Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TransCanada Highway, with the highway passing the northern extent of the cities of
New
Westminster
and
Burnaby
and to the south of
Coquitlam
and
Port Coquitlam
before
crossing the Fraser River and continuing along its southern bank through
Langley, Ab-
botsford,
and
Chilliwack.
Streets and Avenues
For a city that has grown in spurts, with no real planning, Vancouver's street numbering
system is surprisingly easy to understand. Throughout Metro Vancouver, avenues run east
to west and streets north to south. Streets on the downtown peninsula run parallel to its
spine, meaning they run in a northwest to southeast and southwest to northeast direction
and are named for a variety of individuals. For numbering purposes, the downtown east-
west division (from where “east” and “west” designations are given) is Carrall Street, and
south of False Creek it's Ontario Street. Numbered avenues begin on the south side of
False Creek, continuing southtothe Fraser River.Inthe south,avenues are numbered pro-
gressively from the border all the way to the Fraser River while on the North Shore aven-
ues are numbered progressively from Burrard Inlet.
Formoredetail,considerthesoft-coveratlasproducedbyMapArt(
www.mapart.com
).
It is available at bookstores and convenience stores throughout the city.
Highways and Byways
Vancouver is one of the few North American cities without a freeway system. The closest
it comes is Highway 1, the TransCanada Highway, which enters the city from the east,
crosses the Fraser River at Burnaby, then crosses Burrard Inlet at the Second Narrows
Bridge, and skirts through the back of the North Shore to Horseshoe Bay. From the east,
reaching downtown from Highway 1 is easiest by taking Exit 28B and heading west along
the Grandview Highway, then merging left onto Broadway (Highway 7) and turning north
on Main, Cambie, or Granville Streets. From the south, Highway 99 (Highway 5 south of
theborder)passesthrough45kilometers(28miles)ofresidentialandindustrialsprawlbe-
forecrossingontothedowntownpeninsulaviatheGranvilleStreetBridge.Fromthenorth,
take Exit 13 from Highway 1 south along Taylor Way, turn left onto Marine Drive, and
thentakethefirstrightaftercrossingtheCapilano River; thenextthingyouknow,youare
high above Burrard Inlet on the Lions Gate Bridge. This three-lane bridge becomes one of
thecity'sworstbottlenecksduringpeakhours;trytoavoidtravelingsouthbound7am-9am
and northbound 4:30pm-6:30pm.
