As part of the plan to create a sustainable community within the Southeast False Creek (SEFC) neighbourhood, public transit will necessarily play an important role in the area.
In addition to multiple pedestrian walkways and two bicylce greenways - one along the waterfront and one along First Avenue - the SEFC Official Development Plan (link to pdf) includes the possibility of a tramway running along First Avenue and then north along Quebec street.
According to this SEFC transit study, the proposed streetcar would ideally operate on double tracks running through the middle of First Avenue. Stops are recommended at Wylie/Crowe streets, Manitoba street and Science World.
The SEFC tramway is part of the larger Downtown Streetcar plan, which was initially adopted by the city in 1999. The plan calls for streetcar service to eventually stretch all the way from Stanley Park to Vanier Park, via Gastown, Chinatown, the Main Street Skytrain station and Southeast False Creek areas. (Click on map below for a larger version).
Phase one calls for service to be developed between Waterfront Station and Granville Island, which according to this Vancouver Courier article, could be developed in time for the Olympics, so as to connect the Athletes' Village with the Media Centre at the new convention site.
Eventually, the city would like to extend the streetcar line from False Creek south to Marpole, via the Arbutus Corrider.
All of this is presently in the planning stages, however, with the Courier article confirming that as of mid-2005, the city was still finalising the design of phase one. For more information, check out the Downtown Streetcar information site, here.
