Look, I know I complain a lot in my blogs so, yes, it’s ironic that I’m questioning other people complaining about something.
So I’ll tread lightly here.
The City of Burnaby is nearing completion of a wonderful and badly-needed infrastructure project on Lougheed Highway, east of Gaglardi Way.
The city has installed urban trails on the north and south side of Lougheed to offer safe access for pedestrians and cyclists. The north side especially was terrible, with area residents heading towards the Production Way SkyTrain station having to navigate a dangerous path along a major road.
Today, the path that’s been created is wide and paved and offers a safe way to walk or cycle.
But it’s a different part of the project that has people contacting me with complaints. Look at the photo above. It shows a median fence that has an artistic flair to it. I assumed it’s designed to discourage people from jaywalking on this busy road.
It’s metal and wavy and looks like you could really get hurt if you tried to cross over it.
Not everyone is impressed with it.
“It’s a hideous mess,” said one reader. “They could have built a fence with all sorts of designed embedded into it and instead they’ve constructed something that looks scary and rusted out. I don’t get it.”
“I can’t believe this is what the city came up with,” said another reader. “I drove by it and started gagging.”
Actually, I kind of like it.
It’s got an undulating feel to it that changes depending on the angle you look at it. I also dig the rusty colour, but that’s me.
All I know that I’m more excited about this project adding some safety to this area that was very much needed. Residents, especially those on the north side of Lougheed, have long complained about the tricky walk heading west towards Gaglardi.
Overall, this is a project residents should feel proud about - even if the fence is a tad polarizing.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
