Despite not being completely finished, the new Railway Avenue Greenway is getting plenty of use to mostly favourable reviews when the Richmond News paid a visit to a section Thursday afternoon.
City work crews have finished laying down a black ribbon of asphalt that winds 3.7 kilometres from Granville Avenue to Garry Street.
And now work is beginning to install signage, improve crossings at intersections, construct access to adjacent transit stops and paint markings to delineate the north-south traffic along the four metre-wide trail.
One rider the News asked during a stop at the intersection of Railway and Blundell Road said he thought the project was a complete waste of taxpayers money.
The rider, who did not want to be named, said that although he was using the trail, it would have been better to have revamped the existing bike lanes that run along Railway Avenue.
He added the land along the route should have been used for a rapid transit rail link to Steveston.
Delighted with the new trail was Jenny Foster, who had her three young children, aged seven, five and two, along for the ride with her two on their own bikes, and one snuggled into a carrier on hers. Ive used it twice now.
Were going right up to Steveston, and we live in Burkeville. Today, we just started at Granville (Ave.), left the car at the Thompson Community Centre and riding to Steveston, bribing them (children) with (ice) Screamers.
Foster said she likes not having to ride along the dedicated bike lane, adding the separation from the car traffic on the new pathway provides a greater degree of safety for her children.
Also happy with the new route was Steveston resident Michael Levan who was on the trail just for fun Thursday, but uses the route for his daily commute to work at Save-On-Foods at Cambie Street and 7th Ave. in Vancouver.
I absolutely love it, he said, adding he used to use Railway Avenues bike lane, but now finds the new trail much better.
This makes it, man, I feel so relaxed.
And even though more needs to be done to finish the trail, Levan has already noticed the positive impact it is having on the community.
We never saw families before out, he said. And now you see people walking every day. Its the best thing that ever happened.
One thing he would like to see in place, though, is a better treatment at the intersections where temporary barricades have been set up.
Levan said some bike routes in Vancouver have specially designed and located pedestrian activation buttons that do not make riders dismount when they stop at cross streets.
I can just reach out, hit it (button) and get ready to go again.
While it wont be exactly like that, improvements are on the way, said Mike Redpath, Richmonds Senior Manager of Parks who was out on the trail with fellow parks department staff Thursday.
Redpath said permanent barriers will be erected at the intersections to stop walkers and riders from crossing the street in the wrong area, while a series of bollards will funnel trail users to the crosswalk where bike riders will be instructed to dismount and walk their bikes over the crosswalk.
In addition, green painted surfaces along the trails intersections and crosswalks will provide strong visual cues for trail users to follow the designated route. Paint will also be used to delineate the trail between north and south traffic flows.
As for what will be installed along the route where it gets wider, Redpath said those uses are still undecided, but will focus on recreational opportunities.
