Yes, the narrow path along the north side of Austin Avenue in front of Vancouver Golf Club is considered a sidewalk.
Except, there's no pavement, pedestrians that use it are hindered by light poles and driveway crossings, and its natural conditions have deteriorated for several years.
And you might get the odd bare and outgoing branch in the eyeball if you're not paying attention.
Coquitlam is now set to turn that 600-metre stretch between Guilby and Walker streets into a legitimate sidewalk by the fall, and city officials have the province to thank for that.
In a release, the municipality said it's received a grant worth $500,000 from the BC Active Transportation Program, to which a part of the funding is set to cover the project, according to Mark Zaborniak, Coquitlam's design and construction manager.
He explained the new sidewalk will be wider for safer connections, will avoid those utility poles and will have "many fewer crossings."
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday (Feb. 6) as crews work to remove 32 trees by the end of February — 28 were deemed unhealthy or potentially unsafe as stated by a professional arborist, Zaborniak added.
However, new trees and shrubs are set to be planted once the sidewalk is officially completed.
"This is one of the city's highest-priority sidewalk improvement locations because it is on a busy arterial road connecting Austin Heights to the Lougheed Town Centre," said Zaborniak.
"The sidewalk improvements along Austin Avenue increase pedestrian safety and mobility options."
Now, fortunately it appears this section of Austin Avenue already has a good track record when it comes to driver and pedestrian safety.
According to ICBC's most up-to-date stats, there were only two known crashes between Guilby and Walker streets involving pedestrians from 2016 to 2020.
There were also three cyclist-involved collisions in that same span along the artery from North Road to Poirier Street.
An added bonus
As well, a multi-use pathway is part of the project which will see a 130-metre extension of the existing paths west of Guilby Street for the benefit of bikes and e-scooters.
Coquitlam engineering and public works department lists the following other improvements included in the Austin Avenue project"
- Retaining walls to mitigate impacts to tree roots
- Hand railings along the retaining walls
- Relocation of the traffic signal controller at the Austin/Guilby intersection
For more information about the new sidewalk and multi-use pathway, you can visit the city's website.
