Conclusion
The findings of this research support the significance of the urban built environment to the uptake of active transportation and trip-based physical activity of its residents, and stress the importance of carefully designed public spaces that are inclusive and inviting to people of all ages and abilities.
Per se, the findings of this research study do not indicate increased levels of active transportation use among our study participants – a highly active group of older adults - after construction of the Comox-Helmcken Greenway. However, the findings show how older residents of the neighbourhood near the greenway – our study participants - altered their route choices in favour of the newly constructed greenway, and used Comox Street primarily as a an active transportation corridor. Based on the findings from this study, the implementation of the Comox-Helmcken Greenway was successful in diverting vehicle traffic from study participants off Comox Street, enhancing the safety of pedestrians and cyclists using the route. The study participants responded to the changes on Comox Street by using the greenway corridor at its whole length and especially near parks and greenspaces, indicating the transformation of Comox Street from a regular neighbourhood street to a meaningful public space. The findings from this research study indicate that the addition of age-friendly features to the built environment of Comox Street may have triggered a change of perception among our study participants. The addition of landscaping features, mini-gardens with seating, pedestrian street lights and washrooms, as well as the diversion of vehicle traffic can very likely be seen as an explanation for this change. During personal visits of the newly constructed greenway corridor I have witnessed people sitting on benches and in the new seating areas chatting with a neighbour or friend, kids playing soccer on the street, teenagers skating and seniors walking the sidewalks.
As mentioned earlier, increased levels of active transportation use on Comox Street could not be detected as the data collection period was likely too close to the implementation of the greenway in order to significantly alter the behavior of our study participants. It is feasible that the bad weather in the fall of 2014 (T2), in comparison to 2012 (T1) weakened the real influence of the greenway construction on the study participants. The findings affirm the great influence of bad weather (e.g. rain or snow) on physical activity levels among older adults (Franke et al., 2013), a factor that is hard to control through city planning. An opportunity to lessen the impact of rain on the physical activity levels of older adults and encourage transportation walking in Vancouver, even in the rainy fall and winter months, are covered sidewalks. It would be unrealistic and impracticable to install sidewalk coverings on neighbourhood streets, however continuous storefront awnings on retail streets in the neighbourhood, such as Denman Street and Robson Street, might present a practicable solution in providing route choices for older adults that would be protected from the elements. In its Transportation 2040 plan, the City of Vancouver states the intention of creating storefront covered sidewalks in major commercial areas of the city (City of Vancouver, 2012b), and a pedestrian design study of Robson Street from 2010 also highlights similar solutions (Thomson, 2010).