bridge shook. I wasn’t even a quarter of the way through when my walk turned into a slow ‘Walker’ gait. My new mantra was: [Holy $hit, this isn’t safe. F — , F — , F — …]
As I walked, two bikers were pedaling at me. One signaled with his hand for me to move to the left, the pedestrian side, the side closest to water. I signaled ‘OH HELL NO!’ back. He acquiesced. After they had passed, with knees bent, I lowered myself and shuffled towards the rail. I could only muster a few shots with the camera I thought would be put to great use. That gorgeous lighthouse below with the TINY ANT people only served to heighten my nauseousness. That breathtaking, semi-​foggy forest landscape made my legs ‘Shake and Bake.’ By this point, I realized why I was the only stupid soul walking this bridge.
Thankfully, another person came along from behind. He sensed my fear and tried to ease my worries. In fact, he gladly pointed out the gap again, quoting HIGH suicide statistics– all while maintaining a happy grin. After this useful info session, he went on his merry way, stopping & turning every few feet to make sure I was still scared.
Though his words were meant to induce fear, his presence actually helped to speed up my walk. I did not want to be stuck on this bridge any longer than I had to. Also, did I mention the same guy noticed a homeless man walking towards me, and actually stopped til the man passed me by? Now if that’s not a gentleman, I don’t know what is. You can’t fool me, you sinister boy. You cared.
When I finally made it across, I decided not to do a return trip by foot. I found a bus stop a minute’s walk away from the end of the bridge. My legs were still weak, but I filed another adventure under my belt.
Back in NY, I googled Lion’s Gate only to learn its role in pop movie culture. How fitting.
LG: 1 Jenn: 0

Beautiful bridge but has the worst traffic in Vancouver. Whenever it’s not crunch traffic, which is generally only at night, there is construction on it or its bike paths literally year round, causing massive delays.
Vancouver is very much in need of an additional bridge out of the city at this point.

This bridge has the nest views of all the bridges in Vancouver.
The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term «Lions Gate» refers to The Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver. Northbound traffic on the bridge heads in their general direction. A pair of cast concrete lions, designed by sculptor Charles Marega, were placed on either side of the south approach to the bridge in January, 1939.
The total length of the bridge including the north viaduct is 1,823 metres (5,890 feet). The length including approach spans is 1,517.3 m (4,978 ft), the main span alone is 473 m (1,550 ft), the tower height is 111 m (364 ft), and it has a ship’s clearance of 61 m (200 ft). Prospect Point in Stanley Park offered a good high south end to the bridge, but the low flat delta land to the north required construction of the extensive North Viaduct.
The bridge has three reversible lanes, the use of which is indicated by signals. The centre lane changes direction to accommodate for traffic patterns. The traffic volume on the bridge is 60,000 — 70,000 vehicles per day. Trucks exceeding 13 tonnes (14.3 tons) are prohibited, as are vehicles using studded tires. The bridge forms part of Highways 99 and 1A.
On March 24, 2005, the Lions Gate Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
In 1986 the Guinness family, as a gift to Vancouver, purchased decorative lights that make it a distinctive nighttime landmark. In July 2009, the bridge’s lighting system was updated with new LED lights to replace this existing system of 100-​watt mercury vapour bulbs. The switch to LEDs is expected to reduce power consumption on the bridge by 90 per cent and save the Province about $ 30,000 a year in energy and maintenance costs. The approximate cost to of this project was $ 150,000, paid for by the ministry and B.C. Hydro. «The average replacement time of one of the traditional light bulbs was about 72 hours,» said the ministry’s Jeff Knight. With the new LED bulbs, which are designed to last 12 years, it could be a decade before any work crew is called out to do a replacement.

this iconic bridge has been in several tv shows, movies, etc. and is always a pleasure to traverse by foot, particularly at sunrise and sunset. (Not many places where you can watch both occur)
Cars however, tend to line up endlessly on either end– and bicycles likely to get eaten by truck or bus tires.

This reminds me of the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, WA except it’s not tolled and the lanes seem smaller.
It is nice that it leads you right in to Stanley Park and looks cool when it’s lit up at night. Architecturally it’s a modern marvel. This bridge is really huge and supremely high above the water. I didn’t experience any traffic whilst crossing it the few times I had to while in Vancouver but it was slightly irritating when people weave in and out and speed past you and merge in without signaling. Maybe I’ve become accustomed to the slower pace… the much slower pace of Washington drivers, but being from the east coast I can always put my east coast driving face on and weave like the rest of them. Otherwise it had great views of the surrounding area.
I kind of wanted to walk across it to see how windy it is, but chances are I’d get too scared.

What is with those people who think being a lane cheater is cool and goes un-​noticed. Yeah you know who you are and many of you seem to drive by the Lions Gate Bridge. Stop this madness! Stay in your lane and wait your turn. Do you really want the other driver behind you to be thinking of a million swear words as you cheat & cut in front, while being too embarrassed to make eye contact? If you are this ashamed, why do it?
The bridge has an amazing view– if only the above mentioned drivers would let you enjoy it!

I had wanted to go to Park Royal so we decided to go there around 11am. I knew I was going into Van after rush hour (from Richmond) and that we’d be going into Van after noon so traffic wouldn’t be a concern.
Traffic in Vancouver is already messed up to begin with. If you can do anything such as go where ever you have to go during non peak hours is probably the best idea to avoid the hordes of cars trying to negotiate the streets of this city that is severely lacking surface road options.
With bridges and other bottlenecks I am bewildered as to why the highway and road infrastructure has not been planned better for this dense city.
To get back on topic, this bridge is beautiful and yes you have to drive through a park to get to it. A 3 lane, single layer bridge with a middle lane that can be switched for direction will help traffic depending on the flow requirement.
I can see how it is outdated as far as why it is so busy because of growth but it doesn’t take away from what the bridge is and the beauty of the area.

When the hell are they going to build a bridge that is built for a city of 2 million people. This bridge is always congested and it is the sole reason why I do not live in north van or west van. It may have been a great bridge in the 1930s but now in the 21^st century it simply does not work anymore.

A Haiku Review
The Lions Gate Bridge
Traffic doesn’t roar across
Slow, but pretty views!

Es ist eine interessante Brücke. Vom Prospect View hat man eine wunderbare Sicht auch die Brücke und den burrard inlet, den nur noch von einem Schiff aus zu überbieten ist ;-)
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A beautiful bridge, both architecturally and historically relevant, the Lions Gate Bridge brings to mind The Golden Gate Bridge– however, it isn’t orange. Viewed from Stanley Park, the mountain rises beyond North Vancouver provide a calming backdrop for this manmade wonder.
At only three lanes, it doesn’t appear as though the Bridge has the capacity to handle traffic in the 21^st Century, so I’m happy that I wasn’t attempting to cross it.

When I am not dealing with rush hour I love this bridge. If you’re on a bus you get there faster. I stay awake when crossing the bridge so I can see the lions and observe the stupid drivers crossing the bridge to and from. It’s a bridge, what more is there to review. Surprised that there is a bridge review to begin with. It is one of the nicest way to view the Burrard Inlet when on a bus. It is a historical landmark and one of the oldest city bridges which is cool.

Lions Gate Bridge is one of the most treasured historical landmarks of Vancouver. The suspension bridge connects downtown Vancouver city with its mountain-​filled sibling — North Vancouver and is a piece of true architecture art. The view of the Lions Gate Bridge from both under — at the Seawall trail and above — at Prospect point are equally as gorgeous and breathtaking. The bridge is constructed with reversible lanes which accommodates for traffic patterns. The drive across the bridge offers an absolutely beautiful view of the ocean and the two cities. Definitely one of the most impressive sites of the city.

Based on the functionality alone, I’m gonna be a bit tougher; how this can be a 3-​lane in today’s traffic is beyond comprehension. Alternating the lanes depending on traffic patterns, it’s about driving on the ‘outside’ lane, who wants to drive in the middle as you never knows…
No doubt the view is nice in either direction when admiring the Burrard Inlet, but especially heading north, where the mountains come into play; not sure if one can actually see the peaks of the Lion mountains, hence the name.
Esp. with the newer renos recently, the capilano road exits are much wider & smoother in terms of merging traffic heading eastwards from Marine Drive.
Interesting that there used to be a 25 cent toll back in the 30s.

Lions Gate Bridge is a place to experience, not just a passageway from one landmass to another. The Lions Gate has wonderful bike-​ways it great fun to stop on the top of the Bridge and enjoy the wonderful landscapes
Returning from Whistler one night I saw a very Amateur Stuntman jump off he Bridge with a Bungee Cord attached to his back. He missed his target a Cruise Ship. His friends with a camcorder filming the stunt wondering what his next move would be. His next move was to have his Bungee cord cut and to be arrested by a police on a boat.

This bridge is one of the beautiful landmarks in the city and it’s an awesome drive to downtown or the North Shore. This bridge is picturesque in the day and at night.
Did you know the lions do get dressed up from time to time? It’s a cute surprise!
Sometimes I feel like I am taking risk when I take the Lions Gate to work. Sometimes it’s clear and sometimes there is an accident. When there is an accident, you can be stuck there for AGES.
Some tips for traveling on this bridge:
— Avoid this bridge on the weekend, the traffic is heavier during the weekend than the weekdays. If you need to get to the other side, take Second Narrows.
— This bridge is clear after 10pm everyday. You get a leisurely and scenic drive both ways.

Definitely one of the landmarks of the city. Built during the Great Depression, fell apart over the years, decks redone and repainted in 2000.
Whenever it’s a clear sky, there are tons of great photo opportunities. Dare I say it, this bridge looks better than the Golden Gate. Though it’s obviously not as long.
The reason why I can’t give it 5 stars is that the traffic totally sucks on this thing during rush hour. Why they spent so much money to not even add any capacity totally blows my mind. At least the interchange on the North Vancouver side isn’t as congested anymore.

A landscape picture of the Lion’s Gate Bridge with Stanley Park, the ocean, and West Vancouver screams VANCOUVER! If you’re ever visiting Vancouver for the first time, the Lions Gate Bridge is a must visit.
Go to Stanley Park and get your picture taken with the Lions Gate Bridge in the background. It just shows that you’ve visited Vancouver and everyone will know it right away.

A beautiful and major bridge that helps me get from point A to point B — A being Vancouver and B mainly being Cypress, Whistler or Grouse. This bridge is known for being a pain during rush hour but just sit back and enjoy the scenery. nothing else you can do, right?
In the end, my favourite part in driving or biking through this bridge is the surprise of what the two giant stone lions (located at the Vancouver to north Vancouver entrance of the bridge) are wearing. They have proudly donned a Canucks jersey, daffodil for cancer research, white sashes for the Whitecaps team, red mittens for Olympics, reflective jackets for road safety, held the Stanley Cup, and more. It’s always fun to see what they’ll be dressed in next!

The Lions Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects Vancouver (at Stanley Park) to the various North Shore municipalities. The term «Lions Gate» reflects the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver.
The Lions Gate Bridge first came to my attention back in 2001, when UBC student engineers hung a Beetle painted with a red maple leaf from the Golden Gate Bridge. That stunt caused a huge commuter tie-​up and halted ship traffic under the span for hours. The authorities wer angry and threatened prosecution. But you couldn’t help but be impressed with not only the planning and the engineering, but that fact that they worked quickly (at 3:40 AM), and were safety back across the 49^th before they could be apprehended.
In the past, UBC engineering students have also successfully hung Beetles from the Lions Gate Bridge, placed one atop the Lost Lagoon Fountain, and on the PNE’s roller-​coaster. And in certain years, they have also been caught. So when I was previously in Vancouver, I made is a special point to walk under the Lion’s Gate Bridge at Stanley Park and drive across it, as my small way of honouring my engineering heroes.