A giant tract of neglected land gives this neighbourhood its name, but the Arbutus Corridor is underutilized and marred by 111-year-old train tracks that have not seen a rail car since 2001.
Cycling and environmental advocates have lobbied for this aproximately 11-kilometre strip to realized a greater potential as a greenway between Marine Drive and Broadway. Dog walkers, joggers and the occasional cyclist use the packed-earth trails alongside brambles. So do teenage pot smokers.
The land is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway but the city won the legal right to dictate land use and zoning in a 2006 Supreme Court decision. A year ago the city released its long-term 2040 Transportation Plan, remarking the Arbutus Corridor “currently acts as an east-west barrier.”
Improving “connectivity” is a primary goal and the land will be considered for pedestrian and cycling use and possibly rapid transit.
Cycling advocate Arno Schortinghuis said the land could be "a world-class or at least B.C.-class" thoroughfare.
The city currently has no specific plans.
