Two weeks ago, there was a report that the Coal Harbour seawall was now connected to the path around the new convention centre.
Alas, it was not to be. Even though Council had passed motions requiring a connection – and renewed the lease for the seaplane terminal that blocked the way on the condition that “a continuous connection for cyclists and pedestrians along the sea wall route (be opened) by January 2011…”
… alas, not.
So good news on Friday. A report came in that the link was open. Checked this afternoon it out to see if it worked.
Alas ….
Let me take you through. Going east, heading from Harbour Green to Canada Place, here’s the west entrance:
Lots of signage – but nothing that specifically tells peds and cyclists they can make it through. And there’s nothing a few hundred metres west on the seawall to alert those on the way.
Indeed there’s nothing to guide people when, crtiically, there’s a tight turn that requires going up a set of stairs onto a deck. Most cyclists continue along the path straight ahead until they run into a dead end (or hidden elevator) in the underground parking garage. Again, no signage.
It’s at this point where it’s apparent that no cared enough to deal with an obvious problem, not to mention the few thousand dollars that might have been required to build a proper ramp.
At least there’s a decent ramp that connects to the convention centre – visible and wide enough to handle volume, though signboards have been placed in the way.
My guess is that if people start to use the connection, the problems will be addressed – sooner rather than later. And it will probably motivate everyone to resolve this issue permanently – no doubt when this temporary terminal moves into the one built into the convention centre – something that would have happened months ago but got caught up in a dispute.
Nonetheless, the temporary connection could have been built and signed at any time in the last few years. And it wasn’t.
This is the seawall, folks. The best public space in Canada, the icon of the city, the brand of Vancouver. It’s what the thousands of tourists come here for. And the operators of the terminal – who benefit from the health of the tourism industry, not to mention the health of the citizens – couldn’t find a way to do it. Nor did the City find a way to properly sign the detour, as inadequate as it was.
Alas, no one seemed to care enough.
Precisely Gord.
Everyone was very understanding during the years disruption caused by construction.
Everyone involved should be ashamed that this shambles is still in place. The notion that hundreds of tourists and locals should be inconvenienced because a couple of airlines are in a standoff with the new terminal is ludicrous.
can you suggest the most appropriate place to leave feedback to the city on this matter?
Understanding that the route was open, I (and a couple of US tourists walking along with a lot of luggage) tried to bike that connection last week. The end of the ramp was blocked by a couple of upended wooden pallets chained in place.
I biked back up to the convention centre and used my usual route (the elevator) and told the tourists to turn back too as I passed them – they were not best pleased. I told the people in the float plane terminal that two of their passengers would likely be late for their flight due to the ramp being blocked, and they blamed the pallet blockage on ‘The City’.
I know we’re using financial conservation measures in COV these days, but didn’t realise that old pallets were part of cost cutting – or so the float plane company would like me to believe!
And your second photo must have been taken very early in the morning before the bike hire people were fully set up. The bike hire company (just on the left of the shot), for the past 3 years have every day put up a big tent structure and several sign boards effectively blocking that entrance/exit to all but the most determined.
To get through, you need to go under their tent awning, winding through this area where the groups of customers get fitted with their hire bikes/line up to pay, and negotiate both of their sign boards.
It’s worth it though, to make the connection under the convention centre to Crab Park, the bridge to Main St ,the Seabus Terminal elevator which takes you up to Gastown, or the elevator in the car park that lets you out on Jack Poole Plaza.