by Nate Lewis
(click on photos to enlarge)

The Stanley Park horse and carriage was spotted in Kerrisdale this December. Left hand turns don’t get much tougher than that! *(NATE LEWIS PHOTO)*

STANLEY PARK HORSES STAY BUSY AROUND THE LOWER MAINLAND

The horse and carriage in Stanley Park is hobbled for the winter season, but that doesn’t mean the carriage – or the horses – are out of work.

In early December they were spotted at 41st and West Boulevard, working the bustling streets of Kerrisdale. The Kerrisdale Business Association hires them to offer complimentary rides to shoppers on Saturdays throughout December.

“It’s not something regular, but we’ve been there for the last 20 years or so,” explained Gerry O’Neil, who has owned and operated Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours in Vancouver for more than 40 years.

Gerry and his horses travel (by truck and trailer) to various neighborhoods in the city and beyond. You might see the distinctive carriage rolling through Yaletown or on Commercial Drive. Gerry said he also has connections with groups across the Lower Mainland, travelling for events in Richmond, Langley, and even as far as White Rock.

“We started in the city first… in Gastown in 1981,” Gerry said. In their first year of operations, the carriage wasn’t allowed in the park according to Gerry, but they were by the next year and have been operating in Stanley Park since.

Carriage rides in the park will restart in early March.

The removal of the bike lane will be done in phases, with some areas, like Beach Avenue, requiring further study. *(Graphic by Vancouver Park Board)*

BIKE LANE REMOVAL
PLOWS AHEAD

The Vancouver Park Board is moving ahead with the removal of the temporary bike lane around Stanley Park Drive. In the first phase, staff are removing traffic cones and changing signage between Prospect Point and Third Beach.

In an update on Twitter, park board staff said that while they intended to complete this work by December 23 (ostensibly before the “peak Holiday Season” referenced in the board’s December 5 motion) some of the work had to be delayed due to winter storms.

The cones, concrete barriers, road paint, and signage on the rest of the route will be removed by Spring 2023 – the same time frame ABC commissioners had initially targeted for the installation of a new permanent bike lane to be completed.

“I am projecting two or three summers to reinstall a permanent bike lane,” said Commissioner Tom Digby, who cast the lone dissenting vote against the bike lane motion in early December.

“I believe my ABC colleagues were somewhat reckless committing to this project without waiting for the staff report,” Digby added.

An internal memo to park board commissioners on December 15 revealed that the full removal of the lane would take until April and cost around $400,000.

“It should be noted that, irrespective of the procurement and construction timeline, permanent line painting cannot be done in wet weather or colder temperatures, and while it is the last piece of work in the construction sequencing, it is typically not possible until April at the earliest,” wrote Park Board General Manager Donnie Rosa.

The first phase of the work will cost $25,000 according to the memo. The most expensive line items for the removal writ large are for dealing with the over 800 concrete barriers along the route and the inflated costs, such as for labor, associated with completing the work at night.

The view from THE CLIFFS ABOVE Siwash Rock is quite epic in the snow and can be a good spot to bird watch in the winter. *(NATE LEWIS PHOTO)*

HAVE WINGS, WILL TRAVEL

Stanley Park, and the Lower Mainland generally, is located along the migratory path – known as the Pacific Flyway – of hundreds of bird species that travel every year for food, breeding and better weather.

Jill Taylor saw what she believes was a snow goose land in Lost Lagoon in mid-December. These birds are rarely seen, according to one birding website.

“We can see the Lagoon clearly from our apartment, so I was able to keep checking (through binoculars) to see what it was up to. It kept in the centre of the Lagoon, never swimming to the shore, but back and fro in the centre,” Jill observed.

“It appeared to be quite happy, not in distress or anything,” she added, “I kept checking until it was too dark to see. In the morning it was gone.”

Yours truly also observed two groups of black birds with white head and tail markings flying past Siwash Rock. They were emitting a whooping and whirring sound as they went by. Any birders out there who can help this novice with an ID?

NEWS & NOTES

SEAWALL CLOSURES … The seawall, between the Lions Gate Bridge and Third Beach, was closed intermittently in December. First, the embattled stretch was closed for a week while crews completed annual maintenance work. The area, prone to safety concerns due to the sheer cliffs above and its western exposure to Burrard Inlet, was then shut from public access just before Christmas because of ice, snow, and other winter storm-related hazards. The closed area of the seawall was expanded up to English Bay on December 27 due to a storm surge, high tides, and strong winds. Stay safe out there if you’re taking a walk around the park!

BRIGHT NIGHTS: Heavy snow and icy conditions forced the Brights Nights event in Stanley Park to close for five nights but they’ve reopened as of Boxing Day. The 25th year of the event, benefiting the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, will run until New Years Day.