31 March 2010

Bike Path for Arbutus Corridor Sparks Interest, Except with its Owner

Unused track on the Arbutus Corridor.

Vancouver British Columbia - There's a lot of interest in putting a bike path down the Arbutus Corridor, except from its owners, Canadian Pacific Railway.
 
The narrow, 11-kilometre strip of former rail line runs through the scenic heart of Vancouver's west side and has an unofficial trail that is used by pedestrians, people walking their dogs, and cyclists. But the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition would like the corridor to become an official, paved bike trail and pedestrian walkway.
 
When asked if Canadian Pacific would mind if a bike path was built on what is still a rail right-of-way, company spokesman Mike LoVecchio replied:  "It is private property. Nobody could build a bike path, a streetcar, or operate a freight train [on the corridor] without entering into discussions with us and that has not happened."
 
But cycling coalition president Arno Schortinghuis said he's "an incredible optimist" when it comes to putting a bikeway on the corridor.
 
"We did speak to someone at CP, I can tell you that, and they weren't against the idea," said Schortinghuis.
 
After shutting down rail service in 1999, CP had proposed an ambitious commercial-residential development for the corridor.
 
But the city's official development plan for the corridor instead designated it for rail and transit, as well as for cyclists and pedestrians.
 
The company and the city subsequently got into a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which upheld the city's right to use the corridor for transit and as a greenway.
 
Both sides of Vancouver council continue to support the corridor being used for bikes and, if funding can be found, a streetcar, or similar transit option.