A Vancouver man wants a lengthy section of the Central Valley Greenway opened to cyclists.
The section, roughly five kilometres long, runs through Burnaby Lake Park and is part of the Central Valley Greenway, a cycling and walking route that runs from Vancouver, through Burnaby, all the way to New Westminster’s Quay.
“If they want a continuous trail, they’ve got to do something about that Burnaby Lake section, because you’ve got to go out on the road,” said Bill Corden, a retired cyclist who bikes to Burnaby about once a month.
About six months ago, Corden contacted the City of Burnaby, suggesting a parallel path for cyclists through Burnaby Lake.
“All I wanted to do is put some pressure on the city to make it more accessible,” he said. “Right now, it’s pretty exclusive to hikers.”
According to Corden, the city was worried about the conflict between hikers and bikers and the lack of space on the trails for both. Corden said the city has “plenty of money” to add a cycling path.
The Central Valley Greenway is 24-kilometres long; it starts at Science World in Vancouver and runs all the way to New Westminster’s Quay. It’s a partnership between the provincial and federal governments, TransLink, Metro Vancouver and the cities of Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver.
The NOW contacted the City of Burnaby for comment but was referred to Metro Vancouver, since the Burnaby Lake stretch is a Metro Vancouver park.
“People can’t cycle through there, because the trail is too narrow and winding and doesn’t leave any visibility of oncoming cyclists, so there’s a danger,” said Jamie Vala, a park planner with Metro Vancouver.
According to Vala, Metro Vancouver has no interest at this time in widening the trail.
“The park is run by Metro Vancouver, so it’s our decision,” she said. “It’s quite a sensitive park, … so widening the trail would mean removing a lot of the vegetation, which is a problem.”
There is another route along the south side of the lake, but there’s no cycling allowed in the park, period. Vala said cyclists caught riding in Burnaby Lake Park could get a ticket but would most likely be asked to walk.
Cyclists who want to travel the Central Valley Greenway need to detour down Winston Street, which runs parallel to the lake’s north side.
But the Winston Street detour is not that safe according to Dennis Hansen, chair of HUB Burnaby, a Lower Main-land network of concerned cyclists.
“You’re just riding on the side of the road,” he said. “You’ve got all these trucks whizzing by your elbow.”
Hansen like Corden’s idea of a new bike route and said people often ask HUB why that Burnaby Lake section of the greenway is closed to cyclists. Hansen suggested a cycling path on the north side of the lake, close to the railway tracks, which would have “little impact” on nature.
