The City of Vancouver released its long-awaited draft plan this week for the future of northeast False Creek in the postviaduct universe.
There is a lot that is good and bad about the plan that will be debated ad nauseam in the public process that will follow, but when it comes to taking down the 45-year old Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, I say good riddance.
It's true that not so long ago they were an efficient route for motorists in and out of downtown Vancouver, but all of that changed with the introduction of the bike lanes and the turn restrictions and bans that accompanied them. And this, by the way, is not a rant against the bike lanes. They are glorious, amazingly efficient and well-used. They're responsible for making cycling downtown a safe option, but the reality is that, in order to accommodate them, Dunsmuir Street was choked off leading to long lines of idling cars during the morning rush hour. If I have to get downtown by car on a weekday morning, I no longer consider the Dunsmuir viaduct to be an option. Better Hastings or Pender.
The recent increase in rail traffic crossing Venables Street at Glen sealed the deal in the other direction. It is now not unusual to encounter impossibly long and excruciatingly slow freight trains multiple times a day. My small conspiracy theory is that, despite the inconvenience, the city is secretly gleeful about the increased frequency of trains because it makes us all hate the viaducts even more. Whatever replaces the viaducts will include an overpass taking traffic over the rail yard west of Clark Drive, so yeah, bring it on.
But what happens to east-bound traffic after that is unclear.
Right now, traffic heading out of the downtown core is funnelled on to Prior Street, then Venables turning off at Clark, Commercial or Victoria Drive.
Early plans show the city widening Malkin Avenue to the south of Strathcona Park, turning it in to a six-lane arterial road – a plan that's been opposed by operators of the produce warehouses that require easy truck access. The route is also opposed by the community gardeners who have gathered names on a petition to save their plots on the edge of the park. If you've ever strolled through the garden, you can understand why it's worth saving.
The point being that, as glossy and sun-drenched as the illustrations contained in the False Creek plan may be, there are unintended consequences rippling through neighbourhoods to the east. There are the False Creek Flats to consider, which are to be home to the new St. Paul's Hospital. There's the new Emily Carr University campus and other educational institutions. The city needs to be clear about how taking down the viaducts affects all of it.
Right now, the plan shows little more than an arrow at Gore Street, pointing eastward. I get that the city is refining the plan for what happens next – but the northeast False Creek Plan needs to be shown context.
As well, when it comes to development, the city needs to be clear about just what is going to be built and where. There are the usual nods to social housing, affordable housing and market housing designed for families. But the plan emphasizes parks and public spaces and provides only ghostly outlines in the areas that will be developed. I need to be convinced that, in the end, we're not going to end up with yet more tiny condos sheathed in glass that are affordable to only a very few.
None of this is reason enough not to take down the viaducts – that ship sailed long ago.
And the truth is that this is an exciting opportunity – and a chance for the city to correct one of the worse mistakes it's ever made.
I do like the idea of preserving a small portion of the Dunsmuir viaduct as an elevated park. It can serve as a monument to bad planning. Perhaps the park could feature a plaque outlining the history of the overpass in appropriately contrite and self-flagellating language. Perhaps a poem entitled, "What were we thinking?"
But more than admitting we got it wrong – the real legacy will be getting it right this time around.
Stephen Quinn is the host of On the Coast on CBC Radio One – 88.1 FM and 690 AM in Vancouver.