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Is yesterday’s “SkyTrain” tomorrow’s bike route?

A New Westminster resident wants the City of Burnaby to turn an old interurban railway line into a paved bike path when it reviews its master transportation plan this fall.

A New Westminster resident wants the City of Burnaby to turn an old interurban railway line into a paved bike path when it reviews its master transportation plan this fall.

Rod Drown, who usually gets from point A to point B with two wheels, knew the rail bed ran somewhere along Craig Avenue. After a few weekends spent walking up and down the road and rummaging through the forested area, he finally discovered a small opening. Sure enough, the opening led to a dirt pathway, one that Drown is certain is the remnants of the rail bed line that was operational from 1911 to 1953.

"I felt like a person who found some old ruins," he told the NOW. "I was just thrilled by that, so then I began walking on it regularly. I would meet people who didn't know what it was - a true neighbourhood secret."

After a couple more visits to the site, Drown started envisioning the path as a paved bike route for those travelling from East Vancouver or Burnaby to Sapperton.

"It's a shorter and more direct route and not as steep," he explained. "The maximum elevation of the old interurban route is 56 metres, while the maximum elevation of the present route, which goes up Cariboo Road and over the top of the hill between Burnaby and New Westminster, is 119 metres."

Drown's proposal, however, goes against the city's 1984 community plan for the Cariboo area, with the rail bed running through land that has already been set aside for residential development.

Stu Ramsey, manager of the city's transportation planning department, said Drown's proposal will be considered later this year when Burnaby's master transportation plan is updated, but it's not currently on staff’s radar.

"Obviously there's a lot of development interest in other parts of the city, and that's our focus at the moment," he added.

There are also a number of challenges with installing a bike path there, according to Ramsey. The trail, he said, helps with some of the hills, but there aren't any pedestrian-friendly routes when it spits you out into New West; the trail "just ends."

From an environmental perspective, Ramsey noted the city would have to put in proper crossings at each of the creeks along the path.

Drown, meanwhile, remains optimistic the city will revise the 1984 plan to protect the historical rail bed.

His ultimate goal is to see the entire forested area between Cariboo Road and the southern boundary line converted into a park.

"I'm kind of blue-skying it here, but it would provide shelter to wildlife and a recreational area for walkers, cyclists and nature lovers of all ages," he said.

Drown isn’t the only one wanting to see the path preserved. Burnaby HUB, the city’s bicycle lobby group, recently received a small grant to promote and publicize the possibilities of the old interurban route.

The route, formerly known as the Burnaby Lake line, was part of a regional transportation system that connected Vancouver to Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby and New Westminster in the early 20th century. There were three main lines that used electrically-powered tram cars to transport passengers and freight.