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Cyclist wants separated lane for section of 'scary' Burnaby road

Work is getting going on the site of a massive new development surrounding the Gilmore SkyTrain station in North Burnaby. And when I say massive, I think these few numbers about Onni Group’s Gilmore Place development back this up.
gilmore
Fencing is now blocking a section of grass used by pedestrians near Gilmore and Lougheed in Burnaby. RICHARD CAMPBELL PHOTO

Work is getting going on the site of a massive new development surrounding the Gilmore SkyTrain station in North Burnaby.

And when I say massive, I think these few numbers about Onni Group’s Gilmore Place development back this up.

The first phase will be three towers, the largest measuring 64 storeys – taller than any other housing tower west of Ontario. 

The remaining two towers are 43 and 51 storeys, totaling 1,550 units across all three buildings.

A whopping 500,000-square-feet of retail space and one million-square-feet of office area.

Future phases seeing a total of 10 towers being built.

That’s ginormous.

What’s worrisome is the impact all this construction – which can take years to complete – will have on the surrounding area.

For example, a small stretch of Lougheed Highway at Gilmore, which is a notorious bottleneck for traffic during the afternoon drive heading east.

It’s a hassle for drivers, but for cyclists and pedestrians, it can be downright scary.

“Scary” is the word cyclist Richard Campbell (no relation) uses to describe the merge lane right at the corner. The situation has been made worse, Campbell says, because the developer has erected fencing almost to the edge of the curb, meaning pedestrians can’t use a grassy area to walk east and west next to merge lane. It’s not an official sidewalk, but for many years it’s been used as one.

“Vehicles race through in the right lane to merge on Lougheed east of Gilmore, making cycling rather risky,” Campbell says. “People walking should not be forced to cross busy Lougheed twice. Some will probably walk in the curb lane too.”

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A rendering of what development will look like at the Gilmore SkyTrain station. Rendering courtesy of IBI Group.

Right now, there is a sign at the corner of Lougheed and Gilmore that says “sidewalk closed.” I asked the City of Burnaby about this and a spokesperson says the sign is “misleading” because it’s not an official sidewalk.

Developers have to provide a “traffic management plan as part of the development process,” according to the city. “This includes pedestrian circulation. The intention is to ensure pedestrian access is maintained throughout construction. When access issues are brought to our attention, we follow up with the developer to ensure compliance.”

However, in this case, since this isn’t an official, paved sidewalk, the city can’t do anything about the grassy section being blocked off.

What Campbell would like to see is the city create its own walking/cycling lane during the construction process for people to use.

“The City of Burnaby would just have to block off the curb lane with barriers to make it safe for people walking and cycling,” Campbell says. “As the curb lane ends just past Gilmore, this will have really no impact on traffic.”

The city spokesperson said that the “good news” is that 200 metres of new sidewalk and 200 metres of new urban trail will be added at this location.

“Burnaby is also planning road, sidewalk, and urban trail upgrades on Lougheed between Boundary and Gilmore, with construction planned in 2021.”

-with files from the Western Investor