Page 240 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

238  V ANC OUVER

Getting Around Vancouver bike routes. It is available at
bicycle shops and bookstores,
Although somewhat sprawling, Vancouver is not so big or by calling the City of
as to be overwhelming. The Tourism Vancouver Visitor Vancouver Bicycle Hot Line,
Centre, near Canada Place, provides information on sights, which also provides details
accommodation, and transit, as well as street maps. The on where to rent bicycles.
Traffic-calming circles and
various local tours on offer, such as the free tour of historic other measures, such as cyclist-
Gastown, are an excellent way of exploring the city. friendly sensors at traffic lights,
slow vehicle traffic on city streets.
Bicycle helmets are mandatory.
City and Street Layout
The many bridges spanning
Vancouver’s bodies of water Public Transit
can confuse visitors, as can The Greater Vancouver trans-
the occurrence of “west” in the portation authority, Trans Link,
names of several areas in the city. operates an extensive public
The residential West End shares transit network. Transit maps
the downtown peninsula with The SeaBus heading from the North Shore are available for a minimal
the business and commercial to downtown Vancouver charge at major drugstores
district and with Stanley Park. and supermarkets, and the
The West Side stretches from neighborhoods are somewhat main location of the Tourism
Ontario Street, on the south scattered, it is often best to Vancouver Visitor Centre.
side of False Creek, to the drive or use public transit to get The SeaBus, a 400-seat
University of British Columbia to a particular neighborhood catamaran, crosses Vancouver
and encompasses several and then walk around to Harbour from the downtown
neighborhoods, including soak up the atmosphere. Waterfront Station to Lonsdale
Kitsilano and Kerrisdale. The Walking tours through various Quay in North Vancouver
community of West Vancouver neighborhoods are available; every 15 to 30 minutes
is adjacent to North Vancouver, for a tour of Gastown, contact until around midnight.
on the North Shore. Walking Tours of Gastown. SkyTrain, a driverless above-
Before heading anywhere, it ground light rail system, travels
is wise to consult a good street between Waterfront Station,
map. The mountains, which Taxis Richmond, Coquitlam, and
are to the north, are a useful Taxis are numerous in Vancouver Surrey. Schedules vary,
landmark for orientation. and can be hailed on the street depending on the time
Most streets run north–south or ordered by telephone. Taxi of day and day of the week.
and east–west, though some fares start at $3.25 and increase Fares range from $2.75 to $5.50
run on the diagonal. Some at the rate of approximately and are based on a three-zone
downtown streets are one-way. $1.88 per half-mile (1 km). system. Tickets allow inter-
Outside the downtown core, changeable travel on the
avenues, divided east–west by Bicycling SeaBus, SkyTrain, and buses,
Ontario Street, are numbered; including TransLink trolleys.
north–south streets are named. Vancouver is a great city for Children under the age of 4 ride
cycling, with bikeways covering free; those between the ages
more than 249 miles (400 km). of 5 and 13, secondary-school
Walking Bikeways can be found at students, and people over 65,
Many of the city’s attractions False Creek, Stanley Park, the pay a reduced fare. A transfer
are within walking distance University of British Columbia, ticket is free and lasts for
of the downtown core. Others and else where downtown. 90 minutes of travel in any
are easily accessible by public The free brochure “Cycling in direction. The reloadable
transit. However, as the Vancouver” includes a map of Compass Card, usually available
where transit maps are sold,
provides a discount. A $9.75
day pass can be purchased at
supermarkets and at SkyTrain
vending machines in stations.
All trips after 6:30pm and
on weekends and holidays are
considered to be in one zone
anywhere in the system.
The commuter rail service
West Coast Express runs during
The Stanley Park shuttle bus at Brockton Point, one of its many stops peak periods on weekdays

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