I’ve lived next to the Railway Greenway for 32 years this month. When I moved in and for the first 20 years or so, it was not a greenway. It was an old set of railroad tracks, unused for many years or decades, that were part of a railway line between Steveston and False Creek in Vancouver, which ran along Arbutus for the Vancouver section and Railway Avenue for the Richmond section.
The City of Richmond purchased the land from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 2010, with the intention of preserving it as a transportation corridor, but transforming it into a trail for pedestrians and cyclists. The City of Vancouver made a similar move along the old Arbutus tracks, which are now the Arbutus corridor, a greenway for cyclists and pedestrians.
For about the past 10 years, the Richmond stretch of the 5-km path from the Britannia Shipyards in Steveston to the Middle Arm Dyke has been a convenient, fun route for Richmondites whether they’re taking their daily stroll, cycling to work or practicing their rollerblading skills. A few years ago, hundreds of trees were planted along the greenway and community gardens and a bike park have also been added.
The question now is whether the path should be lit at night. This is a bit of a conundrum, because safety should be paramount, but many houses face or back onto the Railway Greenway, so if the lighting is too bright it could be intrusive.
As a woman, I vote for safety. There’s a meme going around about who a woman would choose to meet if walking alone at night – a bear or a man. Most women choose the bear, for reasons which are obvious if you think about rape statistics. Of course, that’s not representative of all men, but you get the idea.
As I’ve written here before, I’m a die-hard walker, usually walking about an hour every day. A large portion of my walking is done along the Railway Greenway. In the winter, when it gets dark around 4 p.m., finding the time to fit an hour of walking into daylight hours can be challenging, but I’m too afraid to walk alone at night. If the path was well lit – well lit enough to deter anyone with mal intent of hanging out there – I might feel comfortable walking alone in the evening. Even though I’ve never heard of a bear sighting in Richmond, it’s the chance of running into a man while walking alone at night that stops me in my tracks.
To ensure safety, the lights would have to stay on, not just lights that light up when motion is detected. However, I could see the sense in turning them off at 11 p.m. or midnight, perhaps the same time busses stop running along Richmond’s east-west roads that cross the greenway. In the summer, when it’s light enough to walk or ride until at least 9 p.m., lights might not be needed at all.
As a resident who lives directly on the greenway, I also vote for lighting, as long as it’s not too intrusive into people’s homes. I bought my home along the railroad tracks knowing full well that those tracks might have a train running down it one day. Thankfully, instead of a train, it is a wonderful community recreation facility that I get to enjoy nearly every day. But even those who bought their homes after the tracks were long gone knew they were buying near a popular walkway, one that comes with the chance of lights at night.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a free for all. The lights should be strong enough to make women walking alone safe at night, but not strong enough to disturb someone in their bedroom at night. It’s 2024, the technology must be possible to do both.
Have your say. The city is hosting two open houses, though one will have passed by publication time. The second one is Saturday, June 22 from nine to 11 a.m. at Branscombe House, 4900 Steveston Highway. There is also a survey online.
Tracy Sherlock is a freelance journalist who writes about education and social issues. Read her blog or email her [email protected].
