The City of Burnaby will install “no parking” signs on Brentlawn Avenue in an attempt to end head-to-head showdowns between buses.
Major construction at Brentwood Town Centre has drawn some 700 workers to the area every weekday, many of whom park on the surrounding residential streets, according staff.
Vehicles parked on both sides of Brentlawn have choked it down to one travel lane often leading TransLink bus drivers along Route 134 to meet head-on in the middle of the block.
“If one bus is approaching from Beta and another one is approaching from the Fairlawn side, they can’t see each other because of the length of the block, and there’s a little bit of grade difference,” Burnaby’s assistant director of engineering Doug Louie told the city’s public safety committee in November.
When that happens, a transit supervisor needs to be called in to guide a bus backward while passengers either wait on board or get off and find another way to their destination.
The city previously resolved to limit parking on the street to three hours a day, but residents complained and the plan was shelved.
On Monday, city council unanimously authorized city staff to designate the street in front of 4632 and 4636 Brentlawn Dr. as a no parking zone. Staff hope the parking ban will make enough space for buses and trucks to pass each other.
Coun. Pietro Calendino, former chair of the public safety committee, said he hopes the solution is temporary and can be solved once construction on the new Brentwood shopping centre is complete or when workers are allowed to park in the underground parking.
“For the moment, this is the best solution,” he said.
