Over the holidays, workers completed one of the first steps in a major new landscape project: pedestrianizing four of the most travelled routes on UBC campus. The first is Agricultural Road, an east-west corridor that runs from Place Vanier residence to Main Library and the Student Union Building.
The university is working to improve the campus’s walkability because a vast majority of trips made on campus are by foot. In a recent survey conducted for Transportation Consultation 2010, 84.8 per cent of respondents said that once they reached the campus, their primary mode of transportation was walking. Improving walkability on campus is one of the goals of both the Vancouver Campus Plan, adopted in June 2010, and UBC’s Public Realm Plan.
The transformation of Agricultural Road is a precedent for the creation of other pedestrian corridors on Main Mall, University Boulevard and Memorial Road. The facelift involves ripping out the existing roads, curbs and sidewalks and replacing them with decorative paving blocks and greenery. The broad paved walkways will still be accessible to emergency and service vehicles, but some roadway is being removed, and a few parking spots are being pushed to the periphery.
For more information, visit http://www.planning.ubc.ca/vancouver_home/news_and_events/enewsletter/february_2011/articles427.php
