Leeside Update
Captain Barnacle plunders the barrier with a frontside 5-0
LEESIDE INTERDEPARTMENTAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING
This past March, a stakeholder meeting was held which brought the Leeside Stewardship Group together with staff from the City of Vancouver and E-COMM. Representatives from the City of Vancouver’s Engineering, Planning, and Parks Departments participated, as did representatives from E-COMM’s Human Resources and Security Departments. A concept and development plan for the Youth Park facility was proposed by members of the Leeside Stewardship Group and a discussion of the recurrent issues impeding the development of the tunnel followed.
The major tunnel issues/challenges that continue to be raised include:
1) Emergency Vehicle Access
A 5-metre-wide path needs to be included in the design of the tunnel. This path is necessary so that emergency vehicles can travel from E-COMM to Hastings Bowl, ensuring easy access for emergency response teams to the Cassiar tunnel (the #1 Highway tunnel which runs under Hastings Street and is parallel to Leeside). In addition to Cassiar access, Hastings Bowl is a potential site for a Helicopter Pad that would be used for emergency evacuations during the Olympics. The tunnel would therefore need to accommodate emergency response vehicles traveling to and from E-COMM. The 5 metre requirement is necessary so that the width of a full-sized fire truck with both its doors open can be accommodated in the tunnel.
2) Hastings Park Development Plan
Plans are in the works for the development of a bike route that will run from the waterfront through Hastings Park and the Leeside Tunnel to the current Adanac Bike Route.
3) Pedestrian Access
Concern over potential Pedestrian/Skateboarder conflict suggests the need for a pedestrian walkway that is separated from the Skateboard facility.
4) Security
It is imperative that the activity by community members at the Leeside Tunnel does not interfere with the security of E-COMM, the services it provides, or the personal safety of their employees. As the tunnel is isolated, it often attracts illegal activity. Concerns have included fires, drug use, prostitution, illegal dumping, litter, and graffiti that is located outside of the tunnel. Parking in front of the E-COMM gates is prohibited, as emergency vehicle access needs to be maintained at all times.
5) TUNNEL GATES
Due to the continuation of illegal activity in the tunnel, the option of gating the tunnel has been suggested. It was recognized that the plan needs to ensure that ‘legitimate users’ have easy access to the space while still maintaining security standards.
6) SKATEBOARD / BMX FACILITY
Due to a series of fires in the tunnel several summers ago, flammable materials such as the wooden ramps that formerly occupied the tunnel are no longer permissible.
MEETING OUTCOME
While it was hoped that this meeting would help resolve a number of these issues and set the criteria for the design, the solutions lie in an appropriate design of the space.
As a result of the meeting, the City has indicated that they will be hiring a consultant to develop a design plan for the tunnel that will address the above challenges.
