Seawall thoughts

On occasion while walking around the Stanley Park seawall, and not paying proper attention, I’ve inadvertently stepped into the bike path.

Despite a couple of close calls, I’ve been lucky and survived with no physical injuries, but on one occasion I was at the receiving end of a few choice words I can’t repeat here.

In an attempt to bring peace between cyclists and pedestrians who use the Stanley Park seawall, the park board has approved a new cycling plan with more than 60 recommendations.

The Stanley Park Cycling Plan Implementation Strategy is a long-term plan that also includes some “quick fixes. The 60-plus recommendations include constructing new pedestrian pathways, removing parking from Pipeline Road, increased enforcement by using park rangers during peak hours, and undertaking a lighting study for the park. Other suggestion include the possibility of bike repair stations in the park, widening the seawall at the Lighthouse, creating two-way bike access in some areas and the installation of more signs in Stanley Park and the West End. The rest of the recommendations can be found on the park board’s website.

I don’t like to use lengthy email addresses in my stories and until recently would simply direct readers to the park board’s website to find this report. But now that the city has taken over the board’s website, I’ve found locating information more difficult.

So for those of you who would like to see the report in full, this is the best I can do. Go to Vancouver.ca and click on the Parks, Recreation and Culture link, then click on “News/Calendar,” then click on the box that says “City Council and Park Board,” then click on “Park Board meetings and decisions,” then click on the link to the “Oct. 15 agenda and reports,” look for the Stanley Park Cycling Plan Implementation Strategy report and click on it. See, easy as pie.

Oil spill session

It took years for Stanley Park to recover after the devastating windstorm of December 2006 and now the Stanley Park Ecology Society is asking what would be the resulting ecological damage to the popular attraction if there were an oil spill off our coast?

To that end, SPES presents Oil Spills and Stanley Park — an ecological information session on the sensitivities of inter-tidal habitats and wildlife.

The lineup of panelists includes Lance Barrett-Lennard from the Vancouver Aquarium, Ben West of the Wilderness Committee and the society’s Robyn Worcester. The issue is timely as the result of Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from the tar sands in Alberta to Burnaby. If the proposal goes ahead, the Vancouver area would likely become a major oil tanker hub with an increase in large oil tankers from 22 vessels in 2008 to more than 300. The free event takes place Oct. 22 at 6:45 p.m. at the West End Community Centre, but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, RSVP to sponsors@stanleyparkecology.ca.

sthomas@vancourier.com

Twitter: @sthomas10