What with the Second Beach pool closed due to the strike, I strike off for West Van. They have a very nice pool at 21st and Marine.
But to get there on bicycle, you have to forge your own route. As I’ve mentioned many times before, West Vancouver sends out a very clear message to cyclists: we don’t care about you. At least not enough to sign a path from Lions Gate through Ambleside that tells you where you should go, much less actually build a route for you.
West Vancouverites mainly move around their municipality by car and foot. To go walking, they typically drive somewhere, particularly to the beaches and waterfront, and given their age and class, they don’t want to be confronted by errant cyclists. And they certainly don’t want to give up space for the car to the bicycle. Hence not even a cycling lane on Marine Drive, where there is sufficient width to do so. If Vancouver can do it on Georgia, West Van could do it on parts of Marine.
The good news is: things are changing, according to recent reports. But so far, nothing has.
Not to end on a sour note, I would like to draw attention to something I just discovered today – a fine piece of public art where a stream flows through Ambleside under the BC Rail tracks.
This work celebrates the return of salmon to Lawson Creek. It’s big, it’s striking, and it contrasts nicely with its setting: over the creek and beside an electrical substation.
Similarly, if you go east from the Lions Gate Bridge into North Vancouver, after Capilano Road, you need to go two and a half blocks on Marine Drive before you see a sign for a bike route.