My Bike Commute is 10.8 KM One Way, 8.5 the Other Way
By Richard Eriksson on September 17, 2007 - 3:31pm
You know how people exaggerate the olden days by saying they had to walk to school uphill both ways? Well my biking commute is almost like that: on the way to work it's downhill most of the way save for an uphill climb at Lakewood Drive, where on the way back it's uphill approaching Commercial, then downhill after Renfrew and then back uphill, then, saving the worst for last, a steep uphill climb at Boundary and Union in Burnaby. Like Roland, I drew my bike route on Google Maps, but I drew both my to and from work routes. (To work is in red, from work is in blue.) According to Google Calculator, my commute to work is 10.8 KM, and 8.5 KM back home. (I typed in "6.71 miles in kilometers" and "5.31 miles in kilometers" and rounded off the answers.) Because there are more hills on the shorter route, both directions take about the same time, from 45 minutes to an hour each. Two Google maps after the break.
As you can see, the route to work takes me next to Burrard Inlet and underneath the Second Narrows Bridge, technically over the train bridge and under the road bridge. It therefore takes me near boats and trains, and sometimes big ocean liners.
Those serious about biking should pick up the paper copy of the TransLink biking map. It's very detailed, with many types of bike routes—on street, off street, and alternate routes, with hills and caution areas noted.
I've only looked at the PDF for the North Shore, but judging
by that, I'd say these maps may need an update, because there
are bike routes that are not shown on this map.
For example, there's a trail from east Keith Road in West Van
where it ends at the Upper Levels Highway Bridge over the
Capilano River, running along the west side of the Capilano River
up to Cleveland Dam, near the Grouse Mountain Skyride.
In the eastern part of North Van, there's now a bike path
on the north side of the Low Level Road which runs along
beside the grain terminals.The eastern end of that would
be just a few blocks from Second Narrows Bridge, and the
western end would be just a few blocks from Lonsdale Ave.,
and it's mostly fairly flat going. This map needs updating.
There's also a bike route marked now on First Avenue, which
connects with Welch along the waterfront of North Van, and
it is also on mostly flat landscape, all the way to near
Park Royal South mall.
Roland Tanglao
VanEats
Bryght