Alleys and laneways in Victoria

[Holden West]

Post your favourite laneways, alleyways and public driveways here. Bonus points for lesser known ones and ones with interesting housing or other features.

This is near Hillside Centre:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=...,,0,25.89&z=16

There's a movement to take advantage of these laneways by building new infill construction that fronts them, so that it's a vibrant accessway, not merely a dingy back alley.

[Holden West]

Tragically, dastardly bollards were successful in blocking the Google car so Fairfield's fanciest alley, Lotbiniere Avenue is only glimpsed here:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Lotbini...,25.36,,0,5.88

Perhaps others have better photos of this windy road.

[Bernard]

I have never understood why there are almost no lanes or back alleys in this city. Certainly the downtown core should have them all over, but there are none.

The biggest ones I know of are between Foul Bay and Florence, and Florence and Epworth

[Dylan Leblanc]

Originally Posted by Bernard

The biggest ones I know of are between Foul Bay and Florence, and Florence and Epworth

Neat, I never knew about those ones. Interesting that there are also two alleys to the west on the Victoria side of Foul Bay Rd. - http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=...5,,0,8.81&z=17

[Dylan Leblanc]

This one near Cook & Hillside actually has a name (and a sign), "Bakery Mews" - http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=...56,,0,1.2&z=17

It has some small houses built along it.

[Baro]

Lane
Another One
More of the same
A Lane off another lane!

Quite a few little lanes in my immediate neighbourhood

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

This one near Cook & Hillside actually has a name (and a sign), "Bakery Mews" - http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=...56,,0,1.2&z=17

It has some small houses built along it.

Travel down the lane a ways and stop at the teal 66 ford pickup on the left hand side. Backup to the other side of the garage from the pickup and you will see a guy just sitting by a dumpster.

This is why I am glad Victoria does not have a lot of lanes.

[Bernard]

I lived in Vancouver for some years and I was a fan of the lanes in the residential areas. I was even a bigger fan of having them in the commercial areas.

I find it interesting that most of the lanes seem to be within a certain region of the city. The mid eastern reaches of the City of Victoria and the neighbouring areas in Oak Bay.

[VicHockeyFan]

This isn't really a lane, it's a marked street (Julia St.).

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=caledon...227.94,,0,0.37

But I'm not really sure what it is other than commercial access to a few places.

[VicHockeyFan]

This is Melcroft St.

No homes, no addresses I don't think. It just gives access and some parking opportunities for Mt. Tolmie Hospital.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by Bernard

I have never understood why there are almost no lanes or back alleys in this city. Certainly the downtown core should have them all over, but there are none.

No alleys downtown? Come on - haven't you ever left the sidewalk? They're all over the place - and the city gives bonuses to developers for including them in new developments...

[aastra]

Younger car-era cities like Vancouver, Kelowna, and Prince George have lanes in their cores but the commercial core of Victoria was laid out a generation too early.

Which is unfortunate, because if you don't have lanes then the vehicle parking entrances on modern buildings will have to take up valuable space along the sidewalk.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Originally Posted by Barra

No alleys downtown? Come on - haven't you ever left the sidewalk? They're all over the place - and the city gives bonuses to developers for including them in new developments...

Downtown Vic doesn't have the long thru-block alleys like the way they are usually done in cities, but yeah there are plenty of short dead-end alleys.

[Bernard]

Downtown has some back of the building access points, but nothing I would call a lane.

You can look around and see how many core blocks downtown have no off street access:
Fort, Broad, Broughton, Douglas
Douglas, Fort, Blanshard, View

I can go on and on.

There are many small parking areas behind buildings, but as loading zones, they suck. Most of them would not be able to accommodate a 5 ton truck. They are also not set up as loading zones.

Downtown, the best alley we have is not an alley, Langley Street.

[Lover Fighter]

The alleys we have downtown Victoria are not true alleys. In other cities, there are special laneway right of ways between properties midblock, while in downtown Victoria all alleys are on private property.

Here is a really cool collection of laneways in Oak Bay / Gonzales / Fairfield area:
http://www.alibosworth.com/photographs/laneways/