Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park Seawall is a huge draw for residents of the city’s West End and tourists staying in downtown hotels. However, it’s not the only place that you can hop on a bike or run with a baby stroller, safe in the knowledge that you won’t encounter potentially dangerous vehicle traffic. Since the early 1990s, Vancouver parks and transit planners have been working on a comprehensive strategy to encourage outdoor activity and link up many different neighbourhoods throughout the city.
Marpole is no exception. When it’s completed in 2019, the Arbutus Greenway will link south Vancouver/Marpole to Kerrisdale to Kitsilano to False Creek—a nine kilometre long route that follows a former Canadian Pacific railroad line. Following East Boulevard, the paved walking/cycling path bisects West 57th Avenue and crosses Angus Drive, runs past Riverview Park, crosses Southwest Marine Drive and finishes at Milton Street just west of Granville Street. For years, a crude, well-beaten path followed adjacent to the train tracks, but now that the ties have been removed, residents can walk or bike on a four metre wide paved route that covers up the bumps and holes where the old trail used to be.
While you’re likely to see many bike commuters making a beeline for downtown during the morning rush-hour, it’s worth noting that the Arbutus Greenway is meant to connect citizens and neighbourhoods with each other. Dogs on leash are currently welcome, as are in-line skates and skateboards.
Following an exhaustive public consultation process, the exact final form of what the Arbutus Greenway will look like is in flux—there’s even the possibility of streetcar service along some points of the route, similar to New York’s famed High Line—but for now, the temporary paved path takes you through some great blackberry bushes and through a part of Vancouver’s more industrial past.