Carrall Street Greenway | u/c

raggedy13 · #1 Posted: **Sep 24, 2007, 7:35 AM**

Carrall Street Greenway

City Website: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/streets/...rall/index.htm

"The Carrall Street Greenway is a major public realm, community building and economic revitalization initiative.

The route will link north False Creek with the Burrard Inlet, completing a seawall loop around Downtown and Stanley Park, and connecting a series of parks, plazas and historic sites in Gastown, Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.

Beyond providing a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly transportation corridor, the greenway will also connect and build on the unique heritage character of these neighbourhoods, encourage active ground floor uses, and serve as a catalyst for economic revitalization and community development.

This project has received significant support from the public and private sectors as well as the local communities. The City of Vancouver has approved $5 million for the Carrall Street Greenway in the 2006-2008 capital budget plan. As well, the Vancouver Agreement partners and Bell Canada have committed $300,000 to the project as part of the Downtown Eastside Economic Revitalization Plan."

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^There's a little background info for those who may not know much about this. I hadn't kept myself much up to date with this so I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across the partially completed beginnings of this project yesterday. I snapped a few pics as well...

Canadian Mind · #2 Posted: **Sep 24, 2007, 7:46 AM**

oooh, I like.

PS. is that cobblestone parking stalls? If so, I feel perhapes that area or portion of the greenway should have been cobblestone aswell.

anyways, sounds like a good plan... I can't wait for the day i can ride my bike around downtown Vancouver.

twoNeurons · #3 Posted: **Sep 24, 2007, 3:41 PM**

cobblestone sucks for rollerblades.

deasine · #4 Posted: **Sep 25, 2007, 4:45 AM**

Everything about Carall St. Greenway is a good thing. Also note it's referred as the "recreational sea wall."

For more design information, visit:
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...way_design.htm

Display Boards:
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...5OHBoards1.pdf
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...5OHBoards2.pdf
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...5OHBoards3.pdf
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...5OHBoards4.pdf
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engs...5OHBoards5.pdf

Also note one interesting fact of the greenway:

Quote:

FUTURE STREETCAR
The greenway will accommodate two stops, at Cordova St and Water St, for the future streetcar. Council approved a downtown streetcar system in principle after a previous public process. This system would provide an attractive transit service in and around the downtown peninsula. It would link destinations such as Granville Island, Chinatown, Yaletown, Gastown, and Stanley Park.

SpongeG · #5 Posted: **Sep 25, 2007, 5:18 AM**

connects the habour and false creek nicely it seems

agrant · #6 Posted: **Sep 26, 2007, 1:29 AM**

I love wide sidewalks. Something that is lacking in Vancouver.

deasine · #7 Posted: **Sep 26, 2007, 2:27 AM**

^I especailly like the wide bike lanes on the RIGHT of the parking lane... It feels like more of an extension of a sidewalk rather than on the road. This makes it much safer (for cars and bikes)

squeezied · #8 Posted: **Sep 26, 2007, 3:16 AM**

i want too familiar with this project at first, but after taking a look at it i'm really starting to like it.

officedweller · #9 Posted: **Sep 26, 2007, 7:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by deasine

^I especailly like the wide bike lanes on the RIGHT of the parking lane... It feels like more of an extension of a sidewalk rather than on the road. This makes it much safer (for cars and bikes)

Gordon Price shows an example of that configuration in NYC at his blog.
I think that works for a recreational path like this greenway, but for a commuter route, the parked cars would impede the cyclist from switching lanes to make turns. This could lead to unpredictable behaviour if a yclist darts from between cars to get to the centre lane to make a turn.
Essentially, this configuration treats the cyclist like a pedestrian, rather than like a vehicle.

agrant · #10 Posted: **Sep 26, 2007, 11:55 PM**

I think as a cyclist, I'd want that barrier. Given the often hairy situations car traffic can bring, those narrow bike lanes painted in the street wouldn't feel good enough for me. But that's just me.

Rusty Gull · #11 Posted: **Oct 8, 2007, 6:01 AM**

In earlier renderings of the Greenway (at least ones I saw in 2005), there was a bridge crossing the train tracks in Gastown -- which essentially connected the Greenway from False Creek to the Harbour (and by extension, to the Seabus or Helijet or Coal Harbour).

Is the bridge still going to be constructed? I think it would be a great addition.

jlousa · #12 Posted: **Oct 8, 2007, 6:00 PM**

Yes there are still plans for a pedestrian/bike bridge over the tracks connecting the greenway to crab park and linking up to an extended seawall. There are no working drawings of the bridge yet, but if you search you can probably encounter a few rough renderings.

officedweller · #13 Posted: **Oct 9, 2007, 9:16 PM**

As an aside, I've always thought that a bridge over the tracks should be built in conjunction with a Gastown Skytrain Station. The bridge could have stairs off its sides to provide access down to the platform.

twoNeurons · #14 Posted: **Oct 10, 2007, 3:25 PM**

*sigh* it would be so nice to see some eastern expansion or at least the ROW set aside for an extension of the Expo Line. If they're not using those TBMs, how about it?

leftside · #15 Posted: **Oct 10, 2007, 4:46 PM**

The connection from False Creek to Carrall (crossing Pacific) has started. I saw the pavement connection on Monday.

I think they start work on the north end of the Greenway (around Gassy Jack statue) at the end of next summer.

worldwide · #16 Posted: **Feb 5, 2008, 8:53 AM**

this is a great project. i wouldnt ride my bike on it though. i see it more as traffic calming and pedestrian realm improvements.

because it is an extension of the sidewalk it is bound to have people walking on it or standing not paying attention.

it would be slower especially at intersections. biking in the road gives you the clearest sight lines in urban areas because you are further removed from blind corners at alleyways and crosswalks

bikes are vehicles capable of car speeds, especially downtown where you can travel much faster than the average car. bikes should be integrated into our roads. roads are not only for cars they are for everybody. more bikes on the street means more driver awareness. out of sight out of mind.

i actually disaprove of people biking on sidewalks i think its a huge saftey issue for pedestrians and the bikers themselves

Jacques · #17 Posted: **Feb 6, 2008, 12:58 AM**

well it so funny that you guys just noticed this greenbelt, they started last year, it took them one year to do between Keifer and Pender, now they are working on Keifer south to Pacific, yet when the public discussion and open house was held, it was requested that they proceed north, before going toward the water edge of false creek, naturally this isn't happening and we in Gastown still awaits our sidewalks to be cleaned and rid of the trash and drug infested losers hanging around day and night.
If you listen to the city planner about this project I guarantee you have the time to die and be resurrected three times before it will ever be finished, a lots of verbal dhiaria in my books.
It was called at an open house here in Gastown fives years ago ideas and proposal for the overpass at the foot of Carrall leading to Crab park, to no avail would any of this come to fruition as far as I am concern at the speed the city is working on this project it might be finish in the next century

Jacques · #18 Posted: **Feb 6, 2008, 1:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftside

The connection from False Creek to Carrall (crossing Pacific) has started. I saw the pavement connection on Monday.

I think they start work on the north end of the Greenway (around Gassy Jack statue) at the end of next summer.

around the Gassy Jack site was supposed
to have been done in 2006 take a look at the link and who can read more as when this project started, Chinatown cried so much all over the place they started in the middle and I gathered they felt threatened by all the junkies they moved southwards instead of following the proposed route of completion, so Gastown once more is left to last

SFUVancouver · #19 Posted: **Feb 6, 2008, 4:26 AM**

The first section of the Carrall Street Greenway is complete.

(My photo)

It is now being extended south to the Seawall at False Creek and in time it will be extended north to Gastown and eventually the as-yet-unbuilt Seawall to the north in the Port lands.

(My photo)

djh · #20 Posted: **Feb 6, 2008, 6:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacques

around the Gassy Jack site was supposed
to have been done in 2006 take a look at the link and who can read more as when this project started, Chinatown cried so much all over the place they started in the middle and I gathered they felt threatened by all the junkies they moved southwards instead of following the proposed route of completion, so Gastown once more is left to last

My Goodness, City of Vancouver is s-l-o-w. Drives me nuts.