New Westminster is mapping out a five-year plan for creating a $36-million network of cycling routes across the city.
City council has adopted an All Ages and Abilities Active Transportation Network Plan, which aims to develop a core active transportation network and to connect neighbourhoods and schools. The city has identified 26 corridors for the network, with the intention to implement them within a five-year period.
The network proposes three types of AAA infrastructure: local street bikeways (which would typically include a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit, signage and pavement markings, traffic controls at major intersections, and traffic calming features and diversions); protected bicycle lanes on streets with higher traffic volumes and speeds; and multi-use pathways that can accommodate people who are walking, cycling and using other forms of active transportation such as inline skating and jogging.
A report to council stated that staff had developed a proposed implementation phasing schedule that could see the core AAA network completed within a five-year period.
“It must be noted that there are not sufficient funds available in the current five-year financial plan to deliver the ATNP as outlined … within that timeframe,” said the report. “Should council decide to pursue implementation of the plan, it will be necessary to remove or defer projects included in the existing plan, or to secure additional sources of funding.”
According to the report, a primary intent of this plan was to determine the approximate investment that would be necessary to implement a core AAA network across the city within the span of a five-year capital plan. It noted that complete build-out of the strategies outlined in the report would require investment level of $6 to $9 million annual over five years – with the cost of the corridor estimated to cost $36 million.
The report went on to say that rapid implementation of the network, to the extent outlined in the plan, would require trade-offs with other capital projects and programs within the capital plan, an increase to the annual operating budget and additional sources of capital and operating funding. Planning and detailed design for Year 1 projects to begin in 2023 and construction to be done in 2024.
The Active Transportation Network Plan aims to provide: a comfortable network for people of all ages and ability to use year-round when cycling; a complete network that’s within a short walking, rolling or cycling distance of all residents (within about 400 metres of an AAA bicycle route); and a network that connects all neighbourhoods and major destinations, including schools, parks, commercial areas, community facilities, hospitals, multi-modal connections (such as SkyTrain and the Q to Q ferry), and regional and adjacent community cycling facilities.
Cyclists support plan
Several cyclists appeared before council on Oct. 3 to speak in support of the AAA transportation network, including Laura Kwong, who spoke on behalf of a group of moms and families who live and cycle in New West. She said the city has made great strides in recent years to build up its active transportation network, but many areas of the city still don’t provide a level of protection required for all but the most confident of cyclists to use.
“While navigating New West by bike, each of us here have had a multitude of interactions with vehicles that have left us shaking and dry mouthed,” she said.
Kwong said “there are moments of reprieve, such as on the new Agnes Street Greenway and in areas around schools where the speed limits have been lowered and speed humps installed” but that doesn’t necessarily translate into overall reduced risk, as cyclists still have to ride through less safe routes to get to the safer stretches.
“We are here today to also put a face to the moniker of ‘cyclists in New West’ and let you know that, despite the risks, we are taking our young kids out cycling the streets of our city because we believe in the benefits of active transportation,” she said. “We are encouraging you to continue to invest in AAA active transportation infrastructure to further remove real and perceived safety barriers for cyclists, allowing more families to choose transportation modes that promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce carbon emissions, reduce vehicle traffic and parking congestion, and build community.”
Representatives from HUB Cycling New Westminster fully support the plan.
“We do look forward to the days when it's safer for our kids to ride to school and when all the residents and visitors can move around New Westminster safely, whether they are on mobility scooters or other forms of micro-mobility,” said Gary Carlson, one of the group’s co-chairs. “Our community needs this network now.”
Carlson said the network will encourage community members to consider active transportation before leaving their homes.
“Bike lanes are also good for business. …. Studies show that businesses where bike lanes have been added experienced growth — growth in their customers' monthly spending, growth in frequency of visits and growth in overall customer counts,” he said.
Laura Cornish regularly bikes around town with her young children, who were “very excited” to hear the city is proposing to build better bike lanes as they’ve told her it can be “a bit scary” at times to be on a bike. She said she’s keen to seen an investment in infrastructure that allows people to move more safely around the city, whether they’re on foot, in a wheelchair or stroller, or on a bike.
"There are people transporting our families around town by bike, and it's important to let them have safe places to get around,” she said.
Consultation and financing
As part of the development of the plan, the city has already discussed the proposed AAA network plan with the School District Parents’ Advisory Council, HUB Cycling, TransLink, Metro Vancouver, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, staff in the cities of Burnaby, Coquitlam and Richmond, and the city’s sustainable transportation advisory committee and sustainable transportation task force.
Coun. Chinu Das said she’d like to see seniors and people with mobility challenges included in the public consultation about the plan as it moves forward.
Mike Anderson, the city’s manager of transportation, said engagement done as part of the development of the plan was primarily focused on existing groups and stakeholders that have an interest in the project.
“Given the timeline that we had on this project, we did choose to be quite targeted in our engagement,” he said. “The intent is that, if the plan is adopted, we would do further engagement on a project-by-project basis with various communities. Each route, as we as we implement, will be its own project, and will undertake additional engagement at that time.”
On Oct. 3, council also directed staff to develop a financing strategy that supports the implementation of the plan.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone said it’s important that the City of New Westminster start with having a plan and a vision for a core network that serves the entire community.
“And then we are going to have to come up with more financing implementation plans, and that is going to require some more discussion with the community about specific implementation, how do we do that,” he said. “But this is a huge step forward for the city in both the goals we set out in our master transportation plan seven years ago, and it supports the bold steps in our climate plan. I don't think you can achieve either of those goals in a meaningful timeline, if we don't get a core mobility network connected.”
Johnstone said cities like Victoria, Montreal and Paris have taken climate and transportation seriously and have moved forward quickly to develop this type of network. He said sidewalks, intersections and roads will be safer for everybody, whether they are walking, riding or driving in the city.
“The results are pretty clear that when you build this type of infrastructure, driving becomes safer in the community,” he added. “Accidents that cause injury and death for people inside cars actually goes down as well.”
With provincial and federal governments now funding active transportation, Johnstone said it’s “very timely” that the city have a plan in place so it can apply for grants.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he supports in principle what the city is trying to achieve but is troubled when he read in the report that some components of the network “can be implemented with minimal design or consultation.” He sought assurances that residents and businesses in areas where projects are proposed would be consulted.
“I've always believed that you have to have a strong buy-in from everybody, and I'm just not comfortable that we're doing this,” he said. “It's a $36-million project. A $36-million project needs good consultation.”
Puchmayr said there’s an “urgency” to get this work done, saying the popularity of electric bikes and e-mobility has increased the need.
“I support the need,” he said. “But I have a real problem with only consulting with a certain group that is positively impacted, but not consulting with a group that may feel that they're negatively impacted. There has to be that balance. I support this program, but I can't support it without proper consultation.”
Lisa Leblanc, the city’s director of engineering, said the engagement that’s occurred thus far has been done to determine the best routes throughout the city to create a citywide network, and to understand where cyclists were coming from and going to, and what routes best served the needs of a broad section of cyclists.
The plan presented to council includes maps showing routes and details about various components (speed bumps, traffic circles, etc.) that are proposed as part of the network.
“When it comes to individual projects and the time for implementation of specific projects, the engagement looks like figuring out how best to implement the project – not asking permission at that stage whether the project should be done or not,” Leblanc said. “But really figuring out what's going to best serve those who will use the improved connection, and also to best address the needs of those who may be impacted by it, particularly our most vulnerable road users, like seniors, like people with disabilities.”
Leblanc said the city’s experience on Agnes Greenway is that there can be “unintended consequences” of implementing infrastructure like this.
“It's really important at that stage of detailed design and implementation that we understand at a deeper level, what the impacts are, and how best to mitigate those impacts,” she said, “and not to abandon the project because it's difficult at that point, but to make sure that we're implementing it in a way that considers the broad range of issues and the broad range of people that are going to be affected.”
Puchmayr stressed the need for merchants to be consulted before projects are built in their neighbourhood.
Leblanc said the city understands that the removal of on-street parking or the reallocation of street space to other uses can be impactful to businesses.
“We are particularly interested in what the impact is to people with disabilities or seniors accessing those adjacent buildings. So we have done quite a bit of looking into loading zones for passengers with disabilities, ensuring that there's places for people who need to drive, places for them to park,” she said. “Another key consideration in commercial areas is impacts that may be related to loading and servicing of adjacent properties. So, again, we prioritize our consultation and engagement efforts around ensuring that there remains a reasonable option for adjacent businesses to be serviced and for loading to occur.”
Mayor Jonathan Cote said it will be up to the next council to determine how the plan is implemented and the type of engagement that takes place. By supporting the plan, he said council would be supporting the directions laid out in the plan.
“As we get into more specifics of the project and efforts to mitigate the plan and make sure it works for all of the stakeholders, including businesses would be addressed at the individual time,” he said. “Having said that, I think what we will probably be avoiding though is whether a project should be cancelled or not moved forward or moved to another location. Those are the types of discussions that really I don't believe are really going to be the focus of the conversation.”
Puchmayr questioned if those types of discussions could occur in the future.
“Well, that's up to the council,” Cote replied.
Council unanimously endorsed the All Ages and Abilities Active Transportation Network Plan.
