Comox-Helmcken Greenway improving health and environment: study

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Comox-Helmcken Greenway decreased driving, increased physical activity and improved the health of those who used it, according to a UBC study examining local residents’ before and after the space’s construction.

Surveying people who lived within 500 metres of the greenway, community and regional planning professor Larry Frank found daily bike trips increased 32 per cent while vehicle usage went down 23 per cent.

He also saw a 9.8 per cent drop in the number of days people reported they were in poor mental and physical health.

“Greenways not only promote public health and are cost effective, just on the health side, but they’re a critical components in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Frank says.

Those who lived along the corridor experienced even less time in cars and an increase in physical activity.

The two kilometre-long greenway between False Creek and Stanley Park cost approximately $5 million, a cost Frank says he believes paid for itself in lower health care expenditures.

The study’s results should also be considered when reviewing plans for future greenway projects such as the Arbutus Corridor, Frank says. Despite being a larger project, he says the corridor could incorporate similar elements as Comox-Helmcken, such as lighting, seating, and designing a motif.

“I think there’s a lot that can be learned not just from (Comox-Helmcken) but other urban spaces,” he says.

Ultimately, Frank says a good greenway will accommodate a variety of transportation methods and integrate with the community to create a space people want to visit and use repeatedly.