Metro Vancouver Bike/Pedestrian Discussion

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by chowhou

In related but different news...

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/spir...hore-deep-cove



https://www.dnv.org/streets-transpor...tern-extension

https://www.dnv.org/sites/default/fi...use-Boards.pdf

Great stuff! Good to see the DNV moving forward with this, especially following last year's pushback on their ST budgetary cuts.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by RedArbutus

Great stuff! Good to see the DNV moving forward with this, especially following last year's pushback on their ST budgetary cuts.

For what it's worth, this is the easy part. Not a lot of new construction and barely any new ROW. The next stages are where it gets trickier. Also Windridge is a bitch to climb. Personally when I cycle in this direction I stay on the Parkway because the grade is a lot lower. I wonder if that will get addressed at all.

[Dave2]

The “Expo Deck” in the vicinity of Science World is going to be demolished in the coming years.

https://globalnews.ca/video/10316829...-deconstructed

I’ve lived in Vancouver since before Expo ‘86 and I can’t say that I recall that being referred to as the “Expo Deck” before.

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by chowhou

For what it's worth, this is the easy part. Not a lot of new construction and barely any new ROW. The next stages are where it gets trickier. Also Windridge is a bitch to climb. Personally when I cycle in this direction I stay on the Parkway because the grade is a lot lower. I wonder if that will get addressed at all.

Ah good point. Looking at Page 6 now of the DNVs boards ("Route Options"), there are so many different permutations of paths around Cates Park and up to Deep Cove through SFH. I wonder if it'll be a fight between streets opposing the ROW (particularly if they want the Spirit Trail nearby, just not in front of their house!).

I've never biked to Deep Cove before so I had to look up Windridge on Google Maps. That's a character-building hill right there

[idunno]

Great! So where are we at Spirit Trail-wise on the North Shore?

City of North Van - pretty much complete
District of North Van - western segment complete, eastern segments in planning, budget allocated
West Van - Ambleside Park, Horseshoe Bay/Gleneagles complete. Other sections - ????????????

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by idunno

Great! So where are we at Spirit Trail-wise on the North Shore?

City of North Van - pretty much complete
District of North Van - western segment complete, eastern segments in planning
West Van - Ambleside Park, Horseshoe Bay/Gleneagles complete. Other sections - ????????????

Who needs a separated bike path across West Vancouver when they've already classified Highway 1 as a bike path? (Can you can believe it?)

[jollyburger]

They're expanding some BC Parkway sideway/bike path space in New West

TransLink and the City of New Westminster have announced work is beginning on major upgrades to a section of the BC Parkway. The 737-metre section of Stewardson Way, between River Drive and 14th Street, will receive significant improvements for all modes of active transportation.

“Improving the BC Parkway so that people can continue to walk, bike, and roll safely is key to creating healthier communities,” TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said in a news release. “We are excited to work with the City of New Westminster on this project to encourage active transportation and get people out of their cars.”

The Stewardson Way upgrades will include: closing a gap in the BC Parkway between Fifth Avenue and 14th Street; widening the existing path to feature separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians; repaving intersections along the route; and adding pathway lighting, new retaining walls, and new traffic signals at Fifth Avenue.

https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-n...w-west-8361196

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Who needs a separated bike path across West Vancouver when they've already classified Highway 1 as a bike path? (Can you can believe it?)

I guess the hardest segments will be along Marine Drive where you barely have two car lanes.

https://westvancouver.ca/government-...illage-portion

[Tvisforme]

West Vancouver also needs to prioritize the high-level route through the British Properties. It is easy enough to get across to Cypress Bowl Road and the Cypress Pop-Up Village, but once you're there you have to use the highway to get further west - even though the Westmount exit is just below the pop-up village. There is no connection from the Cypress Bowl interchange to Altamont (immediately below) and no easy way for bikes to cross Rogers Creek between Marine Drive and the freeway. There is an access road that connects Cypress Bowl Road to the Westmount interchange, but it is restricted to West Vancouver municipal vehicles and as such is hit-or-miss for cycling access ().

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

West Vancouver also needs to prioritize the high-level route through the British Properties. It is easy enough to get across to Cypress Bowl Road and the Cypress Pop-Up Village, but once you're there you have to use the highway to get further west - even though the Westmount exit is just below the pop-up village. There is no connection from the Cypress Bowl interchange to Altamont (immediately below) and no easy way for bikes to cross Rogers Creek between Marine Drive and the freeway. There is an access road that connects Cypress Bowl Road to the Westmount interchange, but it is restricted to West Vancouver municipal vehicles and as such is hit-or-miss for cycling access ().

With the terrain I doubt it's a high priority for them. I assume you'll have to wait for the Cypress Village/Cypress West development for some kind of East/West connection out to Caufield while also avoiding the highway.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

With the terrain I doubt it's a high priority for them. I assume you'll have to wait for the Cypress Village/Cypress West development for some kind of East/West connection out to Caufield while also avoiding the highway.

It's coming eventually, but "eventually" in West Vancouver is nigh on forever, unfortunately. The simplest solution would be to allow bike traffic on the municipal access road, even if just on weekends, as that gets you through to Westmount via the overpass and thus off the highway all the way through to Horseshoe Bay.

[jollyburger]

Yeah it's a 20-25 year plan and includes some kind of connector.

Road Upgrades made to the surrounding road system including Cypress Bowl Road, plus a new road connecting the Westmount Road Highway Interchange (Exit 7) from Wentworth Avenue up to the village called the Westmount Connector.

https://cypressvillage.com/

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-p...n-way-upgrades

Looks like this is the gap in the separated path where they will be building a new path on a former railway RoW.
This is the intersection at 5th Ave. where the path currently goes to the sidewalk, but the map shows a new path away from Stewardson Way.


https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2038...8192?entry=ttu

[madog222]

That's the old Interurban ROW. BC Hydro still owns the ROW though they are obviously now more open to allowing reuse by the pathway than they were 30 years ago.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by madog222

That's the old Interurban ROW. BC Hydro still owns the ROW though they are obviously now more open to allowing reuse by the pathway than they were 30 years ago.

I believe the part that is pictured where the existing BC Parkway is a sidewalk alongside Stewardson, that part on the other side of the SkyTrain supports is owned by Southern Railway. TransLink has this FAQ:

Does TransLink own this portion of the BC Parkway?

Most of this portion of the Parkway is owned by BC Hydro, with whom TransLink has a pre-existing agreement to maintain and operate. TransLink has acquired right of way from Southern Railway (SRY) for the remaining portion of the Parkway.

[madog222]

Yes that section east of 5th Ave would be what SRY owns.
Originally the tracks were kept in a theoretically usable state leaving not much room for the Parkway along the rest of the ROW. Now there is no reason to even dream of surface rail returning and the Parkway can have more room.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

I believe the part that is pictured where the existing BC Parkway is a sidewalk alongside Stewardson, that part on the other side of the SkyTrain supports is owned by Southern Railway. TransLink has this FAQ:

SRY used to be BC Hydro Railway up until it was sold off in 1988. i guess when they sold it off they didnt keep any space for the RoW for BC Hydro.

[madog222]

^Interestingly the BC Parkway predates that sale.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by madog222

Yes that section east of 5th Ave would be what SRY owns.
Originally the tracks were kept in a theoretically usable state leaving not much room for the Parkway along the rest of the ROW. Now there is no reason to even dream of surface rail returning and the Parkway can have more room.

It was never officially abandoned until 2002. Customers just ended up dropping rail service. There was one customer by 1996 but thieves apparently started stealing a bunch of rail along the route which rendered it inoperable. SRY officially abandoned the line once Southridge Dr was built (a new rail bridge was deemed too expensive). There were actually plans in the late 2000s for Kruger to receive rail shipments again at their distribution facility at River Rd and 5th. They did do work on a switch up there to facilitate potential movement of goods. Ultimately it never happened.

Translink did complete the purchase of the ROW in ~2013. Not sure why we haven't seen the parkway get shifted onto the old rail bed. It would make it much wider and safer between Kingsway to New Westminster. There's too much pedestrian and cyclist conflict.

[Dave2]

This is the proposed design concept for Vancouver Olympic Village's new park