Dear Editor
Now that the Q2Q crossing has, sadly, been laid to rest for the long term, perhaps the city will look what could be done in the short term.
Considering the proposed crossing was located at the tip of Port Royal and would primarily serve residents of that neighbourhood, is it possible to look at the bigger picture? With the potential for 22nd Street SkyTrain area to be developed, resources could be available to provide a much better option than a bridge that was envisioned over a decade ago.
A new swath of land has recently been cleared of railway lines along Stewardson Way and is now a wide open path just below the sidewalk on the south side of the street.
The route from the Quayside boardwalk to the Queensborough bridge is a scenic vista looking southwest over the Fraser River to the U.S.A. and Georgia Straight (albeit overlooking Kruger) that goes west to Queensborough Landing and east to Port Royal. Funding from DAC (casino funds) provides an opportunity for this pathway to be upgraded to the bridge with a natural buffer (cedars perhaps) to the north between the SkyTrain columns and Stewardson traffic.
The Queensborough bridge bike/pedestrian lane could be improved (maybe even dropped below the bridge deck) with a upgraded departure area on the south side of the bridge leading to Queensborough Landing shopping, Port Royal greenway, the casino, Queensborough community and beyond.
These improvements could also include better connections to the Central Valley Greenway leading to Vancouver (long overdue) with a crossing at Grimston Park. This would provide access to 22nd SkyTrain station with improved connectivity to the West End commercial and park areas along with Queensborough community centre. In addition, this would provide additional connectivity to New Westminster amenities like downtown, Quayside, Pier Park and Anvil Centre.
This option may not be convenient for Port Royal residents (and putting a bridge at the tip of Lulu Island may not have been the ideal location to serve ‘all’ of Queensborough), but it provides a crossing that could well serve a much large population on both sides of the Fraser River.
Let your imagination expand on this new opportunity and present ideas. Look at other ways to connect with Queensborough and New Westminster’s sure-to-emerge West End. Hold off until other options, resources or development are available for a specialized link like the Q2Q crossing?
Perhaps the city should do some number crunching, prepare alternatives and start thinking out of the box.
The way this is going, if you wait long enough the Fraser River silting may provide a natural walkway and we won’t even need a bridge.
James Crosty, New Westminster
