Buzzer logo

TransLink news, commentary, and behind-the-scenes stories.

Scenes from the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge opening!

Scenes from the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge opening!

Led by the Transit Police, cyclists and pedestrians take a ceremonial first walk across the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge on its opening day.
Led by the Transit Police, cyclists and pedestrians take a ceremonial first walk across the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge on its opening day.

We had a short but sweet opening ceremony over at the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge this afternoon.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, with TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast, Vancouver Deputy Mayor Geoff Meggs, and Richmond’s Acting Mayor Ken Johnston.
The ribbon cutting ceremony, with TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast, Vancouver Deputy Mayor Geoff Meggs, and Richmond’s Acting Mayor Ken Johnston.

Cyclists and pedestrians joined in a ceremonial first walk across the bridge. They were led by TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast and Vancouver Deputy Mayor Geoff Meggs from the north side, accompanied by police bike patrols, and meeting with Acting Mayor Ken Johnston of Richmond in the centre.

The walk continued to the south side, with speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony on the Richmond side. Then the bridge was opened up to bike and pedestrian traffic! Go ahead and ride it – it’s now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Turnout was nice: I’d say there were about 100 people there, including members of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC), Better Environmentally Sustainable Transportation (BEST), and Richmond’s Spirit Runners!

Cake! Thanks BEST and VACC!
Cake! Thanks BEST and VACC!

We also had a host of other dignitaries on hand too – Vancouver South MP Ujjal Dosanjh, Richmond MP Alice Wong, Richmond Centre MLA Rob Howard, Richmond city councillor Bill McNulty, and Vancouver city councillor Raymond Louie. (Hope I didn’t miss anyone there!)

Plus BEST and the VACC brought a lovely carrot cake for everyone to share, at a table they set up with info about cycling and more.

Check the Buzzer’s Flickr account for more photos of the opening ceremony.

And for more info about the bridge, check out this earlier post, which includes a map of the bridge location (and more details on how to get there in the comments).

OK, here’s one more photo of the opening day, with the Canada Line train in the background!

Whoosh! You can see pedestrians and cyclists on the bridge here too.
Whoosh! You can see pedestrians and cyclists on the bridge here too.
TransLink

Sorry, your website browser is no longer supported.

Upgrade to one of these browsers to visit translink.ca: