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Burnaby councillor’s motion passes to address ‘orphan’ cycling routes and other gaps

Councillor says more effort needs to be made to protect children
Chris Campbell
Chris Campbell
Cycling
Better signage helps but, until we embrace cycling the way the Dutch have, we’ll have irresponsible pedestrians and cyclists says this letter writer in response to a letter last week regarding safety concerns along the Millennium Trail.Getty Images

Burnaby council has passed Coun. Alison Gu’s motion to expedite and enhance the city’s cycling network.

And she celebrated it by hopping on her bike after the meeting and pedaling home.

The motion was passed at Monday’s council meeting to boost the city’s 80-kilometre cycling network to put more focus on access for children.

According to Gu’s motion, the current network “focuses on major connectors, which, while critically important for current cycle commuters and adults who do not currently commute due to lack of safe infrastructure, may risk leaving behind children … “the implementation of cycling paths in town centres is dependent on development, and is therefore piece-meal with no reliable timeframe of completion, which can endanger the safety of cyclists who utilize these paths without the knowledge of their discontinuation.”

The motion’s approval means city staff will put together a feasibility report for “enhancing and expediting the Phase 1 Cycling network by adding safe cycling routes to schools, by developing a strategy that addresses ‘orphan’ cycling paths, and by ensuring improved connectivity to SkyTrain stations, work places, and other places of gathering.”

Gu told the NOW in an interview that the report aims to address gaps that are preventing more people to taking up cycling in the city.

“Getting more folks out of their cars and into alternative forms of transportation importantly reduces traffic congestion too, which improves transportation for those who have to drive as well,” she said. “The motion intends to accelerate an enhanced cycling network, to make up for the previous decades of inaction. The motion intends to protect children by creating safe routes to schools because children are some of the most — if not the most — vulnerable road users. I’ve also heard extensively from parents that they don’t feel that the safe infrastructure currently exists for their children to get to and from school safely by active transportation.”

The motion also looks at protecting users from “orphan” cycling paths, which are paths that end suddenly, Gu said.

“This can be incredibly dangerous for users who don’t realize they’re on a path that may spit them out into fast-moving automobile traffic when they find themselves with no protection from cars.”