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Vancouver considers building a $420-million underwater bike tunnel

Taking a queue from the famous railway linking the U.K. to France, Vancouver is considering the construction of a $420-million underwater bicycle tunnel.

The "Funnel", a 125-metre long tunnel that would connect downtown Vancouver to southeast False Creek, is designed to be much more than a convenient route for local cyclists.

"The future is underground, below and away from those carbon-spewing Earth-killers we call automobiles," said James McElroy, a professor at Berkeley in California and a project consultant, in a Times Colonist story. "If you bore a tunnel correctly, with love and foresight, its allure is too great to resist."

According to a 52-page city report, the proposed tunnel would start at the south side of the Cambie Street Bridge, connecting with the seawall bike lane as it resurfaces in Coopers Park.

With a funding model combining municipal and provincial money with private donations, initial cost estimates range between $340 million and $420 million.

The tunnel is to be constructed using recycled materials such as diesel transit buses and old computers.

Additional enhancements could include a "glass-walled interpretive section", a portion of the tunnel that would provide cyclists with an underwater view of False Creek. A service centre located at the midway point would provide cyclists with First-Aid supplies, air hoses and drinking water.

The Funnel is just one of several bicycle initiatives proposed by Mayor Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver council that includes tax breaks for "cycle family" households and a citywide bicycle co-op.

"From day one, this council and this mayor have made bike infrastructure a key part of our agenda," said Vision member Geoff Meggs in the story. "An underwater bike tunnel should not come as a surprise to anyone."

Canadian cities continue to maintain a heavy focus on bicycle initiatives. Ottawa and Toronto are preparing to utilize the Bixi program this spring, a public bike sharing initiative that has seen success in Montreal the past two years.

(AFP Photo)