East Vancouver residents may have easier access to Spanish Banks, Jericho and Locarno beaches if one park board commissioner's proposal is approved.
Commissioner John Irwin plans to put forward a motion at next Monday's park board meeting that would task the city with considering an express or direct bus service from VCC-Clark Station to Vancouver's western beaches in partnership with TransLink.
While Irwin is only proposing summer service, he says the current route to local beaches is "very circuitous."
"What I'd like to see is not a bus that just sort of drops people off up higher on the hill in the Jericho area then they have to schlep all their stuff down to the beach, but one that would take them pretty close to the beach and then it's handy for them," he told CTV News.
Currently, the 84 bus route travels between VCC-Clark Station and UBC, mostly along West 4th Avenue. From there, transit users can either walk down to the waterfront or take the 42 community shuttle bus, which runs only on weekends and every 30 minutes.
(The number 42 community shuttle bus provides access to Vancouver's western beaches on weekends. Google Maps)
One of Irwin's ideas is to adapt the 84 bus route during the summer so that it occassionally runs closer to the beaches.
"If they're able to do that I don't think it would cause that much disruption or added expense," he said.
While campaigning ahead of last fall's municipal election, Irwin said he heard from families who were frustrated by current beach access.
"Some families on the east side had a real struggle and they'd decide just to go to Trout Lake or just go to a pool instead of going to the beach because they've got a larger family," he said.
Irwin, who is part of the city's transportation advisory committee, added that improving transit connections to community centres and points of interest across Vancouver is a long-term goal.
"Given the climate emergency that's been declared…making it easier for people to get to the beach by public transit in the summer months would probably make sense," he said.
Irwin's motion will be brought up at the park board's regular board meeting on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
