Westridge, British Columbia

Location

Westridge is located on the western slope of Burnaby Mountain. It is sliced almost in half by Inlet Drive. The western half of it lies close to the shores of Burrard Inlet and the railway tracks on which West Coast Express runs between Downtown Vancouver and Port Moody. The eastern half of Westridge climbs quite steeply up Burnaby Mountain. Westridge is located near Simon Fraser University to which it is linked by the newly built Burnaby Mountain Parkway.

Transportation

Westridge used to be served by #135 bus that runs between Downtown Vancouver and SFU but the bus does not make a loop around the neighbourhood pub any longer. It is still the nearest bus route with stops along Hastings Street. There is also the suburban #160 running along Inlet Drive that serves commuters from Port Coquitlam.

Parks and recreation

The biggest natural attraction in Westridge, in addition to the hiking trails of Burnaby Mountain itself, is Barnet Marine Park with its beach and wonderful views of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm. The small Westridge Park west of Inlet Drive near its intersection with Hastings Street offers a children's playground and some tennis courts.

2007 Oil Spill

In July 2007, a large oil spill from a Kinder-Morgan pipeline ruptured by Cusano Contracting working for the City of Burnaby caused a major ecological damage to the local residents' homes, to the forested slope and the marine wildlife on the southern shore of Burrard Inlet and led to months of traffic disruptions on the busy Barnet Highway during the cleanup operations. According to Burnaby Now (January 05, 2008), Kinder Morgan Canada and Trans Mountain Pipeline have launched legal action against the City of Burnaby and Cusano Contracting, hired by the city to do sewer work. [1]